Celtics Sign Neemias Queta To Four-Year Extension
July 6: Queta has officially signed his contract extension with the Celtics, the team announced in a press release.
July 3: After exercising his $2.67MM team option for the 2026/27 season earlier this week, the Celtics have reached an agreement with Neemias Queta on a longer-term deal. Agent Bill Duffy tells Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link) that his client will sign a four-year, $56MM extension with Boston.
Queta’s new contract, which will begin in 2027/28 and run through the ’30/31 season, will be fully guaranteed, Charania adds (via Twitter).
Over the first four years of his NBA career, from 2022-25, Queta played on two-way or minimum-salary contracts in a modest reserve role for the Kings and Celtics, appearing in 110 total games and averaging 4.7 points and 3.6 rebounds in 12.2 minutes per night.
However, after the Celtics traded Kristaps Porzingis and lost Al Horford and Luke Kornet in free agency during the 2025 offseason, Queta was thrust into the starting center role. The 7’0″ Portuguese big man made the most of the opportunity, putting up 10.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.3 blocks in 25.3 minutes per game over the course of 76 outings.
Queta, who will turn 27 later this month, will have some more help in the Celtics’ frontcourt next season, as the team has reportedly agreed to sign center Mitchell Robinson to a three-year contract worth the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception. Exercising Queta’s team-friendly option for 2026/27 rather than turning it down to give him an immediate raise gave Boston the cap flexibility necessary to use the full MLE on Robinson, ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes (via Twitter).
While Robinson is one of the NBA’s most talented rebounders and rim protectors, he has averaged below 20 minutes per game in each of the past two seasons, so Queta will continue to play a significant role in the middle for the Celtics going forward and should get the chance to hang onto his starting job.
Celtics Exercise 2026/27 Options On Queta, Walsh, Banton
The Celtics have finalized their five team option decisions for the 2026/27 season, according to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe, who reports (via Twitter) that Neemias Queta, Jordan Walsh and Dalano Banton are having their options picked up, while Amari Williams and Max Shulga are having their minimum-salary options declined.
Himmelsbach’s report indicates that Williams and Shulga could still return to the Celtics, and Michael Scotto of HoopsHype hears Williams has already agreed to a new contract (Twitter link). According to John Karalis of SI.com (Twitter link), it’ll be a two-way deal for Williams.
Queta is the most prominent name of the group. The NBA’s first player from Portugal became the Celtics’ starting center last season, averaging 10.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.3 blocks in 76 games (25.3 minutes per contest). The former second-round pick will make $2,667,944 in ’26/27, with half of that total being guaranteed until opening night.
Queta, who turns 27 years old next month, will be extension-eligible in July and seems like a strong candidate for a long-term deal.
An athletic forward who played one year of college basketball at Arkansas, Walsh just finished his third season with Boston after being selected 38th overall in the 2023 draft. The 22-year-old was a rotation regular at times in ’25/26, averaging 5.4 PPG and 4.0 RPG on .509/.384/.772 shooting in 68 games, including 25 starts (17.8 MPG).
Walsh’s $2,406,205 salary for next season is non-guaranteed until July 20. He’ll be extension-eligible next month as well.
Banton, a 6’8″ guard from Toronto, spent most of his fifth NBA season in the G League with the Mavericks’ affiliate team, the Texas Legends. The 26-year-old signed a 10-day deal with the Clippers in February, then caught on with Boston shortly thereafter on another 10-day agreement. He signed a two-year deal with the Celtics on the last day of the regular season and his $2,801,346 contract for ’26/27 will remain non-guaranteed after having his option exercised.
Shulga, a Ukrainian guard, spent most of last season on a two-way deal with Boston. He was selected 57th overall in the 2025 draft and made 11 NBA appearances for the Celtics, having spend most of his rookie year in the NBAGL with their affiliate in Maine.
Celtics Notes: Brown, Trail Blazers Trade, Team Options, Thomas
Celtics star Jaylen Brown fired back on Saturday after ESPN’s Bobby Marks did a radio interview where he cited an analytics expert who questions Brown’s value, relays Jay King of The Athletic.
“There’s mixed feelings about him when you talk to teams,” Marks said during an appearance on the NBA’s Sirius XM channel (Twitter audio link). “The analytics of Jaylen Brown is not good. … I had one — not an executive, but an analytics guy, say that, ‘Yeah, we view him as like the seventh-best player on a team.”
