Celtics Rumors

Celtics Sign Joe Mazzulla To Multiyear Extension

August 8th, 2025 at 10:15am CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics have extended their head coach’s contract, announcing today in a press release that Joe Mazzulla has officially signed a new multiyear deal with the club.

“We are very excited that Joe has agreed to extend with the Celtics,” president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said in a statement. “He understands the job and has a passion for the Celtics that is only rivaled by our most die-hard fans. He’s worked hard and accomplished amazing things in his first three years as a head coach – including averaging over 60 wins per season and winning the 2024 NBA Championship.

“Joe is a gifted leader who brings a consistent commitment to learning, improving, and maximizing each day we get to compete for the Boston Celtics.”

Mazzulla, who joined the Celtics’ coaching staff in 2019 as an assistant, was unexpectedly thrust into the head coaching role ahead of the 2022/23 season when Ime Udoka was suspended by the club. Udoka never returned to the team, resulting in Mazzulla earning the position on a permanent basis.

Mazzulla has acquitted himself very well in his first three years as the Celtics’ head coach, winning 57, 64, and 61 regular season games for an overall record of 182-64 (.740). He has also guided Boston to a 33-17 record in the playoffs, as well as a 2024 championship.

Mazzulla finished third in Coach of the Year voting in his first year on the job in 2022/23, then ranked fourth a year later.

He’ll face a new challenge in his fourth year in the role, as the Celtics have spent the offseason retooling their roster to cut costs after operating above the second tax apron last season. With Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis no longer on the roster and Jayson Tatum expected to miss most or all of 2025/26 while he recovers from a torn Achilles, Mazzulla will have to find a way to maximize a group that features less talent than his previous rosters.

Fischer’s Latest: RFAs, Warriors, White, Young, Celtics

August 7th, 2025 at 7:02pm CST by Rory Maher

During Thursday’s Bleacher Report live stream (YouTube link), NBA insider Jake Fischer reiterated multiple times that he expects the four primary restricted free agents — Jonathan Kuminga (Warriors), Josh Giddey (Bulls), Quentin Grimes (Sixers) and Cam Thomas (Nets) — to continue to be in contract standoffs with their respective teams for some time.

“Again, we are still in a holding pattern with all these restricted free agents, and we are — at this juncture — expecting all those situations to linger deeper into August and get into September as well,” Fischer said. “Don’t expect a resolution for Jonathan Kuminga, for Josh Giddey, for Quentin Grimes, for Cam Thomas, anytime soon.”

According to Fischer, the Warriors haven’t shown any interest in what the Kings and Suns have offered in sign-and-trade scenarios for Kuminga. But they also don’t want to lose the former lottery pick for nothing in return.

“Jonathan Kuminga’s side, I believe, right now, would be willing to take a two-plus-one with a player option three-year deal,” Fischer said. “I think that Jonathan Kuminga’s side would take this one-plus-one situation with Golden State — this two-year, $45MM offer that’s been on the table — if he were to get a player option in year two.

“But I was told yesterday from various sources that Golden State is going to be holding firm … that second year is going to be a team option. And that’s kinda where this staring contest is at.”

Here’s more from Fischer:

