NEW YORK — Derrick White and the Celtics did not come to an agreement on a contract extension before the deadline on Monday at 11:59 p.m., but the guard seems encouraged with how the talks went.
White, who has two years remaining on his current contract, re-emphasized his commitment to Boston even after the two sides couldn’t make a deal.
“They were good,” White said of the extension talks. “I mean, like I said, I love being here, obviously, we got another year after this year, so we’ll 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.”
“It’s just back and forth,” White continued of the talks. “I think we’re both in a good position and we’re just focused on the season now.”
White is set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2025, so there didn’t seem to be urgency to get a deal done now. The two sides will have to wait until next summer to resume talks.
White could benefit from waiting if he has another impressive season in 2023-24 as he could command more money, and the C’s are tied to other commitments right now. They just signed Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis to extensions this summer, and the team is expected to offer the supermax to Jayson Tatum next summer. Jrue Holiday is also extension-eligible in February.
Those commitments could eventually make things complicated for the Celtics to lock in White, whose extension would likely start around $30 million per season. But that’s a conversation for the future now. White, a critical piece of Boston’s championship hopes this season, is keeping his focus on that.
“I think we got a good bond right now and we know what’s important right now,” White said. “And so that’s what we’re focusing on.”
