On Thursday morning, the Celtics and Jordan Walsh agreed to a three-year, $16 million extension, which will kick in after this coming season. Boston already picked up Walsh’s team option for $2.4 million, locking him in for this season, and the final year of his new deal will be another team option for the 2029-2030 season.
Still just 22 years old, Walsh broke out for the Celtics in his third season last year, becoming a defensive ace and a menace on the glass while knocking down over 38% of his three-point attempts, showing some ability to attack a closeout, and bringing constant effort and energy.
It was his first year in the rotation, and the arrow is pointing straight up for Walsh, who was the Celtics’ best defender on Tyrese Maxey in the playoffs. He’s going to take on an even bigger defensive role with Jaylen Brown now in Philadelphia, and if his offensive game continues to grow, he’s going to be an incredibly valuable player in the NBA, as he can play any wing position, guard multiple positions, and offer great length and athleticism.
Walsh contract will age like wine
The former second-round pick may never be a star, but he can absolutely grow into a star role player, which is exactly what the Celtics need him to be. Wings who can defend and shoot are at a premium in the league, and to lock one down at this number for the next four seasons is pretty incredible.
So, now Walsh will make just over $18 million over the next four seasons while other wing players like Patrick Williams, Grayson Allen, PJ Washington, Kyle Kuzma, Christian Braun, and many others will make more than $18 million for the 2026-27 season alone. The position is valuable, and the quality is scarce. If Walsh continues to develop and expand on what he showed last season, he could be as good or better than any of those players, and his contract could quickly look like one of the best in the league.
Stevens is elite at bargain extensions
This continues a trend for Brad Stevens and the Celtics of developing young players and extending them on extremely team-friendly deals. We’ve seen it in recent years with Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser, and we’ve already seen it earlier this offseason with Neemias Queta.
When the Celtics traded Brown, Stevens emphasized optionality and the ability to pay their own young players. Being able to stay under the luxury tax and extending Queta and Walsh on potential scam contracts before the end of July is outstanding.Â
The JB trade is all anyone will remember from this offseason in Boston, but they’ve quietly set themselves up very well for the future by stockpiling bargain contracts for solid players who should help the team or be desirable trade targets. Now, all eyes will turn to Pritchard, who will become the next candidate for yet another discount contract extension in the fall.
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