It’s going to get even more expensive for the Celtics to keep their core group together. Derrick White, who has excelled during the postseason, will be seeking a contract extension this summer, Marc Stein reports in his latest Substack article.
White will make $20MM next season in the last year of the four-year deal he signed with the Spurs. He’s eligible for another four-year deal that would max out in the neighborhood of $126MM. The remainder of the Celtics’ starting lineup is signed through at least the 2025/26 season, with all making at least $29MM per season.
We have more on the Celtics:
- The lone rookie on the team, Jordan Walsh, has only appeared in two postseason games but he’s contributing in other ways, Souichi Terada of Masslive.com writes. He’s trying to push Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown whenever he’s matched up against the star wing duo in practice. “I’m here to kill you in practice. I don’t care who you are, I’m trying to kill. So that’s kind of the mentality I have,” he said.
- Al Horford‘s experience and leadership is invaluable to the team, Baxter Holmes of ESPN writes in a feature story. “The bottom line is, we are much better because Al Horford is on our team, and everybody in the room is better because Al Horford is on the team,” top executive Brad Stevens said. “That’s the most important thing. He raises all ships. That’s just the way he’s always been. We don’t take that for granted. We know how important he is.” Horford’s on-court contributions have remained steady –he’s averaging 9.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game in the postseason.
- The ESPN trio of Brian Windhorst, Marc Spears and Dave McMenamin provide their observations and expectations for the remainder of the NBA Finals between the Celtics and Mavericks.
Celtics better win game 3….or they will lose.
Can’t argue with that. If they lose game three they will indeed lose that game but if they win game three then they will win the game.
Celtics are not a good match up for the Mavs. Celtics win it in 6.
lol
LOL..
Extending white is a must. N ownership knows that. This is the team that can win multiple rings. You cannot afford to lose a player like him.
I love Derek White !! To me he’s the most underrated player in the entire league. The dude is a stud on both ends of the floor. That block at The Rim right before halftime of the last game was awesome.
BUT !!! Al Horford also plays a huge role on this team. As he gets older and perhaps retires or is less effective, there’s no way the Celtics win multiple rings. He does so much for them that he is not easily replaced with a young guy or inexpensive veteran ring chasing.
Al Horford is a positive for this team, but ultimately, he’s the 5th most important player on the roster. If you think losing the 5th most important player on the roster immediately means they can’t win multiple rings, you need to retire from your unpaid journalism gig right now.
Wherever he ranks in importance.., I’m saying if you lose Al Horford you are nowhere close to the team you are today. That’s how I see it. Not giving up anything cuz you say so. But free to give my opinion here as are you.
They are allowed to do it so… Let’s see if ownership will accept that invoice.
Not a fan of paying those kinds of premiums for players like Derrick White. He’s awesome but that type of decision (eg Miami and Herro, Philly and Horford) has never really worked out in the teams favor. The league is full of teams hamstrung by large contracts for their 4th best player.
If that’s the money he wants I prefer to trade him for assets and find new players to keep the cycle going. Theres a few guys like White available every year. White himself was plucked from another team. This year Siakam, Lively, and Toppin were all readily available.
You’re comparing Lively and Toppin to White? What?
Celtics are deep. And are playing team ball. There’s a good mix of guys who’ve won. And guys stepping into big games. They got hungry guys. For all the talk about Tatum not scoring. When he’s all about winning. We’ll see who wins the MVP. Celtics look determined. They are just working.
Celtics have shone whilst their star player has struggled to score…
Mavs would of been blown out of the water in both games had Tatums shot been true to form…
Many teams get into a position where they are overpaying players because they are the best alternative available. Even though the Celtics contracts put them into luxury tax territory they are at least paying top dollar for quality players in their prime years who complement each other well and do not create the drama often associated with other highly paid players in the league. White is in his prime and has performed at a high level. The Celtics have opportunity to keep their window wide open for at least several more years and unlike other contending teams they have retained or acquired draft picks to help develop and maintain a flow of inexpensive young talent in reserve. They are a model of how, in this free agent/salary cap era, to navigate the rules and be a long running competitor for championships.