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Celtics Notes: Poirier, Hayward, Training Camp, Walker

September 25th, 2019 at 5:41pm CST by Arthur Hill

Vincent Poirier had an awkward first meeting with four of his new Celtics teammates at the World Cup, writes Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. Poirier was part of the French team that gave the U.S. their second loss of the tournament and eliminated them from medal contention.

“After the game I think they were a little bit mad, so I don’t come to them and say, ‘Hey, I’m Vincent,” Poirier said. “But they knew who I was, so that was good.”

Poirier took home a bronze medal from the World Cup and talked extensively to his French teammates about life in the NBA. Poirier has spent the past three seasons in Spain and is ready for the NBA challenge at age 25. Celtics scouts have seen him in person at least 10 times over the past two years and were interested in signing him at the end of last season, but he preferred to wait.

“I told a couple people I think this is the best year for me to go to the NBA because I’ve got 100% confidence in myself,” he said. “I trust my basketball and I think it’s a perfect moment.”

There’s more from Boston:

Gordon Hayward offered a message to fans on his personal blog, promising “the reins are off” for the upcoming season. Hayward was still recovering from a severe ankle injury last summer and said he has benefited from having a full offseason to work on his game. “Last year, I was in my own head a lot, thinking about a lot of different things—hoping that it was going to be okay, hoping that I was going to be right—because I just hadn’t done it. I hadn’t had a chance to put in the reps,” Hayward wrote. “Going into this season, I’ve put in the reps all summer. I know my body is still just as good and feels 100 percent, and certainly, I know the guys on the team a lot better now than I did last year too. All the unknowns are gone. That’s the biggest difference.”
There will be several interesting battles to focus on when training camp opens, writes Jay King of The Athletic. One will occur at the wing position, where Hayward will be competing with Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown to join Kemba Walker and Jayson Tatum in the starting lineup. The other story lines involve who plays center at the end of games and who can earn reserve minutes at power forward and in the backcourt.
Even though Walker had a full summer with his World Cup responsibilities, coach Brad Stevens said the free agent addition will be “ready to roll” when camp begins, relays A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston.

Celtics Sign Bryce Brown

September 25th, 2019 at 3:57pm CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics have officially signed free agent guard Bryce Brown to a contract, according to RealGM’s transactions log. Agent Austin Walton first tweeted word of the deal.

Brown, who played his college ball at Auburn, went undrafted earlier this year after averaging 15.9 PPG on .437/.410/.807 in 40 games as a senior. The sharpshooter caught on with Sacramento for Summer League play, appearing in seven total games for the Kings in the California and Las Vegas Summer Leagues.

It sounds like the plan is for Brown to become an affiliate player for the Maine Red Claws, according to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe, who notes (via Twitter) that the team will have to do some “roster gymnastics” to complete all their reported deals.

Boston now has 19 players under contract, but has also agreed to sign Kaiser Gates and Yante Maten, so at least one player will need to be waived at some point to accommodate those signings.

Celtics Unlikely To Extend Jaylen Brown Before Season

September 25th, 2019 at 1:15pm CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics have until the evening of October 21 – the day before the NBA’s regular season begins – to finalize a rookie scale extension with young swingman Jaylen Brown and keep him off the 2020 restricted free agent market. However, a league source tells Sean Deveney of Heavy.com that the chances of the two sides agreeing to a new deal by next month’s deadline look “pretty slim.”

So far this offseason, three rookie scale extensions have been completed. Jamal Murray and Ben Simmons signed maximum-salary deals projected to be worth at least $168MM over five years. Caris LeVert, meanwhile, signed a three-year, $52MM extension with Brooklyn.

Presumably, if the Celtics and Brown were to reach a deal, it would come in somewhere between those two figures, but that gap is a substantial one. The C’s may look at Brown’s and LeVert’s 2018/19 numbers and argue that Brown’s next contract should be closer to LeVert’s range. Brown’s camp, on the other hand, believes his upside warrants a deal closer to what Murray and Simmons got, writes Deveney.

As Deveney points out, the Celtics haven’t exhibited an eagerness in recent years to lock up rookie scale extension candidates, preferring to let those players reach restricted free agency. None of the team’s first-round picks between 2012-15 – Jared Sullinger, Kelly Olynyk, Marcus Smart, and Terry Rozier – inked extensions prior to free agency.

Even if the Celtics push harder to extend Brown, he has some incentive to wait on a new deal if Boston doesn’t meet his asking price. 2020’s free agent class is expected to be especially weak, so a big 2019/20 could put the 22-year-old in position for a huge payday.

[RELATED: Jaylen Brown’s Stock On The Rise]

“It only takes one team to think he is a max player and then he is a max player,” one NBA executive told Deveney. “You don’t see a lot of max deals in restricted free agency and the Celtics can match, so it’s still something that can work in their favor. But there will be teams with money next summer and making an offer for a guy his age, with his best basketball in front of him, makes sense.”

