Following the signings of All-Star forward Jayson Tatum and former San Antonio Spurs standout Derrick White, the Boston Celtics have secured big man Xavier Tillman with a new two-year contract. This move makes Tillman the latest member of the 2024 championship team to be committed to the franchise for the upcoming season.
Before his NBA career, Tillman played college basketball at Michigan State. During his tenure, he earned the title of Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year in 2020 and received multiple all-conference honors.
Tillman was initially drafted by the Sacramento Kings but was immediately traded to the Memphis Grizzlies in 2020. He played for the Ja Morant-led Grizzlies for several seasons before being traded to the Boston Celtics in 2024 ahead of the trade deadline.
Throughout the 2023-24 season, Tillman averaged 5.3 points and 3.9 rebounds per game while splitting his time between the Grizzlies and the Celtics. He played a crucial role for Boston in the playoffs, providing essential frontcourt depth and making significant contributions, including a key three-pointer in Game 1 of the NBA Finals against Luka Doncic’s Dallas Mavericks.
### Boston Celtics Secure Xavier Tillman with a Two-Year Deal
With Tatum and White already secured, the Celtics turned their attention to Tillman. According to a series of tweets by Adam Himmelsbach on X, Tillman was reportedly given a fully guaranteed two-year contract by Boston.
“Xavier Tillman’s 2-year deal is fully guaranteed, I’m told. Also, sources say Oshae Brissett is still hoping to find a team that can offer more playing time, but the door is not fully closed on a Boston return,” Himmelsbach tweeted.
“Yes, minimum salary deal for Xavier,” he added.
The Celtics are set to be without Kristaps Porzingis for an extended period, and the veteran Al Horford will need his minutes managed due to his age. Tillman is expected to fill these frontcourt gaps, with his defensive versatility fitting well with the Celtics’ switch-heavy scheme.
With Tillman secured, the Celtics have one less concern for the next season. His presence will help mitigate the impact of Porzingis’ absence and Horford’s limited minutes.
