July 15: The signing is official, according to a team press release.
July 14: The Celtics and 2016 second-round pick Abdel Nader have agreed to a four-year contract, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link). According to Charania, the deal will be worth $6MM, which figures to put it at – or very close to – the minimum.
The 58th overall pick in last year’s draft, Nader didn’t sign an NBA contract right away, instead agreeing to a G League deal to play for the Maine Red Claws. Nader had an excellent rookie season for Boston’s G League affiliate, averaging 21.3 PPG, 6.2 RPG, and 3.9 APG in 40 games. The 23-year-old forward was named the league’s 2016/17 Rookie of the Year.
After waiving Jordan Mickey, the Celtics have enough cap room to finalize their maximum salary contract with Gordon Hayward and to squeeze in a long-term deal for Nader. If the club had used all its cap room, it would only have the ability to offer Nader a two-year contract using the minimum salary exception, which explains the timing of the move.
Although he now has an NBA contract, Nader is still a good bet to spend a portion of the 2017/18 season in the G League with the Red Claws.
Good move. I like this kid. Tough and good defender.
I don’t watch Red Claw games because come on. But I’ve only heard great things about him since he’s been there. If he can produce in a rotational role in years 2-4 then this is obviously a steal. Looking forward to seeing what he can do. Low risk, medium reward