The Warriors currently have only nine players signed to standard contracts, with the Kuminga stalemate continuing to hold up their other offseason business. Fischer suggested that Al Horford, De’Anthony Melton, and Gary Payton II are likely to be signed after Kuminga’s situation is resolved. Malcolm Brogdon and Seth Curry remain on Golden State’s radar as well, according to Fischer, with Javonte Green another player mentioned.
The Bulls are monitoring Coby White‘s upcoming free agency, Fischer said. White will be an unrestricted free agent in 2026, and Fischer noted that there has been talk of White wanting a contract that exceeds $30MM annually. That expectation may be factoring into the calculation of Chicago playing a level of hardball with Giddey’s restricted free agency.
Thomas looks the most likely of the four RFAs to accept his qualifying offer, Fischer confirmed. The high-scoring guard views himself as a $30MM+ per year player, but the Nets haven’t approached that figure and have only offered him short-term deals to this point, Fischer said.
While Fischer confirmed the latest reports on Trae Young‘s disappointment at the lack of an extension offer from the Hawks, he said that it was also somewhat expected by Young’s camp. Fischer called this season an opportunity for Young to maximize a roster built to complement his game, as well as an opportunity for the new front office to evaluate the players on the roster. If Young is able to maximize the team’s potential and earn All-NBA honors, he’d be eligible for a much more lucrative extension, and he also has a 2026/27 player option he could decline to enter free agency next year as possibly the top free agent on the board.
Prior to dealing him to the Jazz, the Celtics had talks with the Grizzlies during Summer League about a deal that would send Georges Niang to Memphis, according to Fischer, who said a rumored framework of Anfernee Simons for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was never discussed. Fischer noted that before RJ Luis signed a two-way deal with the Jazz, he was considering signing with the Celtics. The Jazz are expected to keep Niang as a veteran leader. Fischer also said that he’s not as confident that Simons gets traded before the season starts as he was that Niang would be dealt.
Fischer confirmed that Bennedict Mathurin is on track to receive a bigger role this season with the Pacers due to Tyrese Haliburton‘s injury, and that Mathurin is also hoping to secure a deal that would pay him $20-30MM per year. Fischer added that many of the unsigned rookie scale extension candidates likely won’t finalize new deals until the October deadline.

Eli Cohen contributed to this post.

Celtics’ Sale Expected To Close Within Two Weeks

August 7th, 2025 at 10:19am CST by Luke Adams

The sale of the Celtics to an ownership group headed up by William Chisholm is expected to close either late next week or early the following week, three sources familiar with the process tell Kurt Badenhausen and Scott Soshnick of Sportico.

The purchase requires the approval of the NBA’s Board of Governors, but that group doesn’t have to meet in person for a formal meeting, according to Badenhausen and Soshnick, who note that the vote can be conducted remotely.

Chisholm reached an agreement back in March to buy the Celtics from the Grousbeck family in two stages. Chisholm is purchasing a controlling interest in the franchise for a valuation of $6.1 billion and will take over from Wyc Grousbeck after the 2027/28 season when he and his group buy the rest of the club for a valuation of $7.3 billion.

While Chisholm is the lead investor in the Celtics, he’ll be joined by a number of minority shareholders, including ArcelorMittal CEO Aditya Mittal, who will be the second-largest stakeholder in the franchise and could become the team’s alternate governor. In addition to Chisholm and Mittal, the new Celtics ownership group will include current minority stakeholder Robert Hale, Bruce A. Beal Jr., and private equity firm Sixth Street.

After paying nearly $53MM in luxury tax penalties and operating over the second tax apron last season, the Celtics have made a concerted effort to cut costs this summer, with star forward Jayson Tatum expected to miss most or all of 2025/26 due to a torn Achilles.

Boston has moved Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, and Georges Niang (who was initially acquired in the Porzingis deal) in financially motivated trades and has reduced what would’ve been a record-setting tax payroll (salary and tax penalties) from $540MM to a projected $239MM, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link).

Checking In On Unsigned 2025 NBA Draft Picks

August 7th, 2025 at 7:49am CST by Luke Adams

As our tracker shows, 51 of the 59 players selected in the 2025 draft in June have signed their first NBA contracts. That group includes all 30 first-round picks getting rookie scale contracts, 11 second-round picks signing standard contracts, and 10 more second-rounders receiving two-way deals.

On top of those 51 players, two more will reportedly remain overseas for the 2025/26 season, with Bucks second-rounder Bogoljub Markovic rejoining Mega Basket in Serbia and Cavaliers second-rounder Saliou Niang signing with Virtus Bologna in Italy.

That leaves just six players from the 2025 draft class whose ’25/26 plans remain up in the air. Those players are as follows:

Boston Celtics: Amari Williams
New York Knicks: Mohamed Diawara
Golden State Warriors: Alex Toohey
Utah Jazz: John Tonje
Golden State Warriors: Will Richard
Memphis Grizzlies: Jahmai Mashack

Let’s start with Williams, the only top-50 pick who doesn’t have a deal in place. Former ESPN draft expert Jonathan Givony reported on draft night that the No. 46 overall pick would be signing a two-way contract with the Celtics, and that still looks like a possibility.