14 NBA Teams Have Open 20-Man Roster Spots

September 20th, 2019 at 7:08pm CST by Luke Adams

With NBA training camps right around the corner, several more teams filled their 20-man offseason rosters this week. The Hornets did so on Monday, with the Mavericks, Pistons, Raptors, and Hawks following suit over the next few days. Those clubs join a list of 16 total teams that don’t have any openings on their offseason rosters.

Of course, every NBA team with a full 20-man roster is carrying multiple players who have non-guaranteed contracts, so it’s not as if any of them would be hamstrung if they really want to sign another player. But for now at least, it appears as if those 16 teams have their 20-man squads set for when camps get underway at the end of the month.

That leaves 14 clubs that still have open roster spots, as our tracker shows. Here’s a breakdown of those teams, along with my speculation on whether we can expect them to make moves within the next week or two:

19 players under contract:

Golden State Warriors
Philadelphia 76ers
Sacramento Kings
Washington Wizards

None of these teams are carrying 15 players on fully guaranteed contracts, so it’s possible they’ll still add a veteran player who could earn a regular season roster spot. But it’s more likely that they’ll each sign another young player who could end up in the G League, since all four teams have their own NBAGL affiliates. The Wizards, who need to add some point guard depth, are said to be eyeing Chris Chiozza for their final spot.

18 players under contract:

Boston Celtics
Denver Nuggets
Houston Rockets
New Orleans Pelicans
Orlando Magic
Phoenix Suns
Portland Trail Blazers

While it’s not official yet, the Celtics essentially have a full roster. Kaiser Gates and Yante Maten have both reportedly agreed to Exhibit 10 contracts with the Celtics, but have yet to finalize them. Once they’re under contract, Boston’s 20-man roster will be full.

The Magic could also have a full 20-man roster if and when they complete their reported agreement with Isaac Humphries and sign first-round pick Chuma Okeke. The Pelicans, meanwhile, reportedly reached deals with undrafted rookies Jalen Adams, Javon Bess, and Aubrey Dawkins, but there’s only room for two of them on the roster, so unless New Orleans plans to waive a player, the team won’t be signing all three.

The Rockets are signing Thabo Sefolosha and would have room for one more camp invitee, while I’d expect the Suns to invite two more young players to camp with them.

The Nuggets and Trail Blazers don’t have their own G League affiliates, so they may not fill out their rosters unless they just need healthy bodies for camp.

17 players under contract:

Brooklyn Nets
Chicago Bulls
Oklahoma City Thunder

All three of these teams have their own G League affiliates and should fill out their camp rosters with young players who can play for the Long Island Nets, Windy City Bulls, or OKC Blue. Of course, rumors continue to swirl that the Nets are eyeing Carmelo Anthony, but I wouldn’t expect the Bulls or Thunder to be seeking any veteran help.

Eastern Notes: Oladipo, Sixers, Celtics

September 19th, 2019 at 8:33pm CST by ChrisCrouse

There is still no timetable for when Victor Oladipo will return to the court. Oladipo, who ruptured his quad tendon back in January, continues to make progress and the Pacers are encouraged by his rehab.

“He’s not playing live, but he’s moving. He’s in a good position mentally,” head coach Nate McMillan said. “He feels that everything is going well. I like what I see with him. … He’s doing great. He’s not doing any live contact, still in that rehab stage of working with the trainers.

“I just know [opening night on October 23] he probably won’t be there. The time frame, we have no idea of when he will return.”

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

Romeo Langford has been medically cleared to play, Ben Stinar of Amico Hoops hears (Twitter link). The Celtics rookie had thumb surgery in April.
Xavier Silas has joined the Delaware Blue Coats’ coaching staff, Kyle Neubeck of The Philly Voice reports (Twitter link). Silas briefly played for the Sixers back in 2011.
Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports examines the Celtics‘ most intriguing storylines heading into training camp. Gordon Hayward has worked hard all offseason and Forsberg wonders if the veteran wing will look much better than he did last season.

Celtics To Sign Yante Maten To Exhibit 10 Deal

September 17th, 2019 at 10:02pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Celtics will sign Yante Maten, a source tells Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe (Twitter link). The pact will be an Exhibit 10 deal.

Maten played for the Heat on a two-way contract last season, splitting time between Miami and the Sioux Falls Skyforce. The 23-year-old forward averaged an impressive 23.5 PPG and 9.7 RPG in 30 G League contests, earning a spot on the All-NBAGL Second Team. Hoever, he was waived by the Heat in July.

The Celtics already have filled both of their two-way contract slots (Tremont Waters, Max Strus). Once Boston officially signs Maten and finalizes its reported deal with Kaiser Gates, the team’s training camp roster will feature 20 players, which is the maximum allowed.

Eastern Notes: Smart, Winslow, Heat, Jordan

September 15th, 2019 at 7:10pm CST by JD Shaw

As part of his new autobiography, “I’ll Show You”, former NBA Most Valuable Player Derrick Rose praised Celtics guard Marcus Smart, lauding the tenacity, aggression and intensity he brings to the court every night with Boston.

Smart, who’s coming off a stint with Team USA in the FIBA World Cup, is expected to be one of the Celtics’ key leaders on the defensive end this season.