Brown, who’s the subject of intense trade speculation throughout the league, responded with a Twitter message stating, “Analytics nowadays used to discredit and control narratives – Roll the ball out none of these guys better than me on both ends who does he work for.”
Brown also published several posts noting his NBA accomplishments and questioning the increased reliance on analytic departments to determine personnel decisions.
“Nobody has won more combined regular season and playoff games since I entered the league 10 years ago,” he posted, later following it by stating, “Analytics have / are ruining the game we playing AI hoops.”
There’s more on the Celtics:
- With the Trail Blazers reported to be among the most interested teams in working out a deal for Brown, Brian Robb of MassLive takes a look at what a potential trade with Portland might look like. He states that Deni Avdija would be off the table, and the Blazers would be reluctant to part with Donovan Clingan because of their lack of depth at center. Robb expects the offer to include Jerami Grant‘s $34.2MM contract for salary matching, along with a young guard like Scoot Henderson or Shaedon Sharpe. He adds that Boston is likely to inquire about Toumani Camara, who’s signed to a team-friendly deal for the next four seasons, and states that the quality of draft picks that Portland is willing to part with will determine the Celtics’ interest.
- The Celtics don’t face any difficult decisions with their team options as the deadline nears, Robb adds in a mailbag column. Neemias Queta ($2.7MM) and Jordan Walsh ($2.4MM) are both expected to be on the 15-man roster, while Dalano Banton ($2.8MM), Amari Williams ($2.2MM) and Max Shulga ($2.2MM) would all still be non-guaranteed even if their options are picked up.
- Isaiah Thomas, who joined the Celtics’ scouting staff in May, played an important role during his first draft with the team, Souichi Terada of MassLive writes in a subscriber-only story. Thomas called in the pick of Dillon Mitchell, who was selected at No. 40 Wednesday night (Twitter video link).
Bontemps/Windhorst’s Latest: Celtics, Harden, Towns, Duren
Celtics big man Neemias Queta enjoyed a breakout year in an increased role in 2025/26, making 75 starts in the middle and averaging new career highs in points (10.2), rebounds (8.4), assists (1.7), and blocks (1.3) per game while finishing fourth in Most Improved Player voting. Still, center is considered a position Boston will look to upgrade this summer, sources tell Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst of ESPN.
“Can Queta get you through 82 (games)?” one Western Conference scout said to ESPN. “Yes, but can he patchwork it through the playoffs? I think he keeps getting better, but there’s a ceiling. They have to get a higher-level center if they want to be considered serious contenders.”
The question is how the Celtics might be able to acquire a starting-caliber center after having moved so many of their larger, most tradable contracts last offseason. While the team should have some form of mid-level exception available, it’s not easy to add an impact free agent with that exception, especially since there’s no guarantee Boston will have access to the full non-taxpayer version of the MLE.
Here are a few more items of interest from Bontemps and Windhorst:
- Given their cap/apron situation, the Cavaliers will be incentivized to negotiate a new multiyear deal with James Harden that lowers his cap hit for 2026/27 rather than simply having him pick up his $42.3MM player option, Bontemps and Windhorst observe. “(That is the) best path to get under the apron without materially salary dumping,” one Eastern Conference executive said. “The Cavs will pay him more than he could get in free agency. They’ll probably work something out.” Sources tell ESPN that Harden and Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson have established a strong working relationship.
- Karl-Anthony Towns technically has two years left on his contract after this season, but 2027/28 is a player option, so the Knicks big man looks like a prime offseason extension candidate. A deal could hinge on how the rest of New York’s playoff run goes, but Towns had another All-Star season in 2025/26 and has been excellent so far in the postseason. “They’re probably in a spot with KAT that they should either extend him or look to trade him,” an Eastern Conference executive told ESPN. “If this playoff run convinces everyone this is a good fit, maybe they can get him to take a little discount off his max like (Jalen) Brunson did and help them keep the core together.”
- Earning an All-NBA spot this spring would make Jalen Duren eligible for a Rose Rule contract worth up to 30% of the salary cap (instead of 25%), but Bontemps and Windhorst suggest the Pistons will probably be reluctant to go that high for the All-Star center. One Western Conference executive who spoke to ESPN speculated that Duren might not even get a standard (25%) max deal, pointing to an average annual salary around $35MM as a figure that might work. “What’s a number that could leave both sides uncomfortable?” that exec said. “That might be what it takes to ultimately get a deal done.”
