Celtics
The Celtics have agreed to a three-year contract extension with forward Jordan Walsh, according to Prime’s Chris Haynes and ESPN’s Shams Charania.
There is a slight discrepancy on the total value, with Charania reporting $15 million and Haynes putting it at $16 million. Either way, the extension will begin with the 2027-28 season after Walsh makes approximately $2.4 million this year.
Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reports that the first two seasons of the extension will be fully guaranteed, with Boston holding a team option for 2029-30.
Walsh, 22, has steadily worked his way into a larger role since the Celtics selected him No. 38 overall in the 2023 NBA Draft.
He appeared in 68 games last season, including 25 starts, and averaged 5.4 points and 4.0 rebounds in 17.8 minutes. He shot 50.9 percent from the field and 38.4 percent from three.
At 6-foot-6 with a 7-foot-2 wingspan, Walsh has carved out a role primarily with his energy and defensive versatility.
His extension continues a trend for Boston this summer. The Celtics also signed Ron Harper Jr. to a four-year contract and extended big man Neemias Queta, keeping several players who developed within the organization on longer-term deals.
Rockets
The Rockets are keeping two familiar forwards in Houston.
Veteran Jae’Sean Tate has re-signed on a one-year minimum contract, while Isaiah Crawford has graduated from a two-way deal to a four-year standard contract.
Tate’s deal includes a $1.04 million partial guarantee, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. The 30-year-old is the longest-tenured player on Houston’s roster, having joined the Rockets in 2020.
His role has diminished considerably since he made the All-Rookie first team, but Tate remains a respected locker-room presence. He averaged 2.8 points and 1.6 rebounds in 46 appearances last season.
Crawford represents a different type of investment. The 24-year-old played only 14 games for Houston last season but was considerably more productive in the G League, averaging 19.0 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.1 steals for Rio Grande Valley while shooting 51.5 percent from the field and 39.2 percent from three.
According to David Weiner of ClutchFans, Crawford’s new four-year contract is non-guaranteed and includes a team option in the final season. Varun Shankar of the Houston Chronicle reports the deal is worth roughly $11.3 million at the minimum.
The two signings leave Houston with 15 players on standard contracts and roughly $2.6 million above the luxury-tax line. The Rockets could get back underneath it by waiving JD Davison, whose $2.58 million salary is non-guaranteed.
So while neither signing will dominate the transaction wire, Houston may still have a little bookkeeping left to do.
Free Agency
Mouhamadou Gueye‘s unusual trip through the transaction wire appears to be ending in Spain.
Valencia Basket announced that it has reached a deal with the 6-foot-9 forward, even though Gueye technically remains under contract with the Hornets.
Charlotte is expected to waive him, clearing the way for Gueye to officially join Valencia.
Gueye spent most of last season with the Windy City Bulls in the G League, averaging 14.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks. That performance earned him a late-season NBA contract with Chicago.
The Bulls then exercised his non-guaranteed option for trade purposes, and Gueye eventually landed with Charlotte as part of an expanded multi-team deal.
His stay with the Hornets was never expected to last long.
Gueye, 28, will now join a Valencia team that finished second in the EuroLeague regular-season standings and advanced to the Final Four last season.
MORE HOOPS | NBA free agents by position
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