“I always said I’m a hooper, and hoopers can do anything, I feel,” Rose wrote in the autobiography, according to Taylor Snow of Celtics.com. “It don’t matter. Like, Marcus Smart is a hooper. Analytics, you would say no way you want him. But when you go out there and watch the game, you say, ‘Of course I want him on my team.’ Makes shots, period. That’s a guy I love playing with.”

Smart is coming off a season where he averaged 8.9 points, four assists and 1.8 steals in 27.5 minutes per game, shooting a career-high 42% from the floor and 36% from 3-point range in 80 contests. His scrappy play has helped him earn the respects of fellow players around the league, with the 25-year-old set to enter his sixth NBA season this fall.

There’s more out of the Eastern Conference tonight:

Justise Winslow is eager to play point guard for the Heat this season, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel writes. “I’m looking forward to playing point guard this season,” Winslow said. “We’ll see how that works out, but that’s my plan, is to play point guard and be the point guard for this team.” Head coach Erik Spoelstra will be tasked with choosing between Winslow or Goran Dragic as starting point guard entering the campaign.
With Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo likely locked in as starters for the 2019/20 season, the Heat must decide the other three-fifths of the starting group during training camp, Winderman writes in a separate piece for the Sun Sentinel. Among the options coach Spoelstra could consider: Dragic, Winslow, Dion Waiters, Kelly Olynyk and James Johnson.
Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer examines why Michael Jordan decided to sell part of the Hornets franchise at this stage of his life. Charlotte is expected to be one of the NBA’s worst teams this season, having lost cornerstone piece Kemba Walker in free agency and failing to replace his talents in the short term.

Atlantic Notes: Gasol, Poirier, Ntilikina, Nets

September 15th, 2019 at 5:33pm CST by JD Shaw

Veteran NBA center Marc Gasol added to his already impressive year by helping lead Spain to a gold medal in the FIBA World Cup today, finishing with 14 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists in 25 minutes of work against Argentina.

Gasol, who also helped Toronto win the NBA championship in June, joined Lamar Odom as the only players in league history to win both a title and gold medal in the same calendar year.

“It reminded me a lot of the Larry O’Brien trophy,” Gasol said when asked about winning the Naismith Trophy, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic. The Naismith Trophy is awarded to the winner of the World Cup. “And hey, you can drink out of it!

“When I saw it, it was pretty shiny as well. Completely different tournament, completely different setup, but the feeling of fulfillment was there, because you invested so much, you risked a lot and you put everything on the line for your guys.”

This year’s World Cup could be the last for Gasol, who turns 35 in January and is set to enter his 12th NBA season this fall. The defensive-minded center has been on top of the basketball world in 2019, something he surely won’t forget when he looks back on his career.

“It feels like I haven’t stopped playing basketball,” Gasol said. “It’s been an amazing year for me and I’m just happy.”

There’s more from the Atlantic Division tonight:

Vincent Poirier was a good pick-up for the Celtics this offseason, according to French teammates Nicolas Batum and Evan Fournier. Poirier signed a two-year deal to join the franchise back in July. “It’s clear that he’s a center that can block shots and control the paint,” Fournier said, per John Schuhmann of NBA.com. (Twitter links). “He’s a terrific roller, can really catch a lob, and obviously has a lot of energy. It’s a good pick-up for Boston, for sure.”
Knicks guard Frank Ntilikina is healthy again and motivated for the upcoming season, tweets Marc Stein of the New York Times. Ntilikina, according to Stein, also mentioned how the entire group is “very hungry” for next season. New York has several new players on its roster, including the likes of Julius Randle, Bobby Portis, Elfrid Payton, RJ Barrett and others.
The Nets plan to give away 10,000 Kyrie Irving jerseys when the team hosts the Knicks on October 25, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link). The Knicks were one of several teams interested in signing Irving in July, though Irving was said to have his sights set on joining the Nets well before the start of free agency.

Tacko Fall Suffers Mild Knee Sprain

September 13th, 2019 at 7:22pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Celtics rookie center Tacko Fall suffered a mild knee sprain in a collision going up for a block during a workout, Jared Weiss of The Athletic tweets. He’s expected to be sidelined for only a week, Weiss adds. Fall, an undrafted 7’6” center, was signed to an Exhibit 10 contract in July.

Team USA Experience Valuable For Celtics Despite Outcome

September 13th, 2019 at 12:11pm CST by Luke Adams

While Team USA has had a disappointing run in the 2019 FIBA World Cup, that doesn’t diminish the fact that four Celtics players – Kemba Walker, Marcus Smart, Jayson Tatum, and Jaylen Brown – got valuable chemistry-building reps in China, writes Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston. The experience they gained together with Team USA will benefit them and the Celtics more than any medal would have, Forsberg opines.
The Celtics‘ G League affiliate – the Maine Red Claws – has acquired the returning rights to former Xavier forward Kaiser Gates in exchange for a first-round draft pick, per a press release. Gates agreed to a training camp contract with Boston last week, so today’s move signals that the club plans to eventually have him report to Maine.