During a recent appearance on The Association on NBA TV, NBA insider Chris Haynes delivered a new update regarding the Jayson Tatum situation.
He revealed that league sources informed him that Tatum is now considering sitting out for the entire 2025-26 campaign.
“As it pertains to the Boston Celtics and Jayson Tatum, in particular, it was always a foregone conclusion that Tatumw as going to try to give it a go and return at some point during the season after suffering that Achilles tear. But league sources just informed me right now that Jayson Tatum is now reevaluating his situation, and it is up in the air on if he’s going to return at all this season.
“Now, I was told that there are a couple of factors of why he’s reached that point, but as of right now, that changes the whole landscape, because Tatum even told me, personally, months back, he was returning at some point. He was getting ready to return. And it was getting close. I was hearing it was getting close. And then, league sources informed me that the situation has changed, and now, it is up in the air if he’s going to return or not.”
Sources: Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum (Achilles recovery) is re-evaluating his situation and is now considering sitting out the entire 2025-26 season. Final decision has yet to be determined. pic.twitter.com/Z8CcVjFSIr
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) January 29, 2026
BSJ Analysis: It’s hard to know what to make of this report.
Haynes has historically been in with the players around the league.
Sources come from different places. Sometimes, it’s agents. Sometimes, it’s team personnel. For Haynes, his have usually been with the players themselves, which gives him a unique perspective.
That said, the Boston Celtics organization is very tight-lipped. Nothing slips out.
There have been some exceptions. The report about Jaylen Brown’s meniscus tear was revealed after Boston was eliminated from the playoffs last year. But again, that was after they were already eliminated.
Less than two weeks ago, Tatum worked out in front of a group of reporters before the Celtics’ away game against the Detroit Pistons. That, combined with numerous reports about how well his recovery had been going, fueled hope that he could return this year.
Plus, ever since Tatum went down with an Achilles tear on May 12, 2025, he has been stating his goal is to return the following season.
But on a recent podcast appearance on The Pivot Podcast with Ryan Clark, Channing Crowder, and Fred Taylor, Tatum also expressed concerns about returning midseason and disrupting the Celtics’ rhythm:
“That’s something I contemplate every day. More so about the team, if or when I do come back this season, they would have played 50-some-odd games without me, so they have an identity this year or things they’ve felt that has clicked for them and it’s been successful…so there’s a thought in my head that is like, how does that work? How does that look with me integrating myself off an injury…and it is a thought like ‘damn, do I come back or should I wait?’ In the last two weeks or so, I contemplate every single day.”
Is that a legitimate concern? For sure. Tatum’s return will take some work. But he’s one of the best players on the planet. Getting him at even 70% of what he can do would be a win for Boston, especially if he were willing to adapt to a role in which he could make the biggest impact on winning.
So, what should fans make of Haynes’ report?
It’s definitely not something to ignore. But in the grand scheme of the game, ‘Will Tatum return or not?’ it shouldn’t sway opinions that much.
Perhaps Tatum saw all the hype around his potential return and wanted to temper expectations a bit.
At the beginning of the year, few believed that an in-season return was plausible, especially with the thought that Boston could be tanking. But as the reality grew closer, and the Celtics started to win, people got invested.
So, maybe he wanted to tell Haynes about a potential reevaluation process to keep public anticipation in check.
Or maybe Tatum and the Celtics don’t want other teams around the league to know what his plan is.
Will Tatum return this season? Maybe not. But Haynes’ report, like almost all exterior reports about the Celtics organization, should be taken with a grain of salt.
The only groups that know if Tatum will be back this year are the Celtics, their medical team, and Tatum’s camp. And even then, none of them know.
Because only time, and Tatum, will tell.
