The Celtics’ championship core isn’t going anywhere.
Fresh off winning the 2024 NBA title, Boston made two key transactions Monday. The Celtics signed star forward Jayson Tatum and guard Derrick White each to extensions. Both were eligible to ink new deals on July 1, and GM Brad Stevens wasted no time locking in two key members of its championship team.
Tatum is coming off another sensational campaign in Boston. The 26-year-old averaged 26.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists in the regular season, while shooting 47.1% from the field. In the playoffs, he averaged 22.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 7.2 assists en route to the title.
White was a NBA All-Defensive Second Team selection for the second season in a row. The 29-year-old guard averaged 15.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 5.2 assists, while shooting 46.1% from the field in the regular season. In the postseason, White averaged 16.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists.
These two signings lock in the starting five for the Celtics through the 2025-26 season.
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Celtics salary cap space
The two newest deals for the Celtics don’t have an impact on the salary cap for the upcoming season. The extensions for White and Tatum begin at the conclusion of the 2024-25 season, when their current contracts expire.
So let’s look toward the following year. Boston has the quintet of Tatum, White, Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis locked in for 2025-26. Those five alone will cost nearly $200 million together.
Outside of those five, only Payton Pritchard, Neemias Queta and Jordan Walsh are inked to deals for next season. That leaves very limited cap space with which Boston can work. With that said, it does give the Celtics the deepest starting five in the league — as evidenced by their 2024 NBA championship.
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Boston Celtics payroll
As mentioned, the extensions for White and Tatum don’t have an impact on the upcoming NBA season. The two extensions will not kick in until the 2025-26 season, as both Boston members are in the final year of their current contracts.
Below is a look at what each current Celtics player is being paid for 2024:
| Player | Cap hit |
| Jaylen Brown | $49,205,800 |
| Jayson Tatum | $34,848,340 |
| Jrue Holiday | $30,000,000 |
| Kristaps Porzingis | $29,268,293 |
| Derrick White | $18,821,429 |
| Al Horford | $9,500,000 |
| Payton Pritchard | $6,696,429 |
| Jaden Springer | $4,018,363 |
| Neemias Queta | $2,162,606 |
| Luke Kornet | $2,092,344 |
| Sam Hauser | $2,800,834 |
| Jordan Walsh | $1,891,857 |
| Total | $191,842,980 |
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The same can’t be said for the following season. While Jaylen Brown is the highest-paid player on the roster as of now, Tatum will take that honor in the 2025-26 season. White’s placement on the roster in terms of salary commitment won’t change, staying with the fifth-highest cap hit for 2025-26.
| Player | Cap hit |
| Jayson Tatum | $54,126,450 |
| Jaylen Brown | $53,142,264 |
| Jrue Holiday | $32,400,000 |
| Kristaps Porzingis | $30,731,707 |
| Derrick White | $28,100,001 |
| Payton Pritchard | $7,232,143 |
| Neemias Queta | $2,349,578 |
| Ricky Council IV | $2,221,677 |
| Total | $210,303,820 |
Jayson Tatum contract details
Tatum’s contract is for five years and worth up to $314 million, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania. That makes it the largest contract in NBA history, surpassing the extension signed by Brown last year.
Tatum was eligible for a supermax deal after earning All-NBA First Team honors in each of the last three seasons.
The deal will begin in the 2025-26 season with an estimated value of $54.1 million and keeps Tatum in Boston through at least the 2028-29 season, with a player option for the 2029-30 campaign.
Here are the estimated annual figures of Tatum’s deal (all figures via Spotrac):
| Season | Age | Salary |
| 2024-25 | 26 | $34,848,340 |
| 2025-26 | 27 | $54,126,380 |
| 2026-27 | 28 | $58,456,490 |
| 2027-28 | 29 | $62,786,601 |
| 2028-29 | 30 | $67,116,711 |
| 2029-30 | 31 | $71,446,822 |
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Derrick White contract details
Tatum’s contract is for four years and worth up to $125.9 million, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The deal will begin in the 2025-26 season with an estimated value of $28.1 million and keeps White in Boston through at least the 2027-28 season, with a player option for the 2028-29 campaign.
Here are the estimated annual figures of White’s deal (all figures via Spotrac):
| Season | Age | Salary |
| 2024-25 | 30 | $20,071,429 |
| 2025-26 | 31 | $28,100,001 |
| 2026-27 | 32 | $30,348,001 |
| 2027-28 | 33 | $32,596,001 |
| 2028-29 | 34 | $34,844,001 |