Celtics Notes: Offseason, Tatum, Stevens, Mazzulla
The Celtics‘ unexpected first-round loss to the Sixers, which featured the franchise’s first-ever blown 3-1 lead, made clear that even with a healthy Jayson Tatum back next season, there’s work to be done to turn the roster into a true championship favorite, Brian Robb writes for MassLive.
Boston holds a $27.7MM trade exception from the Anfernee Simons deal that expires at next year’s trade deadline, along with several other smaller trade exceptions, and will also have access to the $15MM non-taxpayer mid-level exception and $5.4MM bi-annual exception. Using some of those tools, the team will need to shore up its frontcourt and make some decisions regarding its plethora of young wings.
They will also have to decide what to do with Neemias Queta, who broke out as the team’s year-long starting center. They could pick up his 2.7MM team option and then extend his contract off that up to four years for $92MM, which would give some level of financial flexibility. They could also decline the option and give him a new contract, which would eat into their salary flexibility, ESPN’s Bobby Marks says in his offseason guide (video link).
We have more from the Celtics:
- After a nearly seamless return from his torn right Achilles, Tatum was sidelined for Game 7 due to left knee stiffness, which left a sour note on what was the feel-good story of the year. “My recovery and comeback were going so well that how it ended, I didn’t think it was going to end that way. It was just unfortunate,” Tatum said, per ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. “I worked really, really, really, really hard to come back in the fashion that I did and play at the level I was playing at. So for it to end the way it did was a tough pill to swallow.” Despite the negative outcome, he hopes his recovery and the level he was able to reach with his play this season can serve as an inspiration for other players who suffer similar injuries.
- Brad Stevens had a clear goal at this year’s trade deadline: getting under the tax and avoiding repeater penalties while still improving the roster in the immediate future. One of the moves the Celtics made in service of that goal was trading Simons for Nikola Vucevic. While the financial part worked, the on-court part didn’t, as evidenced by Vucevic being benched in favor of Luka Garza in the pivotal Game 7, Robb writes. Given the foul trouble Queta dealt with throughout the series, Robb calls the lack of a viable backup big man a rare mistake for the Celtics’ president, and one that had a huge impact on the team’s inability to get out of the first round.
- Another mistake came from the Celtics’ coach, Joe Mazzulla, according to Robb. With Tatum out, Mazzulla turned not to rotation regulars Payton Pritchard or Sam Hauser, but rather to Baylor Scheierman, Ron Harper Jr., and Garza as his three starters alongside Jaylen Brown and Derrick White — the five-man group had not played a single minute together in the regular season. The trio of new starters finished the must-win game with a combined zero points on seven shots. “I thought it was a couple things we saw tactically we wanted to test out,” Mazzulla said. “Obviously, give the series a little bit of a different feel and take advantage of the roster that we had, and take advantage of the guys that can impact plays and whatnot. So that was great by the guys, and we came up short.”
Nickeil Alexander-Walker Named Most Improved Player
Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker has been named the NBA’s Most Improved Player for the 2025/26 season, the league announced today (Twitter link). It’s the second consecutive year in which an Atlanta guard has won the award, with Alexander-Walker joining ’24/25 winner Dyson Daniels.
A quality reserve valued for his defense during his time in Minnesota, Alexander-Walker signed with the Hawks in free agency last summer and took on a much larger offensive role with his new team, as his usage rate increased from 16.0% to 23.9%. Despite taking on more offensive responsibilities, the 27-year-old actually increased his shooting efficiency, setting new career highs in field goal percentage (45.9%), three-point percentage (39.9%), and free throw percentage (90.2%).
Alexander-Walker also boosted his scoring average from 9.4 points per game during his final season in Minnesota to 20.8 PPG with the Hawks while contributing 3.7 assists and 3.4 rebounds per night. He started 71 of 78 games and logged a career-high 33.4 minutes per contest.
According to the NBA (Twitter link), among qualified players, Alexander-Walker is just the fifth one in the last 35 seasons to increase his scoring average by 11 or more points from one season to the next. He’s also only the third player to claim a Most Improved Player award in his seven season or later, per the Hawks, joining Julius Randle (2021) and Hedo Turkoglu (2008).
“Nickeil’s dedication, continual work on his craft, and the ensuing results this season make him incredibly deserving of this award,” Hawks head coach Quin Snyder said in a statement. “He has a tireless work ethic and a focus on improving in every aspect of his game. His game continues to evolve, and his commitment and unselfish attitude as a teammate have also positively impacted the success of the team.”
