Jordan Walsh has agreed to sign a 3-year, $15 million extension with the Celtics, ESPN’s Shams Charania first reported.
Walsh is coming off a career season in which he averaged 5.4 points and 4 rebounds per game, while shooting 50.9% from the field and 38.4% from three. He averaged 17.8 minutes per game and started 25 games, all career-highs. The Celtics went 15-5 in a 20-game stretch in which he started.
Most importantly, Walsh established himself as an elite defender capable of slowing down opposing teams’ top players, tasked with guarding Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey in the playoffs.
Walsh, who was selected 38th overall in 2023, was entering the last year of his contract and was due $2.4 million next season. While Walsh has played three years in the NBA, he’s just 22 years old and is still the third-youngest player on the roster.
The Celtics now have a litany of wings under contract for the next few years
Ron Harper Jr. (age 26) has four more years under contract, with team options in the final two years. Sam Hauser (age 29) and Hugo Gonzalez (age 20) both have three more years under contract (Hauser’s contract is fully guaranteed, while Gonzalez’s last two years are team options). And Baylor Scheierman (age 26) has two more seasons under contract, with the 2027-2028 season being a team option.
Whether or not the Celtics keep all of these wings long-term remains to be seen; if nothing else, they’re valuable trade assets that could be used to bolster other parts of the roster.
Jayson Tatum (age 28) is under contract for the next four seasons.
Walsh’s extension comes on the heels of another big-time extension; the Celtics agreed to a 4-year, $56 million extension with Neemias Queta earlier this month. And one more could be in the works: Payton Pritchard is eligible for an extension beginning October 1st.