Boston Celtics guard Derrick White (9) gestures during Game 4 of the NBA basketball playoffs Eastern Conference finals against the Miami Heat, Tuesday, May 23, 2023, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)AP
There was a flurry of extension activity around the NBA on Monday night but one key Celtics player was not involved in a deal.
A league source confirmed to MassLive the team did not reach a contract extension with Derrick White ahead of Monday’s deadline for veteran extensions for players with two years left on their deal.
White is still under contract through the 2024-25 season, earning an average of $19 million over each of those two seasons after being promoted to a starting role after the Marcus Smart trade.
A lack of an extension for White is not a surprise at all when you look at activity around the league for players in his contract situation.
No veterans with two years remaining signed on for the long term unless they were getting max extensions (see: Karl-Anthony Towns).
With a rising salary cap and White’s stellar play last year, it’s understandable that his camp was holding out for a big deal in talks.
Meanwhile, Boston has plenty of pricy long-term deals on their books already in Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis so it’s no surprise they weren’t able to reach White’s asking price despite positive talks with his camp, per sources.
The Celtics clearly tried to pave a bigger role for White this offseason with a number of their trades.
Moving out Smart and Malcolm Brogdon opened up a spot for White in key lineups, although the addition of Jrue Holiday makes it possible that White could serve in some kind of sixth-man role this season at times if Boston goes with a double big starting five and also starts Holiday at point guard.
No matter what role he plays, White feels like a lock for the closing five lineup in close games and he should get a bump from the 28.3 minutes per game he played last season.
That added opportunity will give him the ability to put up more numbers that will only build up his market value among potential suitors if/when he hits free agency in the summer of 2025.
In the meantime, White’s situation is reflective of the sense of urgency the Celtics have with this group during the next two years.
The team is eventually going to be priced out of some important pieces of this core’s supporting cast eventually especially if Brad Stevens comes to an extension agreement with Holiday next year.
Locking up lower cost players on manageable extensions (see: Payton Pritchard) will be crucial for this team to keep some of their depth intact.
No extension for White though foreshadows the fact that he probably won’t be back for the long term unless other big changes are made to this roster structure.
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