Boston doesn’t have a two-way opening, but Miles Norris is a carry-over from last season and it’s unclear whether the team has legitimate interest in retaining RJ Luis after acquiring him from Utah on Wednesday or if he was simply a placeholder to make the deal work. Either player could be waived to open up a spot for Williams.

As Wednesday’s Georges Niang deal showed, however, the Celtics continue to explore their options on the trade market and may make a real effort to duck below the luxury tax line. In that scenario, signing Williams to a standard contract that pays him the rookie minimum might make some sense, since it would allow the C’s to keep their costs as low as possible for their 14th man.

The Knicks have somewhat similar cap considerations to evaluate with Diawara. They’re currently carrying 12 players on standard contracts and they don’t have enough room below a second-apron hard cap to add two more players on veteran minimum deals. That means their 14th man figures to be a player on a rookie-minimum contract.

Diawara is a candidate to be that 14th man, but he’s not the only one — 2023 second-rounder James Nnaji is another possibility. If Diawara isn’t signed to a standard contract, he’ll likely end up on a two-way deal, given that the Knicks have three open slots and his former team in France announced last month that he was leaving for the NBA.

The Warriors have a pair of two-way openings that Toohey and Richard could end up filling, but they’ll probably keep their options open until Jonathan Kuminga‘s restricted free agency is resolved. Depending on what happens with Kuminga, Golden State may want to add either Toohey or Richard to its 15-man roster on a rookie minimum contract in order to maximize its cap flexibility below a hard cap or to avoid crossing over into first or second tax apron territory.

Before trading Luis to Boston on Wednesday, the Jazz just had one open two-way slot, with Tonje and two-way restricted free agent Oscar Tshiebwe both candidates to fill it. With Luis out of the picture, Utah could sign both players to two-way contracts without having to waive anyone, and it wouldn’t surprise me if that’s the plan.

As for the Grizzlies and Mashack, he looks like the most obvious candidate to fill Memphis’ lone two-way opening. But it’s worth noting that there’s often at least one player per draft class who ends up being a domestic draft-and-stash, spending his rookie season in the G League without signing an NBA or two-way contract. We’ll see if the Grizzlies want to try to go that route with Mashack or if he simply ends up on a two-way deal.

Celtics Trade Georges Niang, Two Picks To Jazz

August 6th, 2025 at 5:08pm CST by Dana Gauruder

August 6: The move is now official, per the Celtics (via Twitter).

The second-rounders headed to the Jazz in the deal are either the Celtics’ or Magic’s 2027 pick (whichever is most favorable) and either the Celtics’ or Cavaliers’ 2031 pick (whichever is most favorable), per Jake Fischer (Twitter link).

August 5: The Celtics are trading Georges Niang and two future second-round picks to the Jazz for rookie RJ Luis Jr., ESPN’s Shams Charania tweets.

Utah is utilizing part of the $26.6MM trade exception created in last month’s three-team trade in which Utah dealt John Collins to the Clippers, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets.

It’s another salary dump for the Celtics, allowing them to move well below the second tax apron.

Niang was acquired by Boston from the Hawks in the three-team Kristaps Porzingis blockbuster this offseason. The 6’7″ forward has an expiring $8.2MM contract for next season.

Niang has been on the move quite a bit this year. He began last season with Cleveland and played 51 games for the Cavaliers, all but one off the bench, before getting dealt to Atlanta in February. Niang appeared in 28 games with the Hawks, including two starts. Overall, he averaged 9.9 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 21.5 minutes per night last season.

Niang will provide Utah with another floor-stretching big off the bench. He’s a career 39.9% shooter on three-point tries.

