FRIDAY, 11:47am: The deal is official, the team announced, adding that it has assigned Dawkins to the D-League.
WEDNESDAY, 10:44am: The Celtics and Andre Dawkins have reached agreement on a deal for a 10-day contract, reports Shams Charania of RealGM. Boston has an open roster spot, so no corresponding move would be necessary. The signing is expected to take place Thursday, according to Charania, though Dawkins is likely to spend most if not all of those 10 days on D-League assignment, as A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com reported Tuesday. In any case, it’s no surprise the sides have struck a deal, since the C’s had been planning to bring Dawkins to Boston this week to meet with him as they considered inking him to a 10-day contract, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported Monday.
The 23-year-old joined Miami’s D-League team just last week shortly after the Heat waived him from the NBA roster rather than guarantee his rookie minimum salary for the season. He’s impressed in 11 appearances with the Sioux Falls Skyforce both at this past weekend’s D-League showcase and while on D-League assignment from the Heat, knocking down 53 of 104 three-point attempts to solidify his reputation as a premier outside shooter. The former Duke Blue Devil went undrafted this summer, but he joined the Rockets and Heat for summer league and made Miami’s opening-night roster out of training camp.
The Heat were reportedly interested in bringing back the John Spencer client on a 10-day contract at some point this season, but now it appears they’ll have to wait to see how it turns out for Dawkins with Boston. The Celtics will look to re-sign him to a second 10-day contract if his first one goes well, and he’d spend more time with the NBA team rather than their D-League affiliate on his second 10-day, as Blakely writes in a full story.