What are roster implications of Celtics signing Euroleague star Brad Wanamaker?

The Celtics will be adding more talent from overseas to their roster for the second-straight year in 2018, as Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com was first to report Monday that Boston is finalizing a contract with former Pittsburgh guard and EuroLeague standout Brad Wanamaker.

Wanamaker, 28, has played internationally for the majority of his career after going undrafted in 2011. He led Feherbence to the EuroLeague Final Four this past season and does a little bit of everything as a 6-foot-4 guard. He's a respectable 3-point shooter (36 percent over past three seasons) and has averaged 13.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists over the past three seasons in Europe.

The first rumblings of the C's interest in Wanamaker came last week when international reporter David Pick tweeted that the Nets, Magic, Sixers and Heat all had interest in the guard along with Boston. Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe reports that the Celtics are pushing for a two-year deal while Wanamaker is leaning towards one.

A look at the Celtics cap sheet indicates that the deal with Wanamaker is unlikely to be more than the veteran's minimum. Boston could offer a chunk of their mid-level exception or the bi-annual exception to him, but it's likely those will be held for more proven targets.

So where exactly does Wanamaker fit in Boston? And what does this signing mean for the team's plans this offseason?

Wanamaker has good size for a guard at 6-foot-4 and has the flexibility to play on or off the ball offensively. He navigates the pick-and-roll well as a ballhandler and his outside shooting will make him capable of playing point guard or shooting guard in Boston.

A look at Boston's current depth chart in the backcourt makes you wonder why Wanamaker would pick the Celtics as his NBA destination when it comes to opportunity. The team is pretty loaded there with Kyrie Irving, Jaylen Brown and Terry Rozier all under contract, and restricted free agent Marcus Smart looking likely to return. There is no easy path to playing time right away for Wanamaker within that rotation (barring injury). It's hard to envision him turning down more money overseas for bench duty on an NBA roster, unless Danny Ainge had a hell of a sales pitch. There is also the possibility that another shoe is going to drop this offseason within that guard group.

Looking deeper down the roster, the signing isn't great news for an unrestricted free agent like Shane Larkin. With everyone back healthy, his role looked to be in question and he may seek better playing time opportunities elsewhere. Similarly, Wanamaker has enough size to be used on the wing over a reserve like Abdel Nader. The 24-year-old probably didn't feel secure about his future in Boston anyway heading into this offseason and this deal won't help on that front.

Wanamaker also gives the Celtics a good backup plan for a couple of different scenarios:

1. If Marcus Smart gets a pricy offer sheet in restricted free agency: The odds are stacked against this happening as we covered earlier today, but there are some teams out there capable of making an offer the Celtics won't want to match. By securing a player like Wanamaker now, the Celtics get some solid depth in place so they can feel better about walking away from such a scenario.

2. The Celtics are still looking at trade options: Think back to last season when the Celtics brought aboard Shane Larkin to a jam-packed backcourt. We wondered at the time whether it was a precursor to a big deal and that ended up being the case with the Kyrie Irving blockbuster. The Celtics have inquired on Kawhi Leonard and it's a guarantee that Terry Rozier and/or Marcus Smart would have to be included in any trade package for him to make the money work. Ainge also inquired on Rozier's trade value before the draft so it's possible the team could still move on him from this summer if they can land a worthwhile asset. Moves like this become easier when a seasoned pro like Wanamaker is also a part of Boston's depth chart.

In the interim, this move, at the least, has to be considered a beneficial upgrade for the end of the Celtics depth chart. Whether it's more than that remains to be seen, but it certainly opens the door for more creative maneuvering by the front office as they balance winning now with payroll concerns that will loom in the future.