Boston Celtics Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Joe Johnson Signs 10-Day Contract With Celtics

December 22nd, 2021 at 4:11pm CST by Luke Adams

4:11pm: The signing is official, the Celtics announced (via Twitter).

10:06am: Veteran NBA swingman Joe Johnson is returning to the NBA, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reports (via Twitter) that the seven-time All-Star is signing a 10-day contract with the Celtics via a hardship exception.

It’s an unexpected comeback for Johnson, who turned 40 years old in June and hasn’t played in the NBA since the 2017/18 season, when he appeared in 55 games for Utah and Houston. His last NBA contract came in the fall of 2019 — he competed in training camp for the Pistons’ final roster spot, but lost out to Christian Wood.

Johnson, who has won two MVP awards in the BIG3 in recent years, has appeared in 1,276 total regular season NBA games and another 120 postseason contests. He has career averages of 16.0 PPG, 4.0 RPG, and 3.9 APG on .441/.371/.802 shooting, though those numbers fell off significantly in his final season in ’17/18.

The odds are against Johnson turning a 10-day audition into a full-season opportunity on an NBA roster, but it will be good to see him back in the league. He’ll join a Celtics team that currently has seven players in the health and safety protocols. Boston has also signed Justin Jackson and C.J. Miles to 10-day deals within the last week.

New Mandate Won't Affect Celtics

December 20th, 2021 at 6:47pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Boston has new vaccine requirements for indoor dining, fitness, and entertainment establishments going into effect next month, according to a Boston Globe report. However, all professional athletes are exempt, meaning it won’t have any impact on the Celtics or visiting players, ESPN’s Tim Bontemps tweets. Under the new mandate, proof of at least one vaccine dose will be required after January 15 to enter those facilities except for medical or religious reasons.

Celtics Sign C.J. Miles To 10-Day Contract

December 20th, 2021 at 2:49pm CST by Luke Adams

2:49pm: The Celtics have officially signed Miles to a 10-day contract, the team announced this afternoon (via Twitter).

10:45am: The Celtics will fortify their roster by signing veteran swingman C.J. Miles via a hardship exception, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Miles won’t count against the team’s roster limit, so no corresponding move will be necessary.

Miles, 34, hasn’t played in the NBA since the 2019/20 season, when he appeared in 10 games for Washington. However, he signed last week with the G League Ignite and played 22 minutes in his NBAGL debut on Friday.

A sharpshooter who has made 1,250 career three-pointers at a 35.8% clip, Miles has appeared in a total of 848 NBA regular season games and another 44 postseason contests for the Jazz, Cavaliers, Pacers, Raptors, Grizzlies, and Wizards. He has career averages of 9.6 PPG and 2.4 RPG in 20.4 MPG.

The Celtics have already signed one player – Justin Jackson – using the hardship exception, but have seven players in the health and safety protocols, so they figure to make at least one more roster addition besides Miles.

Miles’ 10-day deal won’t count against the salary cap or luxury tax for Boston, based on the new roster rules agreed upon by the NBA and NBPA.

Karl-Anthony Towns, Jayson Tatum Named Players Of The Week

December 20th, 2021 at 2:37pm CST by Luke Adams

Timberwolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns and Celtics forward Jayson Tatum have been named the NBA’s Players of the Week for the Western Conference and Eastern Conference, respectively, the league announced today (via Twitter).

Towns’ Timberwolves went 3-0 during the week of December 13-19, with victories over the Nuggets, Lakers, and Mavericks. The former No. 1 overall pick averaged 28.0 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 4.7 APG, 1.7 SPG, and 1.3 BPG on .547/.375/.870 shooting in those three games (33.9 MPG).

The Celtics’ quest for a perfect week was denied by the Warriors on Friday, but Boston went 2-1 and Tatum had a big three-game stretch. He put up 31.3 PPG, 7.3 RPG, and 4.0 APG with a .500/.361/.867 shooting line in 38.8 minutes per contest.

Towns beat out fellow finalists Deandre Ayton, Dillon Brooks, Nikola Jokic, and Damian Lillard in the West, while the other Eastern finalists were Kevin Durant, Darius Garland, and Fred VanVleet (Twitter link).

