Derrick White Commits To Celtics Despite Failed Contract Extension

Derrick White became a vital piece for the Celtics after Marcus Smart was traded to the Grizzlies, and the seventh-year guard isn’t stressing about his future in Boston.

The Celtics and White failed to come to terms on a contract extension Tuesday. The former Spurs guard still has two years left on the deal he signed with San Antonio, which likely was why he wasn’t stressing before Boston’s season opener against the New York Knicks on Wednesday.

“I love being here. Obviously, you got another year after this year,” White told reporters, per CLNS video. “We’ll focus on it then. But it went well. I want to be here for a long time, so that hasn’t changed.”

Boston still has to re-sign Jayson Tatum, and it likely wants to retain Jrue Holiday after this season, too. That will make White’s extension tricky given the new collective bargaining agreement and the second apron tax threshold.

White broke out last season and was named to the All-Defensive Second Team. The 29-year-old has been valued as a core member of the Celtics team, so there has been a concentrated effort to retain White.

Boston still has flexibility, and the extensions Kristaps Porzingis, Jaylen Brown and Payton Pritchard signed this past offseason showed the Celtics are willing to spend when it comes to the future of the team.