Celtics locking in championship core long-term

The Celtics built a championship team around Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Now they're locking their squad in for years, no matter what it costs.

Derrick White, a two-time All-Defensive team guard with the Celtics the last two seasons, signed a four-year extension to stay in Boston, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. White got richly rewarded for his contributions to the champs, getting the maximum amount the Celtics could pay him, plus a player option for the final year of the deal.

White's extension follows a similar four-year deal for his partner in the Celtics backcourt and the All-Defensive second team. In April, Jrue Holiday signed a four-year extension for similar money with the team. Now Holiday is signed through 2028, Brown is signed through 2029 and Tatum is widely expected to sign a five-year supermax extension this summer that will run through 2030 (noted recently by ESPN's Bobby Marks and The Boston Globe's Adam Himmselsbach ).

Even buzzer-beater savant Payton Pritchard is locked up through 2028. This team is staying intact, but it's going to be very expensive. The Celtics will have five players making $30M or more beginning in 2025-26, with Brown and Tatum making over $50M.

Perhaps that's why the current owners are putting the team up for sale before the costs go way up.

The Celtics owners are giving the team every chance to become a dynasty. They're just going to have someone else foot the bill.