Joe Mazzulla’s standing inside the Celtics organization got a loud vote of confidence this summer, and it came through the kind of deals that usually tell you exactly how a team sees its future.
Boston has already made its biggest splash by trading Jaylen Brown, but the quieter moves may say even more about where the Celtics believe their edge is. The team extended three players who carved out real roles last season while helping the Celtics get through Jayson Tatum’s prolonged absence: Neemias Queta, Jordan Walsh and Ron Harper Jr.
Queta, now Boston’s starting center, signed for $56 million over four years. Walsh got $15 million over three years.
Harper landed $13.7 million over four years. Queta and Walsh also added those extensions on top of the final year of their current contracts, which keeps all three on team-friendly terms in an NBA landscape shaped by the league’s most restrictive CBA yet.
That part matters. These weren’t contracts that scream star power or even long-term certainty. They were deals that suggest belief - belief from the team, and just as importantly, belief from the players.
Mazzulla won Coach of the Year for a reason, even if that honor can feel strange in the moment. Boston played as well as it did without Tatum because Mazzulla found answers in places most people probably weren’t expecting to find them. Last season, Queta, Walsh and Harper each moved from “meh” territory into something far more useful.
Queta made himself into a Most Improved Player candidate. Walsh showed that his defense could be more than solid - it might be elite. Harper, who went from training camp to playoff starter, flashed the kind of two-way ability that can change a roster’s math when a team gives him the chance.
None of that means the Celtics had to lock these guys in right away. They could have played out their current deals and tried to cash in later. Instead, they chose to stay now, which says plenty about what they think Mazzulla can bring out of them going forward.
That’s the real message in these extensions. Boston isn’t just banking on talent.
It’s banking on buy-in, on players who fit what the coach wants and can keep growing inside that system. The Celtics saw that formula work last season despite the obstacles in front of them, and they’re clearly betting it can keep working.
They lost one of the best players they’ve ever had in this century, but they believe Mazzulla and the players he’s helped unlock can help cover the gap. The three extensions, all on favorable terms, make that belief hard to miss.
In Other News...
Former Celtics Champion Faces A Brutal New Fight For His NBA Future
JD Davisons path through the NBA has taken another sharp turn, one that leaves his next move very much up in the air. The former Celtics guard, who won a championship in Boston before continuing to try to carve out a place in the league, was waived by the Houston Rockets after they had picked up his option in June, leaving him as an unrestricted free agent.
Davisons challenge now is familiar but no easier: he has shown plenty in the G League, including an MVP season in 2025, yet that success has not translated into a steady NBA role. With his two-way eligibility exhausted, his options narrow quickly, and the next stop could be overseas or a return to the Maine Celtics on an affiliate deal if no standard NBA opportunity comes together. [Read more 🡒]
Derrick Whites New NBA 2K Ranking Will Spark Celtics Debate
NBA 2Ks latest reveal gives Derrick White another piece of evidence for the growing case that he belongs in the leagues elite defensive class. The upcoming NBA 2K27 game placed White second on its list of top perimeter defenders, giving the Celtics guard a 95 rating and slotting him just behind Pistons forward Ausar Thompson at 97.
For Boston, the ranking is the kind of thing that will stir debate in the usual way, especially with familiar names like OG Anunoby, Dyson Daniels, Amen Thompson and Cason Wallace also on the list. The graphic is only a snapshot, though, and 2K has said the rankings can change as the season unfolds, which leaves room for White to either defend the spot or climb even higher. [Read more 🡒]
Celtics Still Have One Roster Decision That Could Matter More Than It Seems
The Celtics have checked off most of their offseason work, and the roster picture is mostly settled with 14 players in place and the team still below the luxury tax line. What remains is a small but potentially meaningful choice: one open two-way contract spot, the kind of move that can look minor in August and turn into a useful depth decision once the season begins.
The front office now gets a closer look at the finalists in training camp and preseason before making its call. Tucker DeVries and Milos Uzan are the names to watch for that last two-way slot, giving Boston a chance to see which player fits best before the decision comes into focus. [Read more 🡒]