The Celtics have officially signed free agent big man Luka Samanic to a contract, according to the NBA transaction log at RealGM.com. It’s a non-guaranteed training camp deal for Samanic, per Bobby Manning of CLNS Media (Twitter link), who first reported the agreement.
The No. 19 pick in the 2019 draft, Samanic appeared in 36 games with the Spurs during his first two NBA seasons, averaging 3.8 PPG and 2.2 RPG on .430/.294/.576 shooting in 9.9 minutes per contest. He was waived by San Antonio before his third season and spent most of 2021/22 on a two-way deal with the Knicks before being cut in March.
Samanic was affected by plantar fasciitis last season and didn’t play in a single NBA game for New York. He appeared in eight total contests for the Westchester Knicks in the G League and put up big numbers, averaging 27.6 PPG, 10.4 RPG, and 3.4 APG with an impressive shooting line of .545/.367/.870 in 32.3 MPG.
The Celtics now have 19 players officially under contract with training camp around the corner. Samanic will likely be among the camp invitees vying for one of the back-end spots on the team’s regular season roster. Noah Vonleh, Jake Layman, Justin Jackson, and Denzel Valentine are also in that mix.
Boston’s need for reliable frontcourt depth has increased in recent weeks due to Danilo Gallinari‘s torn ACL and Robert Williams‘ recurring knee issues.
Waive Cabicolo sign Samanac, interesting
Dude. So interesting.
Which of these Cs trio was/is the best, Malcolm Brogdon/Jaylen Brown/Robert Williams, Danny Ainge/Kevin McHale/Robert Parish, Rajon Rondo/Kevin Garnett/Kendrick Perkins or Tony Delk/Paul Pierce/Antoine Walker?
Pierce
I think Luka Samanic is a very good pickup.
Why? What has he done?
He has the skills and size to be effective. But his work ethic is crap. Source: Spurs fan who grew tired of him not putting effort on the court even when he was fighting for a role.
With a different mindset, I could see him sticking in the league. But unless something has changed with him, I don’t see it.