Jared Sullinger has been on thin ice with the Boston Celtics. The power forward faced a lot of trade rumors last season, but appeared to have turned things around during the offseason. That led to him having discussions about earning contract extension discussions as Sullinger is eligible for a new deal this summer. However, as he now fights for time on the court, that contract is not likely to happen.
According to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald, Sullinger along with Tyler Zeller are not going to be getting contract extensions this offseason. The deadline to extend players is Oct. 31 and the Celtics are showing no signs of getting any deals done. According to the Herald, the Celtics were only interested in locking in one of the two players between Zeller and Sullinger in hopes of inking one to a team-friendly deal. It was already speculated that Zeller would no sign a deal regardless in hopes of getting more money when the TV deals impact the salary cap while Sullinger could have opted to get a new contract in order to secure his uncertain future.
Right now, Sullinger must worry about getting on the court at all. The Celtics roster is deep in size which is hurting the power forward who has yet to move to the front of the pack. According to ESPNBoston.com, Zeller is favored to start while Sullinger is simply hoping to be a reserve. Head coach Brad Stevens continues to work with a rotation that includes Zeller, David Lee, Amir Johnson and Kelly Olynyk. Sullinger is not even in the discussion.
After facing criticism about his conditioning, team president Danny Ainge says that Sullinger still has a ways to go in that regard. Ainge told CSNNE.com that Sullinger "still has room to become more fit" which could be holding the power forward back from making an impact on the court. With an expiring contract to his name, Sullinger is at risk of entering the trade discussions once again. The Celtics will likely be aiming to garner more draft picks once again to continue rebuilding and injuries could force teams to look at the power forward as an option. As Sullinger remains a non-rotation player at the moment, he has a longs ways to go before he is getting valuable minutes.