It will be his second stint with the Jazz, whom he played with from 2017-21. They’re looking at him as someone who can play a rotation role and bring veteran leadership to their young core, Tony Jones of The Athletic tweets. The two sides have spoken, according to Jones, and Niang is happy and excited to be back in Utah.

Luis, an undrafted rookie out of St. John’s, was signed to a two-way contract, so he’ll fill the Celtics’ open two-way slot. Boston reached an agreement with free agent forward Chris Boucher to take Niang’s spot on the 15-man roster.

According to cap expert Yossi Gozlan (Twitter link), the Celtics shed approximately $5oMM off their luxury tax bill with the Niang trade. They’re now just $1.7MM above the first apron and $9.4MM above the luxury tax line. They also created a $8.2MM trade exception.

Atlantic Notes: Pritchard, Bridges, Knicks, Nets

August 6th, 2025 at 12:16pm CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics‘ biggest transactions this offseason – including trades that sent Jrue Holiday to Portland and Kristaps Porzingis to Atlanta – have been more about reducing the team’s payroll as opposed to upgrading the roster. Still, despite those summer moves and the fact that Jayson Tatum will be sidelined with a torn Achilles, reigning Sixth Man of the Year Payton Pritchard remains confident in the team’s ability to compete.

“We’re definitely trying to be a playoff team. We’re trying to win a championship,” Pritchard said on the Celtics Talk Podcast with Chris Forsberg (story via Logan Reardon of NBC Sports Boston). “It’s not even about playoffs, we have one standard in Boston and it’s to win a championship. Everybody in that locker room will have the goal of competing for a championship. And we will do everything in our power necessary to go for that. That’s what (the fans) should know.”

Pritchard went on to acknowledge that it “definitely sucks” to lose players like Holiday, Porzingis, and Luke Kornet, adding that he’ll especially miss Holiday, who was “like a big brother.” Still, the Celtics guard is optimistic that other players will step up and play well in increased roles — Pritchard himself, who averaged a career-high 28.4 minutes per game last season, is among the players who will likely take on more responsibilities in 2025/26.

“I feel like everybody should be excited,” Pritchard said. “There’s a lot of opportunities across the board. For me, personally, I’m excited every year. Because it’s an opportunity to prove myself again, to show that I can take another step. And that’s my goal every year. I’m definitely hungry and motivated this year, been working really hard. So I’m excited.”

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

Despite the fact that Mikal Bridges accepted a little less than he could have received on his four-year, $150MM contract extension, the Knicks project to be a second-apron team next season if they re-sign Mitchell Robinson, Yossi Gozlan writes for The Third Apron (Substack link). Within his look at the Knicks’ cap situation, Gozlan notes that Bridges’ unusual 5.69% trade kicker would put him in line to receive a bonus of about $6.17MM if he’s traded during the 2026 offseason — it would be almost the exact amount he gave up as part of his extension agreement (his max extension would have been worth roughly $156.17MM).
In a mailbag for The Athletic, James L. Edwards III explores Robinson’s contract situation and the timing of Bridges’ extension, among other topics. Edwards also explains why he wouldn’t be a fan of even a minimum-salary investment in free agent guard Ben Simmons and confirms that the Knicks – along with many other teams around the league – have been monitoring Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s situation in Milwaukee throughout the offseason.
After ending up at No. 8 in this year’s draft lottery, the Nets appear likely to tank again in 2025/26 in the hopes of landing a higher first-round pick. Brian Lewis of The New York Post (subscriber link) discusses the potential pitfalls of that approach, noting that teams who prioritize draft positioning for multiple years risk creating culture issues. “A lot of these teams that try to bottom out by tanking like Brooklyn is doing, they think there’s no consequences,” one agent told Lewis. “You risk eroding the environment you’re trying to create. That’s what happened in Philadelphia.”

Contract Details: Bridges, Springer, Two-Ways

August 5th, 2025 at 11:37am CST by Luke Adams

Mikal Bridges‘ new four-year contract extension with the Knicks will start at $33,482,145 in 2026/27, Hoops Rumors has learned. Bridges’ maximum first-year salary on a veteran extension would have been $34,860,000, so his actual deal will come in about $1.38MM below that.

