Boston Celtics Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Celtics Sign Garrison Mathews

September 24th, 2021 at 8:14am CST by Arthur Hill

SEPTEMBER 27: Mathews has officially signed with the Celtics, according to RealGM’s transactions log.

SEPTEMBER 24: Free agent guard Garrison Mathews will sign with the Celtics ahead of training camp, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. It will be a one-year, non-guaranteed contract, according to Charania’s sources.

Mathews, 24, spent his first two seasons as a two-way player with the Wizards after going undrafted out of Lipscomb in 2019. A shooting specialist, he hit 38.4% from three-point range in 64 games last season while averaging 5.5 points and 1.4 rebounds in 16.2 minutes per night.

The move will bring Boston’s roster up to the camp limit of 20, assuming they complete recently-reported deals with Ryan Arcidiacono and Theo Pinson. The club reached an agreement with Luke Kornet as well earlier this month, but it remains to be seen if or when that deal will be finalized.

The Celtics also have a two-way slot open.

Celtics Sign Theo Pinson To Camp Deal

September 23rd, 2021 at 10:00pm CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 23: The signing is official, per RealGM’s transactions log.

SEPTEMBER 22: Free agent wing Theo Pinson will sign with the Celtics for training camp, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

Pinson, who will turn 26 in November, appeared in 31 games for the Nets from 2018-20, then spent last season on a two-way contract with the Knicks. He appeared in 17 games for New York, but only played a total of 34 minutes in those games, putting up just two points and five rebounds on 1-of-9 shooting (0-for-8 on threes).

While his NBA numbers have been underwhelming, Pinson has played well at the G League level, averaging 19.1 PPG, 5.9 RPG, and 5.5 APG on .441/.382/.841 shooting in 44 games (34.0 MPG) across two seasons for the Long Island Nets.

Pinson will join Juwan Morgan and Luke Kornet as players attending Boston’s training camp without any guaranteed salary. Earning a spot on the 15-man roster will be an uphill battle, since the Celtics have 14 players on guaranteed contracts, plus Jabari Parker on a partial guarantee. However, the club does have one open two-way slot, so Pinson could be a candidate to fill it.

Ryan Arcidiacono Signs Camp Deal With Celtics

September 23rd, 2021 at 6:09pm CST by Dana Gauruder

SEPTEMBER 27: Arcidiacono’s deal with the Celtics is now official, per RealGM’s transactions log.

SEPTEMBER 23: Ryan Arcidiacono has agreed to a training camp deal with the Celtics, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

Arcidiacono, 27, has spent the last four seasons with the Bulls, averaging 4.8 PPG, 2.2 APG, and 2.0 RPG with a .431/.373/.807 shooting line across 207 total games (17.6 MPG). He signed a two-way deal with the team in 2017, a one-year contract in 2018, and a three-year pact in 2019.

Chicago turned down Arcidiacono’s third-year team option in July, making him an unrestricted free agent. The free agent guard recently worked out for the Warriors.

The addition of Arcidiacono will give Boston a full 20-man camp roster. With 14 players on fully guaranteed deals, Arcidiacono has a shot to make the final roster with an impressive camp showing. The club traded guards Kris Dunn and Carsen Edwards to Memphis this month.

Brown Still Dealing With Wrist Soreness

September 23rd, 2021 at 5:16pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Celtics forward Jaylen Brown admits he’s still dealing with soreness in his wrist, he told Marc Spears of The Undefeated. Brown is recovering from a torn ligament in his left wrist, which required surgery in May and sidelined him for the postseason. “My wrist has been healing. Some days it’s better than others,” he said. “I got to continue to push and work, but I’m excited to be there for camp.”

Free Agent Clark Worked Out For Celtics

September 22nd, 2021 at 7:34pm CST by Dana Gauruder

With Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Robert Williams and Marcus Smart seemingly locked into starting spots for the Celtics, Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston explores the possibilities for the fifth starter. The most likely candidates are Aaron Nesmith, Josh Richardson, Al Horford and Dennis Schröder — Forsberg takes a closer look at what each player could bring to the starting unit.

Free agent Gary Clark worked out for the Celtics, Emiliano Carchia of Sportando tweets. Clark, a 6’6” forward, played 39 games in the league last season, including 35 with the Magic. He also played two games apiece for Denver and Philadelphia.

How Horford's Return Could Impact Celtics' Lineups

September 20th, 2021 at 12:08pm CST by Luke Adams

Al Horford‘s return to the Celtics means the team will be able to comfortably run out lineups featuring two big men again. Jared Weiss of The Athletic explains why that’s a good thing for Boston.

Atlantic Notes: Nesmith, Barnes, Knox, Vildoza

September 18th, 2021 at 7:48pm CST by Arthur Hill

Aaron Nesmith‘s rookie season saw him go from the end of the Celtics‘ bench to a spot in their playoff rotation and he’s hoping to make a greater impact in his second year, writes Brian Robb of MassLive. The 14th pick in the 2020 draft was dealing with a foot injury when last season started, and he had to adjust to the NBA during a short offseason with no Summer League. The swingman eventually settled into a consistent role and shot 50% from the field and 42% from three-point range over the final two months of the season.

“It was definitely a quick turnaround from the moment I got drafted,” Nesmith said. “The season started and I didn’t get a lot of preparation or many chances to get my feet wet. Coming off the injury and not being able to play 5-on-5 for almost a year, that definitely was a whirlwind. It also taught me a lot of good lessons as well. It taught me how to adjust faster and adapt to a new system, a new level of play very quickly so if there was ever a point in time where I have to adapt very quickly again, I already know how to do it and I have a layout to do it as well.”

