Overview
- The team posted images from Wednesday’s San Francisco workout showing Tatum in live action against teammate Luka Garza, following his Feb. 9 five-on-five session with the Maine Celtics.
- Shams Charania reports Tatum has been playing five-on-five for weeks, with a final decision expected to involve medical staff and team officials, though the player has the last word.
- Tatum reiterated he has no target date and is taking the process day by day, saying he will not play until he feels fully ready physically and mentally.
- Coach Joe Mazzulla declined to discuss timelines and emphasized principles over feel, aligning with Brad Stevens’s stance that Tatum should only return after full clearance, likely with a managed ramp-up.
- Speculation has intensified around early March—boosted by an NBC doc teaser, a March 1 national TV flex, and rising prediction-market prices (Polymarket near 87%; Kalshi favoring mid-March)—but no return has been announced.