With the NBA Draft concluded, Brad Stevens, the president of basketball operations for the Boston Celtics, now shifts his focus to free agency starting June 30.
Despite limited cap space for new signings, Stevens is prioritizing negotiations with extension-eligible players on the Celtics’ current roster, including Jayson Tatum, Derrick White, and Sam Hauser.
“We’re eager to keep these extension-eligible players here as long as possible,” Stevens stated, as reported by Souichi Terada of MassLive. “They’re exceptional talents. However, in terms of adding to our payroll this year, our options are quite restricted. We’ll mostly be looking at minimum-level contracts or similar options. Plus, any potential trades are constrained by new regulations preventing us from taking on additional salary.”
Following Jaylen Brown’s record-setting supermax extension last year, Jayson Tatum is expected to command a similar lucrative deal in his next contract. Tatum is currently under contract until the 2025-26 season, with a significant cap hit exceeding $34.8 million for the 2024-25 season.
Derrick White is entering the final year of his four-year, $70 million contract and will become an unrestricted free agent after the 2024-25 season. He was a fan favorite, averaging 15.2 points, 5.2 assists, and 4.2 rebounds per game in the regular season, and he played a crucial role in the Celtics’ postseason campaign. With Jrue Holiday secured until the 2027-28 season, it is a top priority for Stevens to maintain his championship-winning backcourt intact.
The third player, Sam Hauser, is under contract for the upcoming season with a club option valued just over $2 million. Hauser played a significant role off the bench for the Celtics during both the regular season and playoffs. He boasted impressive shooting percentages of 44.6% from the field and 42.4% from beyond the arc across 79 regular-season games. In the playoffs, although his minutes were reduced, Hauser still managed to contribute an average of 5.4 points per game.
Heading into the 2024-25 season as defending NBA champions, the Celtics face uncertainty regarding the future of their trio of players. However, their core remains intact. The main change is Kristaps Porzingis, who is anticipated to sit out the start of the season due to surgery to mend a torn retinaculum and dislocated posterior tibialis tendon.
Be the first to comment