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Rookie forward Scottie Barnes introduced himself to Raptors fans with a first-hand piece on The Players Tribune. The No. 4 overall pick out of Florida State states that he was quickly embraced by the Toronto fanbase and gained about 80-100K new followers on social media within 24 hours of being drafted. He shares experiences from Summer League and draft night and says there was one message he wanted to deliver in his first post-draft meeting with the Raptors’ front office. “I’m ready to work,” he wrote. “Not ease into it, not half-do things or make excuses because I’m one of the new guys. I’m ready to work. I’m ready to grind. I’m ready to WIN. And I could tell that the feeling was definitely mutual.”
Knicks forward Kevin Knox is about to enter the most important season of his NBA career, observes David Vertsberger of Yahoo Sports. Knox is now the longest-tenured player on New York’s roster, but unless he finds a way to become a contributor, this could be his last season with the team.
Luca Vildoza returned to the Knicks this week to let team doctors examine his injured right foot before the start of training camp, per Alder Almo of Empire Sports Media. The injury limited Vildoza to two games during Summer League, and he was prescribed rest and treatment rather than surgery. He also played for Argentina during the Summer Olympics.

Celtics Work Out Brandon Goodwin

September 18th, 2021 at 10:33am CST by Dana Gauruder

Former Hawks guard Brandon Goodwin worked out for the Celtics this week, Chris Grenham of Forbes Sports tweets. There’s mutual interest in a training camp invite, though no contract has been signed. Goodwin saw action in 47 games with Atlanta last year, averaging 4.9 PPG and 2.0 APG.

Williams' Incentives Tied To Games Played, Team Success, Defense

September 17th, 2021 at 8:10pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Dennis Schroder cost himself serious money but passing on a four-year, $84MM extension offer from the Lakers but he’s taking a lighthearted approach to that mistake, Brianna Williams of ESPN relays. In an Instagram post, the Celtics guard — who settled for a one-year, $5.9MM contract — said he “fumbled the bag” and invited fans to insert their best joke about his bad free agent gamble.
Details on Robert Williams‘ extension with the Celtics were reported late last month and now Keith Smith provides more specifics on the incentives in the four-year deal (Twitter link). Williams will make $446,429 if he plays 69 games; an additional $223,215 if the team reaches the conference semifinals along with meeting the games criteria; $223,214 more if the Celtics make the Eastern Conference finals; and $446,429 if he’s named to the league’s All-Defense First Team, or $223,215 if he’s named to the All-Defense Second Team. Those incentives will increase by 8% per year after the deal goes into effect in 2022/23.

Grizzlies Trade Hernangomez To Celtics For Dunn, Edwards, Pick Swap

September 15th, 2021 at 10:39am CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 15: The trade is now complete, according to press releases from the Grizzlies and Celtics.

The Grizzlies, who completed another trade since agreeing to this one, officially waived Marc Gasol in order to create room on the roster to finalize this deal.

SEPTEMBER 3: The Grizzlies and Celtics have agreed to a trade that will send forward Juan Hernangomez to Boston, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). Sources tell Wojnarowski that the deal will send Kris Dunn, Carsen Edwards, and a 2026 second-round pick swap to Memphis.

The trade can’t be completed until September 15, when the aggregation restriction on Dunn lifts, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Dunn was traded from Atlanta to Boston on August 7.

By trading two players for one, the Celtics will clear a minor roster crunch. The team had been carrying 16 players, including 15 on fully guaranteed deals. This move will give the team the flexibility to keep Jabari Parker on its regular-season roster or leave its 15th spot open to start the season. Dunn, acquired last month, wasn’t in the team’s plans, and Edwards hadn’t evolved into a reliable rotation player since being selected 33rd overall in the 2019 draft.

Hernangomez, meanwhile, will give Boston another frontcourt option. The 25-year-old stretch four had a mediocre year in 2020/21, averaging 7.2 PPG and 3.9 RPG on .435/.327/.619 shooting in 52 games (17.3 MPG). However, he has flashed some potential in the past, making 35.9% of his career three-pointers prior to last season.

As for the Grizzlies, they appeared to be moving closer to setting a 15-man regular season roster last week when they bought out Rajon Rondo, but this deal has them heading in the other direction once again. When it’s complete, Memphis will have a full 20-man roster, with 18 players on fully guaranteed standard contracts.

While it’s possible Dunn or Edwards is in the Grizzlies’ plans for 2021/22, that’s probably not a safe assumption, given the way Memphis has been moving on from recently-acquired players in recent weeks (Hernangomez, Rondo, and Patrick Beverley). As John Hollinger of The Athletic tweets, this trade saves Memphis a tiny bit of money and earns the team a 2026 second-round pick swap — those small gains may have been all the motivation the Grizzlies needed to pull the trigger.

The Grizzlies have traded away their own 2026 second-round pick, but control the rights to either Indiana’s or Miami’s pick (whichever is most favorable). The swap with Boston will likely allow them to trade that pick for the Celtics’ 2026 second-rounder if they so choose.

Hernangomez, Dunn, and Edwards are essentially all on expiring contracts. Hernangomez has a non-guaranteed salary for 2022/23, Edwards has a team option, and Dunn will be an unrestricted free agent.

No team has completed more trades this offseason than the Grizzlies — this will be their sixth deal since the regular season ended. It will be the Celtics’ fifth offseason trade.