Boston Celtics forward Jordan Walsh agreed to a three-year $16 million contract extension last week. The new deal ensures that Walsh will be under team control on a team-friendly salary through the end of the 2030 season.
It does not, however, guarantee that he’ll play out his next four years in Boston.
Last season was a great reminder that the Celtics have plenty of up-and-coming wings in their system. Walsh, Baylor Scheierman, and Hugo Gonzalez all spent time as Joe Mazzulla’s most reliable forward off the bench.
Walsh was the first to earn consistent minutes throughout November and December. Boston ripped off a 15-5 stretch with the Arkansas product in the starting lineup. He had an unbelievable three-game run where he shot 18-19 from the field, and brought a regular defensive chaos to the floor.
Walsh is part of a good problem for the Celtics to have
He struggled to hold down a solid role into the new year, though, with the other two wings having their own respective moments in the sun.
It became clear that the Cs have three rotation-level players on their hands, but may not have enough minutes for all of them. Retaining the trio until one guy separates himself from the rest makes sense. Walsh was step one in that process, since he’s been in the league the longest.
Both Scheierman and Gonzalez remain on rookie contracts, with Scheierman becoming extension eligible next summer, and Gonzalez the year after.
It’s too soon to tell what their individual extensions would look like, but we should all be confident that they’re coming.
Walsh is still only 22 years old. He looked solid in his first full season of extended minutes, appearing in 68 games for the Cs. Who’s to say that he won’t be able to carry that momentum over into the 2026-27 campaign?
Walsh is still an intriguing prospect for the Celtics... and other teams
Even if he does, there’s still a fair chance that he’d eventually be traded. All it’ll take is for either Scheierman or Gonzalez to take a leap. Simply put, there’s only so many minutes to go around. This doesn’t mean that Walsh will never play, or Boston will trade him at the first opportunity, it just means that his contract may be more appealing to other teams than whatever Scheierman and Gonzalez eventually extend for.
Plus, his youth still leaves the door open for untapped potential. A team could easily talk themselves into the idea of developing Walsh into a starting-level player. His physical tools make him an intriguing defensive prospect, and he’s shown improvement as an offensive player. At his best, he played with a great feel for where to be on that side of the floor, moving well without the basketball.
The above paragraph, by the way, is likely the driving force behind the team’s decision to extend him. There’s been enough progress to at least see another deal out with hopes of further development.
If Walsh does take a leap, then I’d monitor one of the other two to be a trade candidate. It just feels super unlikely that all three of them will wind up playing out the entirety of their first two NBA contracts in Boston.
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