Celtics' Jayson Tatum says he doesn't know if he'll come back this season: 'It's just a lot to think about'

Jayson Tatum might not come back this season after all. On Wednesday, the Boston Celtics star, who tore his Achilles last May, told ESPN's Ramona Shelburne that he has not made up his mind about a potential return.

Tatum told ESPN that he's making good progress in his rehabilitation, but he "wants to get it right the first time, so it's just a lot to think about."

This followed Chris Haynes reporting on NBA TV that Tatum is reevaluating the situation. It also followed Tatum's appearance on The Pivot, published Wednesday, in which he said he was thinking about the logistics of getting back in the mix.

"If or when I do come back this season, they would have played 50-some-odd games without me, right?" he said on the podcast. "So they have an identity this year, or things that they've felt has clicked for them. And it's been successful, right? You know, third, second team in the East up to this point. So there is a thought in my head, like: How does that work? Or how does that look? With me integrating myself off of an injury and 50, 60 games into a season, [there] obviously could be some challenges. It is a thought. Like, damn, do I come back? Or should I wait? It's something that I honestly, recently, in the last like two weeks or so, just kind of contemplated every single day."

Boston is 29-18 -- tied with the New York Knicks for the second-best record in the East -- and the team has the third-best net rating in the entire league. The Celtics have never put an official timetable on his return, but, before this, it was widely assumed that he'd be back this season, barring a setback. On Jan. 19, he got some work in at shootaround with media present: 

Will Tatum's uncertainty affect Boston's plans at the trade deadline? It doesn't have to. Last month, team president Brad Stevens said that the Celtics would pursue upgrades, "but it all has to be within good deals and it all has to be within the ultimate goal, which is the North Star of retooling so we're in a position to compete for what we want to compete for." They didn't shed as much salary as they did last summer just so they could do something shortsighted now.

This doesn't necessarily make Boston more likely to duck the luxury tax, either. Stevens has maintained since last offseason that the team will not cut into its asset base (i.e. give up a first-round pick) simply to get out of the tax. According to HoopsHype's Michael Scotto, the the Celtics turned down the Chicago Bulls' offer of big man Nikola Vučević for Anfernee Simons and a first-round pick, a deal that would cut their tax bill in half but not get them under the threshold. They could wind up moving Simons, but he's been a valuable source of offense for what has turned out to be an elite team. If they don't like their options on the trade market, they don't have to do anything at all.

Without Tatum, Boston has reimagined its offense and been even more efficient than it was last season. If he comes back, he could give the team a boost, but he'll also have to figure out how to fit in. The Celtics have been so good in his absence that his decision shouldn't have any bearing on whether they trade for another big man, whether they duck the tax and whether they keep Simons. With or without him, they have the same short-term strengths and weaknesses. With or without him, they'll be dealing from a position of strength.