The Celtics have two open roster spots and the need for some help on the wing backing up Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Oshae Brissett and Sam Hauser will get chances to earn those minutes, but it’s obvious the depth at the wing is thin.
With camp opening up in about a month, the Celtics are clearly looking to bring in some help on the perimeter, bringing in a variety of wings for workouts and, maybe, a chance to become part of Joe Mazzulla’s rotation.
TJ Warren
Shams Charania reported that Warren is in Boston today to meet with the team and go through a workout. Warren has the potential to be a high-level scorer when he’s fully healthy, and could bring some real scoring punch off the bench.
The question, though, is whether he’s actually healthy.
He turns 30 in a couple of weeks, and he’s coming off a less-than-stellar return from a year off to recover from stress fractures in his foot. He did put up a few decent performances, including a 20-point game in a loss to Boston, but he didn’t do much after moving from Brooklyn to Phoenix.
Warren could be a good one-year minimum flier for a guy who has the potential for a bigger contract but still needs to prove himself. Boston could give him a one-year deal, Warren could walk into a really good situation, and he could play a role that doesn’t put too much pressure on him either minutes or production-wise.
No one would be looking for 20 points per game from him off the bench (though, they wouldn’t refuse it, either). The Celtics would just want someone to hit the shots they get, not force anything, and get back on defense. Warren isn’t going to be that great of a defender, but the Celtics are leaning on their back-line size to make up for that.
For a team heavily focused on offense, Warren could be a low-risk, high-reward kind of signing.
Lamar Stevens
He’s also included in that Charania report.
Stevens is kind of the opposite of Warren. He’s a younger, high-energy defender who isn’t much of a scorer. Stevens, should he come to Boston, almost fills a Marcus Smart-type role in that he can change possessions with his defense and energy.
He just turned 26, so he’s in the same timeline as the bulk of this team. He’s going to be hungry, and he could fill a role on a team that's lacking strictly defensive stoppers. This team is built on offense first, so a 6’6” wing with a plus wingspan can be a nice option off the bench.
The question for Stevens is whether he can start hitting 3-pointers. He hasn’t been able to yet, but if there's any good news regarding his shooting, it’s that he’s gotten better with more opportunity.
He started out 4-25 (16%) his rookie year, climbed to 18-65 (27.7%) the next season, and then 30-95 (31.6%) this past season. All of those numbers are bad, but the trend is going up as he takes more shots.
If the Celtics brass feels like the jumper is close enough to continue this trend on a better team surrounded by better players, then Stevens could be a steal, especially at a little bit of a lower cost since this is only his fourth year in the league.
Louis King
Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reports Boston will work King out this week.
He’s 6’7” and has played 27 total NBA games over four seasons. He has spent most of his time in the G League as a two-way guy, and he’s put up some really good 3-point shooting numbers.
King would be the lowest-cost option, and he’d probably come in trying to become something more than an emergency option off the bench.
Why not two?
One popular question is about adding two players instead of one. Boston has two empty roster spots, so why not just stock up?
It’s certainly an option, but I’m not sure Boston wants to do that considering how close they are to the second apron right now (approximately $4 million away). There is a possibility that Brad Stevens could fill the roster to 15 now and then realize he needs a different kind of player after the team starts showing what they have on the court.
I think the best course of action right now is to see if they can find a steal right now and go into the season with an empty spot. This way, if there's a one-for-two deal to be made, or a trade where Boston can absorb someone into part of the Grant Williams $6.2 million TPE, they can do so without having to waive someone. I really want to see what this team looks like on the floor before I make any final decisions about who they really need.
The Celtics might actually be in a pretty good position to pluck a “prove it” guy off the market right now. These are just a few of the names still floating around, and potential deals for Damian Lillard and James Harden seem to have dried up. Some of these remaining free agents who might have been hoping to cash in on open spots in the wake of those trades might be getting antsy about finding work over the next month.
Boston is a great place to sign a one-year deal, have a great season, and cash in next July. It’s a win-win scenario that could come to fruition over the next few weeks.