Celtics notebook: White discusses an extension, Brisett to test free agency

One member of the NBA champion Celtics is choosing to test the market this offseason.

 

Reserve forward Oshae Brissett declined his $2.5 million player option for the 2024-25 season, according to a report from Spotrac’s Keith Smith. Brissett now will become an unrestricted free agent and will be free to sign with any team when the free agency signing period begins July 6.

 

“Brissett may still return to Boston,” Smith wrote on X, “but will now have the opportunity to explore free agency starting next week.”

 

Brissett, 26, signed with Boston last July after three seasons with the Indiana Pacers. He appeared in 55 games during the regular season, coming off the bench in 54 of them and averaging 3.7 points and 2.9 rebounds per appearance.

 

The 26-year-old fell out of head coach Joe Mazzulla’s rotation during the playoffs, however. Despite injuries to Kristaps Porzingis that strained the Celtics’ frontcourt depth, Brissett logged just 55 total minutes over the team’s 19 postseason games, with most of those coming in garbage time.

 

Brissett made his biggest contributions in Game 2 against Indiana, when he grabbed three rebounds and was a plus-18 in 12 minutes off the bench. Mazzulla said after that game that Brissett “plays with such a high level of intensity and energy.”

It’s big for us,” the Celtics head coach said.

 

All five Celtics starters (Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Porzingis) and two of their top three reserves (Al Horford and Payton Pritchard) are under contract through at least next season.

 

Their final core rotation player, Sam Hauser, has a team option in his contract for 2024-25, which Boston could either exercise or decline in favor of a longer-term contract.

 

Neemias Queta also has a team option. Luke Kornet and Xavier Tillman — who both helped fill the postseason Porzingis void behind Horford — will be unrestricted free agents, as will reserve guard Svi Mykhailiuk.

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