The Boston Celtics wasted little time locking up prized offseason addition Kristaps Porzingis beyond next season.
Porzingis and the C's are expected to finalize a two-year contract extension worth approximately $60 million, according to Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes. The deal will keep Porzingis in Boston through the 2025-26 campaign.
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The Celtics acquired Porzingis from the Washington Wizards as part of the three-team blockbuster trade that sent veteran guard Marcus Smart to the Memphis Grizzlies. They could have offered him up to a two-year, $77 million extension this summer.
In a recent exclusive 1-on-1 with our Chris Forsberg, Porzingis expressed his desire to call Boston home for the foreseeable future.
“The idea of being here for a long time, it would be what I want," he said. "And when the time comes, (an extension is) hopefully going to be a discussion and we'll see.”
Porzingis opted into his $36 million contract for the 2022-23 season. The 27-year-old should bring much-needed frontcourt scoring and solid interior defense to the Celtics if he stays healthy, which has been an issue throughout his career. Last year with the Wizards, however, he played in 65 games and averaged a career-high 23.2 points and 8.4 rebounds while shooting 49.8 percent from the field (38.5 percent from 3).