Josh Richardson, Cody Martin Enter Protocols

December 19th, 2021 at 5:51pm CST by JD Shaw

Celtics swingman Josh Richardson and Hornets swingman Cody Martin have entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols, the teams announced (Twitter links).

Richardson, 28, exited the league’s protocols just under a week ago. Boston now has seven players in protocols ahead of Monday’s game against Philadelphia, plus Jayson Tatum (left ankle sprain), Romeo Langford (neck pain) and Dennis Schroder (illness) on the injury report as questionable.

Martin, 26, will enter protocols for the first time this season. His brother, Caleb, is going through the same situation with the Heat, though it’s unclear if this is related to Cody’s addition.

Richardson has provided two-way production for Boston this season, averaging 10.7 points in 25.2 minutes per game this season. Martin has done much of the same for Charlotte, though the third-year player is shooting a scorching 51% from three-point range.

Richardson and Martin are part of a growing list of players who are in the NBA’s protocols. Over a dozen players were placed on Sunday, while five game postponements were announced.

Drummond, Milton In Protocols; Sixers-Pelicans Game Postponed

December 19th, 2021 at 12:09pm CST by Arthur Hill

12:09 PM: The game between the Sixers and Pelicans Sunday night has been postponed, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets. In a follow-up tweet, Wojnarowski says Philadelphia may be able to resume playing Monday against Boston.

11:01 PM: The Sixers may not have eight available players for tonight’s game against the Pelicans, which could cause it to be postponed, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Andre Drummond and Shake Milton have both entered the league’s health and safety protocols, joining teammate Georges Niang, Charania adds. In addition, Furkan Korkmaz has a non-COVID illness, three other players are hurt and Danny Green and Tyrese Maxey are listed as questionable.

The Sixers are scheduled to play tomorrow night in Boston, where the Celtics also have COVID-19 issues, so that game may be in jeopardy as well. Then they’re off until Thursday against the Hawks, who saw All-Star guard Trae Young enter the protocols earlier today.

If they tested positive, Drummond and Milton will both remain in protocols for 10 days unless they can submit two consecutive negative tests for the virus at least 24 hours apart. Counting tonight’s game, Philadelphia is scheduled to play five times in the next 10 days.

Celtics Notes: COVID-19, B. Thomas, J. Jackson, I. Thomas

December 18th, 2021 at 4:31pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics continue to be impacted by a COVID-19 outbreak, with Brodric Thomas the latest player to enter health and safety protocols, tweets Tim Bontemps of ESPN. Thomas is the sixth player in the past 48 hours to be placed in the protocols, giving Boston eight inactive players for tonight’s game against the Knicks. Others sidelined are Dennis Schröder, who has a non-COVID illness, and Romeo Langford, who is dealing with a neck issue.

Boston can replenish its roster with hardship exceptions, but because Thomas has a two-way contract he can only be replaced by a player with three years or fewer of NBA service, notes Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link). That’s also true for fellow two-way player Sam Hauser, who is among the six players in the protocols.

There’s more from Boston:

With Justin Jackson joining the Celtics via the hardship exception, Chris Forsberg of NBC Boston looks at how the 26-year-old forward can help the team. Jackson will likely see time at power forward with Al Horford, Grant Williams, Juan Hernangomez and Jabari Parker all in the protocols. Jackson has been with four teams since being selected with the 15th pick in the 2017 draft, but he has been shooting well in the G League this season and may provide some minutes as a stretch four until a few players return.
Marcus Smart wishes the Celtics had signed former backcourt mate Isaiah Thomas, per Jared Weiss of The Athletic. Thomas, a long-time fan favorite in Boston, scored 19 points Friday night in his first game since signing a 10-day deal with the Lakers. “It’s amazing. I’m just proud that he gets another chance,” Smart said. “He’s been doing everything he can to show the world that he’s still IT. I think he was written off a little early, but that dude is a quiet warrior, and I’m just happy that somebody gave him a chance.”
New coach Ime Udoka has been relying heavily on film sessions to motivate players and point out their errors, according to Souichi Terada of MassLive. The latest instance was Friday’s game against the Warriors when Udoka showed clips at halftime of the Celtics getting beat to loose balls.

