Jae Crowder Re-Signs with Celtics: Latest Contract Details, Comments, Reaction

Finishing up a whirlwind first 24 hours of NBA free agency, the Boston Celtics and forward Jae Crowder agreed to a five-year, $35 million deal.

Shams Charania of RealGM reported the news. Crowder, 24, was a restricted free agent this summer but didn't waste time negotiating his return to Boston. The former Marquette star thrived after the Celtics acquired him in December as part of the Rajon Rondo deal, averaging 9.5 points and 4.6 rebounds in a Celtics uniform.

Crowder announced his excitement over Twitter:

A solid athlete with good defensive instincts, Crowder began to flash a bit more confidence in his offensive game under Brad Stevens. He was taking a career-high three long-range shots per game, and while those were only going in at a 28.2 percent clip, Stevens is comfortable with the growing pains, something Crowder spoke about with Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald (h/t Celtics Life) last month.

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Any coach who accepts a player for playing hard is going to be the right fit—that's the team I'm going to fit in with. That's what Brad exemplifies. I can't ask to play for anyone better than Brad. He just wants you to play the right way. I can speak for other players as well when I say this. Brad has that kind of effect on players.

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The Celtics' net rating, which averages a team and their opponent's points per 100 possessions, was more than five points better with Crowder on the floor last season, according to Basketball-Reference.com. Opposing players also shot more than a percentage point worse than their average when Crowder defended them, per NBA.com.

The numbers on the deal will obviously raise some eyebrows. In our current NBA economy, a $7 million average is a lot of money. Crowder will be making roughly the same amount as J.J. Redick next season, a far more accomplished and better all-around role player. Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe noted fans might be disappointed:

This, however, is not the league to which we've become accustomed. Massive contracts are being thrown around at an hourly rate at this juncture, as teams start preparing for the massive cap spikes coming in 2016 and 2017. Crowder's contract averaging $7 million in 2015 dollars is a lot; his contract in 2017 dollars will be well below the midlevel exception.

If Crowder continues to develop a more consistent three-point shot, he might be a bargain two or three years down the line. Either way, he showed enough last season that this won't be a massive overpay even if he winds up a below-average shooter. 

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter.