Inside The Celtics

Derrick White Discusses Lack of Contract Extension with Celtics

Derrick White has two years left on his deal and is scheduled for free agency ahead of his age-31 season.

Bobby Krivitsky

Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports
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The Boston Celtics and Derrick White were unable to get a contract extension done by Monday's midnight deadline. As important as he is to his team's success, that was the expected outcome.

The former Colorado Buffalo is on Boston's books for $17.6 million for the 2023-24 campaign and $18.8 million for 2024-25. He's scheduled for free agency ahead of his age-31 season.

The former San Antonio Spur is playing the best basketball of his career. But for the Celtics, who are currently over the second apron and plan to sign Jayson Tatum to a supermax extension projected to be worth approximately $315 million over five years next summer, it was best to take a patient approach.

At Wednesday morning's shootaround at Madison Square Garden ahead of Boston's regular-season opener against the New York Knicks, White shared his outlook on the lack of a contract extension.

"They were good," he said of conversations between his camp and the Celtics. Like I said, I love being here. Obviously, we've got another year after this year, so focus on it then. But I think they went well, and I want to be here for a long time, so that hasn't changed."

And regarding the response he received from the franchise upon expressing his desire to remain in Boston long-term, he conveyed, "We've got a good bond right now, and we know what's important right now, and so that's what we're focusing on."

Further Reading

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Joe Mazzulla Discusses His Growth and Handling Celtics' Championship Expectations: 'Swing for the Fences'

Jrue Holiday Discusses Celtics Opening Night, Teaming with Rajon Rondo, and Uplifting Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown

Jaylen Brown Teams with Johnny Cupcakes to Give Back to Boston

Rajon Rondo Latest Former Celtic to Spend Time with C's

Celtics Embracing Sacrifice in Championship Pursuit: 'Have to Buy into That'

Al Horford Shares Where Kristaps Porzingis Has Impressed Him Most

Under Joe Mazzulla, Celtics Rebuilding Brotherhood Between Past and Present

Candace Parker on Celtics Trading Marcus Smart, Maximizing Tatum-Brown Tandem, Pat Summitt, and the Sports Matter Initiative

Here's What to Know About Celtics' 2023-24 Schedule

Dwyane Wade Discusses Jayson Tatum's Next Step, Him and Jaylen Brown's Challenge, Heat Culture, Pat Riley, Damian Lillard, and Life After Basketball

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Bobby Krivitsky
BOBBY KRIVITSKY

Bobby Krivitsky's experiences include covering the NBA as a credentialed reporter for Basketball Insiders. He's also a national sports talk host for SportsMap Radio, a network airing on 96 radio stations throughout the country. Additionally, he was a major-market host, update anchor, and producer for IMG Audio, and he worked for Bleacher Report as an NFL and NBA columnist.