The Boston Celtics are just two wins from winning the 2024 NBA Finals behind the strength of their team defense. But already the front office is likely considering how to approach a pending decision on Derrick White.
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, White will be seeking a contract extension while the Celtics will be figuring out how to pay everyone:
“Keeping his five best players together for the long term is going to get increasingly difficult (as in expensive) for Brad Stevens and the Celtics after the forthcoming offseason, when Jayson Tatum signs his own $315 million contract extension after Jaylen Brown scored a nearly $290 million extension last summer. We must also factor in that Derrick White, according to league sources, will be seeking a contract extension this summer.”
Last summer, the Celtics and Brown agreed to a five-year, $304 million contract extension that keeps him under contract through the 2028-29 season. This new contract is fully guaranteed, there is no player option in the final year and best of all for Brown, he became, for a time, the highest-paid player in league history.
While Brown earned All-NBA Second Team honors in 2023, Jayson Tatum earned All-NBA First Team honors for the second consecutive year and had the best season of his career, averaging 30.1 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. He will be eligible for a supermax contract extension this offseason and seeing as they just gave Brown a massive deal, it is not hard to believe the Celtics will instantly do the same with Tatum when he becomes extension eligible.
Where this leaves White is uncertain, but he has been arguably the best role player in the NBA – being named to the second NBA All-Defensive Team while averaging 15.2 points, 5.2 assists, and 4.2 rebounds.
Boston Celtics lead Mavericks 2-0 in NBA Finals
The Celtics downed the Mavericks by a score of 105-98 in Game 2 on Sunday night to take a commanding 2-0 lead in the series.
Teams that grab a 2-0 lead in the finals are 31-5 all time, but there have only been nine sweeps in NBA Finals history.
Former Celtics guard Kyrie Irving is averaging just 14 points per game while shooting 35.1 percent from the floor in this series. He also has yet to make a three-pointer as the Boston defense has swarmed around the perimeter through the first two games.
The series now shifts to Dallas, where the Mavs hope to get back on track.
Boston has gone 6-0 over its first six road playoff wins in 2024 and has actually won eight consecutive road playoff games overall dating back to last spring. The Celtics have actually better played away from home than at TD Garden in recent postseasons.
Game 3 from Dallas will be played on Wednesday night.
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