Bridges will earn $36,160,714 in 2027/28 and $38,839,285 in ’28/29, with a ’29/30 player option worth $41,517,856, for a total of exactly $150MM.

Interestingly, while most trade kickers are worth either the maximum allowable 15% or a round number like 5% or 10%, the trade kicker on Bridges’ deal comes in at 5.69%.

Here are more details on recently signed contracts from around the NBA:

Jaden Springer‘s one-year, minimum-salary contract with the Pelicans includes Exhibit 9 language but not an Exhibit 10 clause, Hoops Rumors has learned. Those terms Springer will be competing for a 15-man roster spot in training camp and likely doesn’t plan on joining New Orleans’ G League affiliate if he’s waived before opening night.
The two-way contracts recently signed by Enrique Freeman with the Timberwolves and Daeqwon Plowden with the Kings are both just for one year, Hoops Rumors has confirmed. Freeman got the maximum allowable $85,000 partial guarantee and will have 50% of his $636,435 salary guaranteed if he remains under contract through opening night, while Plowden received a $75K partial guarantee.
Max Shulga‘s two-way contract with the Celtics also just covers one season, Hoops Rumors has confirmed. That’s notable, since a handful of second-rounders drafted ahead of him signed two-year two-way deals. The No. 57 overall pick, who got a partial guarantee worth $85,300, will be eligible for restricted free agency in 2026.

Celtics’ Queta Underwent Knee Surgery After Season

August 4th, 2025 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Neemias Queta underwent an arthroscopic surgery on his left knee after the Celtics‘ season ended in May, the big man told Bobby Manning of CLNS Media.

The procedure addressed a knee issue that has lingered for multiple seasons, according to Queta. Because the surgery occurred early in the offseason, he was able to resume on-court and conditioning work in July and hopes to suit up for Portugal in the EuroBasket tournament, which begins on August 27.

“It’s been good,” Queta said of his recovery process, per Manning. “We’ve been dealing with this stuff (since) a couple years ago. We just decided it was a great time for us to do it. We’re trying to get back to 100%. We feel pretty confident in the process and we’re just grateful that we were taken care of, and I want to make sure I’m healthy and get back to 100% and I feel like I’m on the right path to do that.”

Queta, who turned 26 last month, set new career highs in 2024/25 by appearing in 62 games and averaging 13.9 minutes per contest. With Kristaps Porzingis missing some time for health reasons and Boston managing Al Horford‘s workload, Queta was a regular contributor and averaged 5.0 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.

The Celtics traded Porzingis to Atlanta this offseason, Luke Kornet signed in San Antonio, and Horford isn’t expected to return to Boston, so there could be an opportunity for Queta to earn an even bigger role in 2025/26. Luka Garza and Xavier Tillman are among the other options in the frontcourt, but Queta – who has been working with Maine Celtics assistant Taaj Ridley – is aiming to get back to 100% soon and prove he deserves significant minutes this fall.

“We’re getting there slowly but surely,” he told Manning. “We’re reconditioning our body, we’re figuring out ways to be athletic, ways to be out there moving well. We’re just trying to figure out the movement patterns to get back and I think it’s going well. I’m really confident in the work that I put in, the amount of hours that I put in and it’s gonna show.”

Atlantic Notes: Quickley, Clarkson, Pagliuca, Maxey

August 4th, 2025 at 1:09pm CST by Luke Adams

A signing completed by the Raptors in July 2024 is looming over large over the current offseason, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (YouTube link), who points to the five-year deal Immanuel Quickley signed as a restricted free agent last offseason as a major outlier. That contract had a base value of $162.5MM, with an additional $12.5MM in bonuses. It’s worth $32.5MM per year, with a maximum value of $35MM per year.

“The Immanuel Quickley contract has totally screwed up restricted free agency,” Marks said. “Because that’s where agents are looking at like the benchmark. Certainly, (Bulls guard) Josh Giddey‘s like, ‘I want that contract.’ That number has screwed up a lot of things.”

