The legendary team did not just extend Jayson Tatum’s contract after he helped the Celtics win the NBA championship.
Along with Tatum, Derrick White signed a significant new contract with Boston, which was made public on Saturday. White, who the Celtics acquired in a trade ahead of the 2022 deadline, was supposed to play on an expiring contract in 2024–2025; instead, his NBA free agency date has been pushed back to 2030.
Tatum paused to commemorate his own contract, setting a new benchmark for the richest in league history. The five-time All-Star, however, made sure to honour White on his Instagram story on Sunday.
Tatum wrote in the caption of a picture of the two cuddling, “My dawg right here.”
Tatum and White’s written words echoed the idea of Brad Stevens and company securing a core of championship players. In July of last year, Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis inked multi-year contracts with the Celtics, while before the postseason began, Jrue Holiday signed a new contract.
The Celtics are expected to remain consistent title challengers for many years to come, which is awful news for the rest of the NBA.