The return of Jayson Tatum is the leading story for the Boston Celtics this week, but what shouldn’t go unnoticed amid his historic Achilles injury return is how well the team has been playing this season without him. Not only by way of Jaylen Brown, but also by the other players on the team’s roster, and specifically, the contracts some of their biggest contributors are on.
On a list of the best contracts in the NBA by Sam Quinn of CBS Sports, Derrick White, Neemias Queta, and Payton Pritchard were all named in the top 14. While Tatum and Brown are signed to two of the biggest contracts in the league, the Celtics are getting the most out of mid-level and even minimum contract players with this current roster.
Pritchard and Queta were also each named on a similar list written by Tim Bontemps of ESPN earlier in the week.
While Tatum is set for a return from injury, his absence hasn’t mattered nearly as much as Boston would have expected this season, due to the strong play by the three players taking up just over a quarter of the Celtics’ salary cap.
White, Pritchard, Queta All Named Best NBA Contracts
Tatum and Brown are currently the two highest-paid players in the NBA, earning $313.9 million over five years and $285.3 million over five years, respectively.
Deal is the biggest in NBA history.
But while the Celtics took a risk signing the two to massive deals, that has paid off with the production they’ve been able to get out of the rest of the roster. While Boston did have to sell off some of its other expensive players from the 2024 Finals title run, what’s left is getting the job done, specifically with White, Pritchard, and Queta.
White is on a four-year, $118 million contract, earning $29.5 million this year. While that is still a lot of money, paying less than $30 million annually for one of the best defensive guards in the NBA and a bubble All-Star player is certainly a steal. This season, he is averaging a career-high 17.3 points, along with 4.4 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.5 blocks on 39.2% shooting.
Pritchard is a player the Celtics got to sign a small deal, but developed him into one of the best backup guards in the NBA, winning the Sixth Man of the Year award last season. He is on a four-year, $30 million contract, earning just over $7 million this season, while putting up 16.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, 5.3 assists on 46% shooting, and is the current half-court heave leader in the league.
While White and Pritchard’s contracts are good deals, Queta’s contract is a steal, and even that might be an understatement. He broke onto the scene this year for Boston after signing a three-year, $7.1 million offer from the team in 2024.
In terms of bang for your buck, it’s hard to beat Queta, as while he takes up just 1.5% of the Celtics’ salary cap at only $2.3 million, he’s averaging 9.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.3 blocks on the NBA’s third-best 64.3 shooting percentage. He’ll be under contract for just $2.6 million next season.
Along with those three, Boston also has the great value contracts of Sam Hauser, Hugo Gonzalez, Bailor Scheierman, and Jordan Walsh, all of whom are taking up only 11.4% of the salary cap.
Celtics Finally Get Jayson Tatum Return
But while the Celtics likely already know they made some smart deals in free agency, Tatum’s return remains top of mind for the team, as he is set to get back on the floor Friday night against the Dallas Mavericks after suffering a torn ACL just ten months ago.
Questions remain on his fit with this thriving Boston team, as well as how he’ll play alongside Brown, but until he steps on the court, that will all remain speculative.
What is known is that Tatum will return on a minutes restriction, likely set to play roughly 20 minutes against Dallas. It’s uncertain whether he will start or come off the bench.
The Celtics are currently 41-21 and second in the East, as Brown and the rest of the team have done an impressive job this season despite being without the team’s leading scorer from the past few years.
Tatum’s return from his Achilles injury has been, and will continue to be, one of the most covered stories in the NBA this season, rightfully so.
Celtics Get Great Roster News Amid Jayson Tatum Return vs Mavericks