Jordan Walsh already was going to be back in Boston next season, the team had picked up his $2.4 million option, but now he is going to be a fixture on the wing there for years.
Walsh and the Celtics agreed to a three-year, $16 million extension, something first reported by NBA insider Chris Haynes and since confirmed by other reports. The first two years of this deal are fully guaranteed, with the third being a team option. This locks Walsh in with Boston for at least three more years at a very affordable price for a rotation player.
Walsh played in 68 games last season for the Celtics, averaging 5.4 points and four rebounds a game, and his 3-point shot has improved, with him knocking down 38.4% from beyond the arc last season. However, his defense was really his calling card. He is a high-level on-ball defender on the wing, which is where Joe Mazzulla leaned into him.
Walsh is a credit to Boston’s player development program. He was drafted No. 38 in the second round and traded to the Celtics a week later, and they signed him to a minimum contract and brought him along slowly (he played just nine games his first year). By last season, he had a steady role with the Celtics.
While Jaylen Brown is out the door, Celtics president Brad Stevens has been locking up a group of affordable wings who can play a role for the team. Walsh joins Ron Harper Jr. as getting a new, longer-term deal this summer, Boston still has Hugo Gonzalez on a rookie contract for three more years, and a year from now they can extend Baylor Scheierman.
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