If Brad Stevens keeps this up, he’s going to earn the nickname ‘The Extender’ because, unlike his predecessor, Danny Ainge, and a lot of GMs around the NBA, when a young player coming up in the Celtics’ system is fitting in, developing, and making an impact, Stevens gets that player a contract extension.
This has become Brad’s calling card in Boston, as he has now extended more than half of the roster and has a deep, versatile squad with almost everyone under team control for several years. Just this offseason, we’ve seen him extend Ron Harper Jr., Jordan Walsh, Neemias Queta, and Payton Pritchard.
Next summer, there will be some interesting decisions to be made with veteran stars Jayson Tatum and Derrick White, but one move seems pretty obvious at this point, and that’s yet another team-friendly rookie-scale extension, this time for Baylor Scheierman.
Scheierman was drafted late in the first round in 2024 and spent most of his first season in Maine before breaking out last year as a two-way menace. He has continued to show growth and looks to take an even bigger leap this season, becoming a stable part of the rotation.
Scheierman likely to be the next Celtics youngster extended
At the end of this season, Scheierman will have one more team option on his rookie deal and will be eligible for an extension, just like what happened with Walsh this summer. Just as they did with Walsh and Queta this summer, the Celtics will have leverage as they hold the option on Scheierman as they attempt to negotiate a new deal.
And I’m willing to bet that’s exactly what Brad Stevens will do. There likely won’t be as much of a salary crunch to try to get below the tax, so perhaps they’ll pick up Baylor’s option and work out an extension that starts in the 2028-29 season, or maybe they’ll turn down the extension to give him a bump starting next year.
Either way, barring something crazy happening, I’m sure the Celtics and Stevens are going to want to invest in Scheierman and keep him around long-term after working to develop him over the past few years. Hopefully, Baylor will be excited about the raise and locking up guaranteed money, and the two sides can work out a reasonable deal.
We’ve seen this scenario play out with countless other young players in Boston, many of whom are still on the team and thriving. Scheierman should be eager to follow that path, and the Celtics should be thrilled to make it happen. I’d be very surprised if we don’t see this get done a year from now.
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