A look at the Celtics' to-do list this offseason
BOSTON -- Celtics players will spend the summer celebrating their NBA title, but the Boston brass will be hard at work making sure the team is in the best position to repeat in 2025. Luckily for Brad Stevens and company, there isn't much work to do to retain the majority of Boston's roster.
The core is in place and will remain in place in Boston, which has the Celtics already sitting as the favorites to win it all next season. Stevens did most of his heavy lifting last summer when he made moves to bring in Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday, both of whom are signed for the foreseeable future. Al Horford isn't retiring and is gearing up for an 18th NBA season. Finals MVP Jaylen Brown is about to begin his supermax, and Jayson Tatum will get his own in the very near future.
Figuring out a Derrick White extension is the biggest task at hand for the Celtics' front office this summer, and a few role players will also need new contracts. Stevens is always looking to improve his team, but coming off a dominant 64-18 regular season and 16-3 run to a title in the playoffs, he doesn't have to do much to keep these championship Celtics together.
And that's a good thing, since the Celtics will have one of the shortest offseasons in the NBA. That comes with the territory when you win a championship, but Boston will also start training camp earlier than most teams, with preseason games against the Denver Nuggets in Dubai set for October 4 and 6.
Here's what is on the docket for Stevens and the Celtics this summer -- in addition to a little championship celebration, of course.
Give Jayson Tatum his supermax extension
The Celtics don't have to think about this one too much, since the CBA has Tatum's five-year, $315 supermax extension all mapped out. The only question is whether there will be a player option in there or not, but that shouldn't take long to hammer out.
The deal could be agreed on in the coming weeks and officially announced after July 6. Tatum has certainly earned a lucrative deal, earning three straight All-NBA First Team honors while leading the Celtics to the playoffs in all seven of his seasons in the NBA.
Sign Derrick White to a four-year extension
White has one more year left on his current deal, but is eligible to sign a four-year extension with Boston that would pay him upwards of $30 million a season. Since joining the Celtics via a trade with the Spurs during the 2021-22 season, White has evolved into one of the league's best two-way guards and a key part of Boston's success.
He's an incredible perimeter defender and one of the best shot-blocking guards, leading to two straight All-Defensive team selections for White. He also has a knack for hitting key shots for the Celtics, benefitting from the team's drive-and-dish offense that forces opponents to pay so much attention to Tatum and Brown. And there is no doubting his passion on the floor, and White has a few broken teeth to prove it.
White could play out his current deal and have a chance to really cash in next summer. He could also sign a four-year deal worth up to $122 million this offseason, though as much as he means to the Celtics, the team may not offer that full amount given its financial situation getting a bit messy in the future. White has certainly earned a big payday, but he's also expressed a desire to return to Boston, so maybe he'd be willing to take a bit of a team-friendly deal to keep the core intact for a few more title runs.
But if Wyc Grousbeck is willing to pay the massive luxury tax bills to keep this team together, as he has said he will in the past, then Derrick White needs to remain a member of the Celtics for as long as possible.
Celtics free agents
Boston's top six players are all locked into next season, and half-court shot extraordinaire Payton Pritchard is signed through 2027-28. When it comes to their own free agents, the Celtics don't have too many players to worry about.
The Celtics own team options on Sam Hauser ($2.1 million) and Neemias Queta ($2.2 million), and Oshae Brissett has a player option for $2.5 million. Hauser is the one to watch from that group, since the Celtics could either pick up his option or decline it and work out a long-term deal. Hauser is deadly from three and has also shown great strides on the defensive end, so the C's should do what they can to keep him part of the mix. He shouldn't cost the team too much, and an extension now would keep him from hitting free agency next summer, when some team could come out and potentially offer him a Duncan Robinson-like deal.
Things could get interesting in the front court though, as both Luke Kornet and Xavier Tillman are unrestricted free agents. Given Porzingis' injury and Horford's age, it'd be in Boston's best interest to retain one or both of them. Ideally, they'd also add a young big man via the draft.
Elsewhere on the books, Svi Mykhailiuk is an unrestricted free agents, and two-way guard J.D. Davison the team's only restricted free agent this offseason.
NBA free agency gets underway on June 30 at 6 p.m.
Celtics have two picks at the NBA Draft
While players are celebrating their title, the Boston brass is preparing for next week's NBA Draft. It's been an ongoing process with pre-draft workouts, and despite spending most of Monday night celebrating, the Celtics had hopeful NBAers in for workouts on Tuesday.
Boston own's two picks: No. 30 in the first round and No. 54 in the second round. While chances are they won't land a player who can come in and make an immediate impact, the Celtics have found solid players at the end of the first round, such as Pritchard in 2020 (26th overall) and Robert Williams (28th in 2018).
Stevens has gone the Bill Belichick route in the second round, opting to trade back a number of times to get even more picks, and that could be his play this summer as well.
The draft will take place over two nights this year, with the first round on Wednesday, June 26, and the second round set for Thursday, June 27.
Filling out Joe Mazzulla's staff
Charles Lee is now off to coach the Charlotte Hornets, leaving Mazzulla without his top assistant. Sam Cassell could potentially be poached away from his staff as well.
Mazzulla had an excellent staff throughout the 2023-24 season, and while he's turned into an incredible head coach himself, it's not a bad thing to have a slew of talented basketball minds by his side.
Celtics in the Summer Olympics
After a deep playoff run, it'd be nice if the Celtics got to enjoy a break over the summer. But Jayson Tatum and Jrue Holiday are already set to play for Team USA In Paris this summer, and Derrick White may join them too.
We'll see how much run they get in Paris, but a gold medal (or in Tatum and Holiday's case, another gold medal) would look pretty nice alongside the championship rings they'll be getting come October.
