Porzingis signs 2-year, $60M extension with Celts

Boston Celtics ahead/heart Kristaps Porzingis has signed a brand new two-year, $60 million extension — protecting him underneath contract for $96 million by the 2025-’26 season, his brokers Jeff Schwartz and Janis Porzingis of Excel Sports activities Administration advised ESPN on Wednesday.

The perimeters finalized an settlement on Wednesday, two-plus weeks after Porzingis exercised his $36 million possibility for the 2023-2024 season to be included in a three-team commerce to the Celtics that included guard Marcus Smart‘s exit to the Memphis Grizzlies.

Porzingis, 27, arrives to Boston off the most effective season of his NBA profession with the Washington Wizardsaveraging 23.2 factors, 8.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks a recreation.

After accidents and troublesome exits with the Dallas Mavericks and New York Knicks stymied what appeared early to be a perennial All-Star profession, Porzingis reemerged as one of many league’s finest and most versatile 7-footers in his season-plus with Washington.

The Celtics are relying on him to play a serious position alongside All-NBA forwards Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown within the franchise’s championship pursuit.

“I feel these are the most effective years for a basketball participant,” Porzingis stated at a current information convention. “You’re bodily there, and mentally, you might be attending to a special stage. I feel the work paid off for me. I checked out my recreation, I checked out how I might be extra environment friendly and simply actually analyzed myself, and it paid off final season, all of the work I put in off the courtroom to remain wholesome.

“My physique is maturing, and attending to that age helped, and I imagine I’ve some nice, high-level years forward of me.”