What are we thinking Quetas extension will look like? Hopefully Brad can get him locked into a Pritchard/Hauser type contract.
He is eligible for an extension that would start in the $20-21 million range in 2027, and would wind up between $90-94 million over four years. I do not think he will get every penny he is allowed to get, but I do expect him to get much more than Pritchard (who had yet to break out) and Hauser (who he is currently outperforming, and is also outperforming at the time of his extension). Perhaps is $16-18 million annually, which would exceed the MLE at the time he would hit free agency. So somewhere between the MLE and his max value is my ultimate guess, compared to Hauser, who came in under the MLE.
Thanks for the info, TP. I think the best comp for Queta is Gafford who signed an extension which has him at $18M per year on average. Quite a bit more than Pritchard/Hauser but it seems fair for a starting caliber center.
Yep, Gafford is a decent comp. Keep in mind that a Queta extension would start a year later so there could be some inflationary pressures on it taking it 5-10% higher, but that is in my expected range of the MLE to the maximum allowed.
Also, the other choice would be for the Celtics and Queta to work out something in advance, decline his option next year, and sign him to a 5-year deal with more money up front. For example, rather than a Gafford-style 4-year extension at $72 million starting in 2027, a 5-year deal for $75 million starting in 2026 (so $72 million plus his $2 million salary next year, with rounding to make my post easier). This would shift money from the later years to next year, lowering future tax bills/creating more room to stay under the tax. On the other hand, it probably means Vooch is gone unless he takes the minimum, the Simons TPE goes unused, and the MLE also is unused. So it is unlikely, but technically another option for the Celtics if it saved them enough long-term.