Celtics Sign Justin Jackson Via Hardship Exemption

December 18th, 2021 at 4:17pm CST by Dana Gauruder

4:17pm: Jackson’s signing is official, the Celtics announced in a press release.

11:35am: The Celtics are planning to sign forward Justin Jackson to a 10-day contract using the hardship exemption, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

Jackson has been playing for the Texas Legends, Dallas’ NBA G League affiliate.

The 15th pick of the 2017 draft, Jackson has appeared in 248 NBA games. Last season, he played 33 games for the Thunder and another for the Bucks. He began his career with Sacramento and also played one full season and part of another for Dallas.

The Mavericks waived Jackson during training camp prior to this season.

Boston has a handful of players in the league’s health and safety protocols — Sam Hauser, Juan Hernangomez, Al Horford, Jabari Parker and Grant Williams. The exemption is being used by multiple clubs to handle the current COVID crisis around the league. Players signed via the exemption don’t count against the 15-man roster limit.

COVID/Injury Notes: Reaves, Hauser, Carter Jr., Birch, Bulls

December 17th, 2021 at 9:51pm CST by Rory Maher

Rookies Austin Reaves and Sam Hauser have entered the health and safety protocols for the Lakers and Celtics, respectively, according to Kyle Goon of the Southern California News Group and Tim Bontemps of ESPN (Twitter links).

If Reaves and Hauser tested positive for COVID-19, they’ll be out for the next 10 days or until they record two consecutive negative tests at least 24 hours apart.

Reaves has been a semi-regular member of the Lakers’ rotation, appearing in 17 games (19.7 minutes per game) with averages of 5.8 points and 2.5 rebounds on .500/.390/.882 shooting. He hit a memorable game-winning three-pointer in overtime against Dallas Wednesday.

Hauser is on a two-way deal with the Celtics and has appeared in just seven total minutes across three NBA games. He’s been a regular for Boston’s G League affiliate, the Maine Celtics, averaging 16.9 points and 5 rebounds on .487/.433/.917 shooting in 10 games (33.5 MPG).

Here are some more COVID-19 and injury-related notes:

Magic big man Wendell Carter Jr. was injured Friday night against Miami, suffering what the team called a right lower leg injury, per a team PR announcement (via Twitter). He missed the remainder of the game and will undergo further evaluation, the team adds. Hopefully it’s not a serious injury for both player and team, as the Magic already have several injured and/or COVID-afflicted players.
Khem Birch could return for the Raptors on Monday, according to Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca (Twitter link). Birch has been suffering from a bone bruise which still isn’t 100% healed yet, and says he’ll likely have to deal with it the throughout the season, Lewenberg relays.
The Bulls will be able to practice on Saturday for their first official team activity in a week, K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago relays (Twitter links). They’ve had several players in the league’s health and safety protocols over the past couple weeks, but a few, including DeMar DeRozan, have returned recently. Two of their games were postponed this week due to the outbreak.

Celtics’ Hernangomez, Lakers’ Nunn Enter Protocols

December 17th, 2021 at 2:14pm CST by Luke Adams

The list of players in the NBA’s health and safety protocols continues to grow. Celtics forward Juan Hernangomez and Lakers guard Kendrick Nunn are the two latest players to enter the protocols, according to their respective teams.

Hernangomez is the fourth Celtic currently in the health and safety protocols, while Nunn is the fifth Laker. By our count, there are now more than 50 NBA players in the protocols, though that number is changing constantly.

Hernangomez looked like a candidate to play an increased role with Jabari Parker, Grant Williams, and Al Horford unavailable in the frontcourt, so Boston’s rotation will be impacted by his absence.

Los Angeles won’t have to make any changes as a result of Nunn’s status — he has yet to play at all this season due to a knee injury.

If Hernangomez and Nunn have tested positive for COVID-19, they’ll remain in the protocols for 10 days or until they register two consecutive negative tests at least 24 hours apart.