Deep dive into 4 Michigan State basketball players' recent NBA contract extensions

3. Xavier Tillman Sr., Boston Celtics

Earlier I mentioned some players sign small, short contracts which might be an indication that they aren’t that important of a player. Xavier Tillman Sr. just resigned with the NBA Champion Boston Celtics for two years and $4.8 million, which definitely fits that description.

But I don’t think this is an example of an organization thinking the player isn’t good or important to the team.

Tillman was traded to the Celtics during this past season, and then we all know he and Boston went on to win an NBA Championship. So the Celtics already know firsthand how valuable Tillman is to their success this past season when they reached the top of the NBA.

The Celtics core of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are also both locked down with Boston for the foreseeable future, so the Celtics are still in win-now mode. So every move the organization makes is a move they think will help them win more championships.

So even though Tillman’s deal is small and short, it still tells us that he’s extremely valuable to the Celtics going forward.