The Boston Celtics had some questions about their long-term future at point guard up until last week, when Kyrie Irving told fans at TD Garden he plans on signing a lucrative extension with the team this summer. Anything can happen between now and then, of course, but as of right now, Boston appears to be Irving’s team for the next half-decade.
This means the future of his backup, Terry Rozier, now moves into the spotlight. The Celtics have until Monday to agree to an extension with Rozier that would keep him off the restricted free agent market next summer, and as we laid out here, it makes sense for both sides to want to get something done.
However, according to Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe, the two sides don’t appear to be in line to figure something out, and Rozier appears set on testing the market.
According to multiple league sources, the Celtics and Terry Rozier will not agree to an extension prior to Monday’s deadline. https://t.co/oXnLhyq9MQ pic.twitter.com/g0Ybp3VQem
— Adam Himmelsbach (@AdamHimmelsbach) October 12, 2018
Himmelsbach added some more details, writing that Rozier wants to start and get compensated as such, with his desired salary being “perhaps in the $20 million-per-season range.”
This isn’t the end of the world for Boston — they’re going to have Irving in tow and can afford to lose Rozier — but it’s still interesting, especially because they’ll have the option to match a deal that a team offers up for Rozier. It stands to reason that the team won’t do that if he gets the big money contract he wants, but if he does indeed want to go elsewhere next summer, perhaps the Celtics will consider moving him before the trade deadline.
