NBA Most Improved Candidates Ready to Break Out

With Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum making All-NBA Teams this season, both players are now eligible for supermax extensions with the Boston Celtics.

Brown can sign a five-year, $290 million extension this offseason that would begin with the 24-25 season.

Tatum is automatically eligible for a supermax extension in 2024 after making an All-NBA team in two straight seasons with the deal worth between $308 million and $318 million over five years depending on where the cap comes in.

Brown and Tatum were third overall picks by the Celtics in 2017 and 2018 respectively.

The Carlyle Group has dropped out of financing the next payment by Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez to purchase the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Carlyle had been in talks with the NBA for several months about the possible investment, but were unable to agree to a structure that would be approved by the league.

Glen Taylor said on Tuesday there’s been issues surrounding $300 million of financing for the latest funding round. The deadline for the payment, which will give the duo another 40% bringing them to 80% of the team, is due at the end of March.

“They (Lore and A-Rod) had an equity group that was going to come in and put in $300 million, and that equity group has either withdrawn or the NBA has denied them,” Taylor told reporters. “They have to go out and find new revenue. That I do know.”

Lore and Rodriguez agreed to purchase the Timberwolves for $1.5 billion.

An NBA spokesman said in a statement that the league “did not deny Carlyle’s proposed investment.”