Alexander-Walker beat out a pair of players who made the leap from quality starter to star in 2025/26 — Pistons center Jalen Duren and Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija finished second and third in Most Improved Player voting, respectively, after earning their first All-Star nods this season.
Duren increased his scoring average from 11.8 PPG to 19.5 PPG and was the second-best player on a Pistons team that won 60 games. Avdija, who went from 16.9 PPG to 24.2 PPG and handed out a career-high 6.7 APG, was the top scorer and play-maker for a Blazers squad that snapped a four-year playoff drought.
Alexander-Walker received 66 first-place votes and 396 total points, with Duren claiming 23 first-place votes and 254 total points and Avdija getting seven first-place votes and 135 points. Bucks guard Ryan Rollins (three) and Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (one) earned the other first-place votes, though Celtics big man Neemias Queta was the fourth-place finisher, coming in one spot ahead of Rollins due to his 23 third-place votes.
Rockets guard Reed Sheppard, Suns guard Collin Gillespie, Nuggets guard Jamal Murray, Spurs guard Stephon Castle, Mavericks forward Naji Marshall, Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels, Rockets guard Amen Thompson, and Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama also each showed up on at least one ballot.
The full voting results can be found right here (Twitter link).
And-Ones: Rivers, Awards, Playoff X-Factors, Wemby, Morant
In a podcast appearance with Bill Simmons of The Ringer (Twitter video link), Doc Rivers suggested his coaching career might be finished. The 64-year-old stepped down as head coach of the Bucks earlier this week.
“We met about seven weeks ago, me and (Bucks) ownership,” Rivers said (hat tip to Jack Baer of Yahoo Sports). “We had a great meeting. They asked me what I wanted to do. One of the owners says one plan is, ‘If we do this, you can hang in there for a year or two.’ I literally said, ‘Oh, no, no, no.’
“I told my coaches, I’m done. I loved coaching. Loved it. I had a lot of success at it, had way more ups than downs. But at the end of the day, I’ve given 47 years or whatever, I don’t even know how old I am … with no off time. I just wanted a break. I want to get away. The grandkids and just life in general, man. Right now, I can tell you, Bill, I think it was time, so I’d be surprised if I coached another game, I’ll put it that way.”
Rivers, who will be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame later this year, compiled a 1194-866 regular season mark (.580) over the course of 27 seasons as an NBA head coach.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports and Tim Bontemps of ESPN have released their full 2026 NBA awards ballots. While both media members have the same top-five finishers for Most Valuable Player, with Luka Doncic fourth and Cade Cunningham fifth, the order of the three finalists are different. O’Connor has Victor Wembanyama as his MVP, followed by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic, whereas Bontemps had SGA winning his second straight MVP award, with Jokic the runner-up and Wembanyama in third.
- In another story for Yahoo Sports, O’Connor lists his playoff X-factors for every team competing in the postseason. Celtics center Neemias Queta, Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley, Nuggets forward Cameron Johnson and Spurs guard Dylan Harper are a few of the players mentioned.
- The Professional Basketball Writers Association (PBWA) has named Spurs center Wembanyama the winner of the Magic Johnson award for the 2025/26 season, per a press release. The award “honors the NBA player who best combines excellence on the court with cooperation and grace in dealing with the media and fans.” Donovan Mitchell (Cavaliers) was the runner-up for the second straight season, while Stephen Curry (Warriors), Jaylen Brown (Celtics) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks) were the other finalists.
- Grizzlies guard Ja Morant has purchased a stake in the Metropolitans 92, Wembanyama’s former team in France, according to Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints. “I’m excited about how this first season with the Metros is going,” Morant told ClutchPoints. “They represent the culture, just like we do. I like what we are building and hopefully we get to take it into NBA Europe.” Morant made the investment alongside his media and business venture company, Catch12.
Celtics Notes: Tatum, Brown, Queta, Shulga
This week’s return to Madison Square Garden, the site where he suffered an Achilles tear last May, was a huge milestone for Celtics star Jayson Tatum, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN. After posting 24 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists in 40 minutes in a loss to New York, Tatum talked about the feeling of relief that came with being back on the court where he experienced the worst injury of his career.
“It was a big moment, a big hurdle for me,” he said. “I was nervous and anxious to come back here. Obviously, I wanted to win and play great, but more importantly, I just kind of wanted to walk off the floor on my own two feet.”