As Marks goes on to explain, while the agents for extension candidates or current restricted free agents like Giddey will be eager to use the Quickley deal as a point of comparison for their clients, teams around the NBA haven’t been willing to go that high for players with somewhat similar résumés.

“… I don’t think Toronto got enough heat for that number,” Marks continued. “Because Immanuel Quickley is not a $32, $33 million guy.”

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

It has been so long since Jordan Clarkson played meaningful basketball that it’s difficult to predict exactly what he’ll bring to the Knicks in 2025/26, one Western Conference scout tells Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (subscription required). Clarkson remains a talented scorer and one team source believes he’s “exactly what we needed” off the bench, Bondy writes, though a veteran NBA coach notes that the veteran guard comes with some downside too. “High-level shooter. Good going right,” the coach said. “Wild-card-type player. Throw him out there and see if he can get hot. But there’s not much else from a production standpoint. And it’s ugly on defense.”
Jennifer Rizzotti, the president of the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun, said on Sunday that a deal to sell the franchise to Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca is “not quite at the finish line yet” and that the Sun will remain in Connecticut for the 2026 season, per ESPN’s Alexa Philippou. While both Rizzotti and Pagliuca (Twitter link) offered statements about the potential transaction, neither one disputed the fact that the plan is to move the team to Boston by 2027. Pagliuca spoke repeatedly in his statement about keeping the franchise “in New England.”
Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer takes a look at the off-court work Tyrese Maxey is doing in the Philadelphia community, noting that Maxey’s foundation donated $60K this weekend while the Sixers guard hosted a free basketball camp for kids on Saturday.

Celtics Notes: White, Roster Spot, Walsh, Brown, WNBA

August 2nd, 2025 at 7:31pm CST by Arthur Hill

Derrick White shared the story of being traded from the Spurs to the Celtics as he launched his new “White Noise” podcast, relays Hayden Bird of The Boston Globe. White has become a fan favorite in Boston and played an important role in the 2024 championship, but he was wasn’t eager to leave San Antonio when the deal was reached at the 2022 deadline.

“Getting traded is never easy. I think it’s probably easier in the offseason, you kind of get time to relax and figure [things] out,” he said. “But getting traded in the season is one of the craziest things that I’ve had to deal with in my NBA career. You’re on a team, you’re committed to them, you’re trying to do everything you can to help them win games, and then one day they’re like, ‘All right, you’re on the Celtics.’ I was hurt, definitely, when [the Spurs] traded me.”

White reacted to the deal by “playing dominoes and drinking” in his hotel room with Spurs trainer and close friend Brandon Bowman. He recalls that several players and coaches joined them, giving White a sendoff party that nearly caused him to miss the flight that the Celtics set up for him. His feelings on Boston changed quickly as the home crowd gave him a standing ovation when he checked into his first game, making him feel like “this is where I’m supposed to be at.”

Also on the podcast, White reacted to the offseason losses of former teammates Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis and Luke Kornet.

There’s more from Boston:

The Celtics are likely to keep a roster spot open throughout the season to hold down payroll, Brian Robb of MassLive states in a mailbag column. If they sign a veteran before the season begins, they have the option to waive Jordan Walsh, who only has a $200K guarantee on his $2.2MM salary until opening night, but Robb believes that’s less likely following his strong performance during Summer League.
In an Instagram interview with The School of Hard Knockz, Jaylen Brown talked about relying on faith to handle the disappointments and high expectations that come with being a professional athlete (hat tip to Meadow Barrow of MassLive). “I’ve dealt with anxiety, even depression,” Brown said. “I’ve been to some very dark places, but I feel like those dark places have allowed my light to shine.”
A group led by Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca has reached an agreement to buy the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun and move the franchise to Boston, sources tell Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. The group will reportedly pay a record $325MM to the Mohegan Tribe for the team, along with $100MM to build a new practice facility in Boston. The league responded by issuing a statement saying that “relocation decisions are made by the WNBA Board of Governors and not by individual teams,” and that “no groups from Boston applied for a team” during the expansion process.

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