Derrick White, Sam Hauser contracts key to Celtics title defense amid NBA rumors

With the NBA Draft looming and free agency looming, the Boston Celtics’ NBA record 18th career record is starting to retreat into the rearview mirror – if it weren’t for the city of Boston, still bathed in the glow of a championship parade attended by an estimated 1.5 million fans, then for the entire league.

While the chatter about draft trades and free-agency targets increases around the other teams in the league, things remain quieter in the Celtics’ corner, which works well for the team.

Boston’s championship core — which includes Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday — will remain intact until next season, giving the Celtics a legitimate chance to reverse it and add Banner 19, just for good measure.

The Celtics are expected to be over the second apron of the luxury tax, which will hamper their ability to do much in the way of transactions – whether it’s pooling salaries in trades, transferring cash in trades or signing and trading their own players for others.

But Boston can still make some meaningful moves within its own roster. Chief among them is Tatum’s projected $315 million supermax, which would become the richest in league history and could be signed once the free agent moratorium period ends on July 6. Boston sphere‘s Adam Himmelsbach.

The next step could be an extension for Derrick White, a key figure in Boston’s campaign to defend its title.

The 29-year-old guard and the Celtics were unable to reach an agreement on an extension last year, and White has only become more valuable since then. White, who remained a starter after the team traded Marcus Smart to the Memphis Grizzlies last season, averaged 15.2 points, 5.2 assists and 4.2 rebounds in 73 games and was named to a second consecutive All-Defensive team.

White was instrumental in the Celtics’ postseason success, recording a career-high 38 points in a road win against the Miami Heat in Game 4 of the first round of the playoffs.

According to the Boston sphere‘s Adam Himmelsbach, White’s expansion is expected to be worth about $125 million over four years.

Forward Sam Hauser also had a career season en route to the Celtics’ championship win and will be a key part of the roster in 2024-25 and beyond as Boston deals with the luxury tax penalties and related effects on roster construction.

The 26-year-old has a team option next season, although the Celtics could choose to decline it and give him a longer contract.

This season, Hauser shot 42.4 percent from the three-point line on an average of 5.9 attempts, a career high. He had scored a career-high 30 points on a career-high 10 three-pointers in a 130–104 win over the Washington Wizards in March, and his 11 three-pointers were instrumental in the Celtics’ Finals victory over the Dallas Mavericks.

Hauser’s sharpshooting is especially valuable to the Celtics’ three-point-heavy “Mazulla ball” style under head coach Joe Mazulla.

On Wednesday night, the Celtics selected Creighton forward Baylor Scheierman with the 30th pick in the NBA draft. He was the first first-round pick of the Brad Stevens era.

Scheierman averaged 18.5 points per game last season and is a solid rebounder.

But if the Celtics can find a player with their 54th overall pick on Thursday who can compete for one of the four open roster spots next season, the associated savings from having to pay that player only the rookie minimum could help the team move on from White to get. and Hauser were locked up for the foreseeable future.