Tatum is back to his regular workload a little more than a month after returning to action, but he’s still not being used on back-to-back nights. That meant he had to decide whether to play Thursday in New York or Friday against New Orleans. He opted for MSG to try to erase some of the bad memories from last year’s playoffs.
“Today was important to me, especially when I made the decision to come back and then made the decision to play today,” Tatum told reporters. “I’m glad I did. I feel a lot better.”
There’s more on the Celtics:
- After undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus last summer, Jaylen Brown isolated himself to prepare for the challenges of this season, he tells Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. Brown understood that a lot more would be asked of him in the wake of Tatum’s injury and the loss of several key veterans from Boston’s 2024 championship team, and he wanted to be mentally ready to handle the increased responsibility. “From a financial standpoint, this was a rebuild, right?” he said. “But I didn’t look at it like that. … I looked at it as an opportunity to show the world who I am and what I could do.”
- Coach Joe Mazzulla is touting Neemias Queta for Most Improved Player honors, per Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe (subscription required). Queta took over as the team’s starting center this season and is averaging career highs of 10.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. “He deserves it,” Mazzulla said. “To me, again, obviously as a player, but more what it means to do it for the Celtics, I think, goes a long way. And where he’s been on his journey in the NBA, but also his journey with us in our organization, he should seriously be considered for that because of where he was, and where he is now, and we wouldn’t be in that position without him.”
- One of the highlights of Max Shulga‘s rookie season happened on March 22 when he became the first player to appear in games with the Celtics and their G League affiliate in Maine on the same day, notes Souichi Terada of MassLive. The 57th pick in last year’s draft began the season on a two-way contract, then became playoff-eligible when he was promoted to a standard deal last month. “A lot of learning,” Shulga said of his first NBA season. “Obviously, got a lot of time, a lot of playing in the G League. Lot of ups and downs and stuff like that. Just getting adjusted to the NBA-style game. Just learning the system and stuff like that. It’s been a good first year.”
Atlantic Notes: George, Knicks, Poeltl, Queta, Stevens
Paul George has come back strong from his 25-game league suspension for violating the league’s drug policy, averaging 24.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.0 assists in his last seven games. However, it’s unlikely the Sixers forward has meaningfully increased his trade value, according to Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice.com.
Aaronson notes that George will soon turn 36 years old and will make over $54.1MM next season while holding a player option worth more than $56.5MM for the following season. George’s injury history would also likely discourage any potential suitors this offseason.
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Knicks coach Mike Brown doesn’t anticipate making a starting lineup change in the postseason, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post reports. “I don’t believe in never ever. But right now we’re going to start that five and that’s how I foresee it,” the coach said. “If I feel I need to make a change at any time, I’ll make a change. But I don’t feel that way right now.” There were discussions about moving Landry Shamet into the lineup. Earlier this season, Brown downsized his starting five, replacing Mitchell Robinson with Josh Hart.
- Jakob Poeltl was handed a three-year contract extension last offseason to remain with the Raptors. Now, the big man appears to be an awkward fit for Toronto’s rotation and cap sheet, The Athletic’s Eric Koreen opines. Poeltl has appeared in just 42 games due to a back ailment. He’s also not a scoring threat outside the paint and isn’t a good enough defensive player in the paint to make up for that, Koreen adds. Making a move involving Poeltl will be complicated due to his contract being guaranteed through 2028/29.
- Celtics forward Jaylen Brown is lobbying for Neemias Queta to receive consideration for the Most Improved Player award. “Neemi’s been great,” Brown said, per The Athletic’s Jay King. “He’s been just consistently getting better, protecting the rim, finishing, making those little shots, rebounding. He’s been great. In my opinion, he’s probably one of the most improved players this year. And I don’t know if he’s up for the award, but he should be.” Queta has started 72 of 73 games, averaging career bests in points (10.2), rebounds (8.4) and blocks (1.3) per game.
- Celtics top executive and former head coach Brad Stevens guided Butler to two NCAA Tournament championship games. However, Stevens indicated he has no interest in going back to the college ranks, Brian Robb of MassLive.com tweets. “I’m not motivated to do anything but what I’m doing,” he said.
Free Agent Stock Watch: Atlantic Division
For the rest of the regular season and postseason, Hoops Rumors is taking a closer look at players who will be free agents – or could become free agents – during the 2026 offseason. We’ll consider whether each player’s stock is rising or falling due to his performance and several other factors.
Today, we’re focusing on a handful of players in the Atlantic Division, starting with a former second-round pick having a breakout season.
