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Celtics Waive Anton Watson

March 2nd, 2025 at 4:32pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Celtics have waived two-way player Anton Watson, the team’s PR department tweets.

Watson, a rookie forward selected with the No. 54 pick in last year’s draft, signed his two-way contract in August. He has yet to make his NBA regular season debut.

Watson has appeared in a total of 37 games (34 starts) for the NBA G League’s Maine Celtics, including his Tip-Off Tournament and regular season appearances. He’s averaging 12.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 29.9 minutes per game.

Watson, 24, played five seasons at Gonzaga and averaged career highs of 14.5 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists last season.

This opens the door for the Celtics to add another two-way player prior to the March 4 signing deadline. Drew Peterson and JD Davison hold the other two-way slots. Boston also has an open spot on its standard 15-man roster.

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Celtics Notes: Brown, Tatum, Hauser, Porzingis, Holiday

March 1st, 2025 at 9:52pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum combined for 83 points on 61 shots in Friday’s loss to Cleveland, but Brown thought they should have shot even more considering the circumstances, writes Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. The Celtics were missing Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday due to injuries, limiting their options on offense. Still, the Cavaliers rarely threw double teams at Brown or Tatum.

“They don’t want to help,” Brown said. “They were trying to take away our spacing and our shooting, so they were just staying home on us instead of trying to make us make the reads and pass. So that means we’ve got to dominate every time down the floor. I feel like I let them off the hook maybe a few times where I could have used some shot fakes, some possessions I definitely would have back. But for the most part, we were aggressive, and that was key for us.

“But different games, we’ll see different game plans each and every night. Sometimes they blitz, sometimes they (double team), sometimes they do different things. When I had the ball or when Jayson had the ball tonight, they for the most part stayed home. We’ve got to make them pay.”

Tatum’s 37 shots were five more than his previous high for a regulation game. Himmelsbach speculates that so much shooting may have tired out Tatum, who missed all four of his three-point attempts in the second half.

There’s more from Boston:

  • The Cavs targeted Sam Hauser on defense, frequently forcing him to try to stay in front of Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland, Himmelsbach adds. Cleveland was 12-of-26 during the game with Hauser as the primary defender, and coach Joe Mazzulla was happy with how he responded to the challenge. “(Hauser) has been a great defender in the league for the last two or three years and earned a reputation for that,” Mazzulla said, “and so the confidence comes from having him in the game, being able to defend.”
  • Porzingis and Holiday are both listed as doubtful for Sunday afternoon’s game against Denver, according to Brian Robb of MassLive. Porzingis is sidelined with a non-COVID illness, while Holiday is dealing with a mallet finger injury on his right hand that he suffered in Wednesday’s game. Both players are considered day-to-day. Brown, who sat out Wednesday due to thigh soreness, is questionable due to pain in his right knee. Neemias Queta, Xavier Tillman and Jordan Walsh all practiced today with the Maine Celtics in anticipation of playing on Sunday, Robb adds.
  • One of the few disappointments for the Celtics in the past two years is the failure of their developmental prospects to earn rotation minutes, Robb states in a mailbag column. He notes that as the roster gets more expensive, Walsh, Drew Peterson, Baylor Scheierman and JD Davison will eventually have to be replaced if they can’t make greater contributions.
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NBA Announces Player Pool For 2025 Rising Stars Event

January 28th, 2025 at 2:25pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has officially revealed the 10 rookies, 11 sophomores, and seven G League players who have been selected to take part in the 2025 Rising Stars event at All-Star weekend in San Francisco next month.

The following players made the cut, as voted on by NBA assistant coaches (rookies and sophomores) and selected by the league office (G Leaguers):

Rookies

Sophomores

G League Players

* Note: Players marked with asterisks are on standard or two-way contracts with NBA teams.

As usual, the Rising Stars event will consist of four teams and three games. The seven G League players will comprise one team, while the other 21 players will be drafted to three squads on February 4.

The four teams will be split into two first-round matchups and the winners of those two games will face one another for the Rising Stars championship. The two semifinals will be played to a target score of 40 points, while the final will be played to a target score of 25 points.

All three contests will take place on Friday, February 14 as part of All-Star weekend’s opening night. The winning team will compete on Sunday in a similar four-team tournament, with the three other rosters made up of NBA All-Stars.

A handful of injury replacements will be necessary, with McCain, Lively, and Brandon Miller among the players who won’t be available to suit up. Additionally, since players selected as All-Stars won’t play in the Rising Stars event, Wembanyama will almost certainly need to be replaced.

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Celtics Notes: Tatum, Scrubb, Walker, Davison

October 12th, 2024 at 7:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jayson Tatum was reluctant to go into specifics, but he admits he altered his shooting motion after struggling to make three-pointers during last season’s playoffs and the Summer Olympics, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. The Celtics star talked about “staying forward, keeping my shoulders forward” to get more power, but didn’t offer any further explanation. The changes seemed to work as he went 6-of-14 from beyond the arc in Boston’s preseason contests against Denver in Abu Dhabi.

“It was a couple of things,” Tatum responded when asked about his adjustments. “But I would just say the shot felt good. It felt good to be back on the court playing basketball again, being with the guys. We’ve still got a long road ahead but we had a good week out there and a good two preseason games.”

Tatum added that he’s very happy with his first seven NBA seasons, which have included five All-Star appearances, four All-NBA selections, an Eastern Conference Finals MVP, an All-Star MVP and a championship last season. He looked back on his training camp debut after the Celtics selected him with the third pick in the 2017 draft.

“Really just how different I am, how fast time has run by,” he said. “It makes me cherish these moments. I remember my first training camp in Rhode Island like it was yesterday. Now it’s Year 8. It’s made me reflect on all the things I’ve been able to accomplish since I’ve been with the team and in the NBA, made me kind of proud of myself, happy and hoping that these next eight years go by a little slower.”

There’s more from Boston:

  • Jay Scrubb was thrilled to return to the Celtics this week after missing all of last season with a torn ACL, Washburn adds. The 24-year-old guard was waived shortly after suffering the injury last October, but he remained in close contact with the team and was able to get another chance. With all three two-way slots already filled, Scrubb is likely to start the season with Boston’s G League affiliate in Maine. “It’s been a battle, I had a tough injury, had to bounce back but just work hard to get back to where I was at,” he said. “I pretty much knew this is where I wanted to be at. They took good care of me through my rehab process, so I felt like this would be the best place for me to come back.”
  • Lonnie Walker‘s decision to try to earn a roster spot in Boston on an Exhibit 10 contract was influenced by his longtime Celtics fandom and his connections with Derrick White and Jrue Holiday, according to Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston. Walker and White were teammates in San Antonio, and he spent part of the offseason training with Holiday. “We just ended up working out together in the summer, kind of put in that grind, working. If it’s in the weight room or if it’s on the court,” Holiday said. “Just knowing the work ethic. He has the ability to do a lot of things. He’s very athletic and can score. I think being on a team like this, we can utilize his skill. I mean, who wouldn’t want to play here? … Very positive, very positive person. You see him. He’s always smiling. A very, very grateful dude. So really, really glad to have him here.”
  • Payton Pritchard can see improvement from JD Davison, who is entering his third straight season on a two-way contract, per Souichi Terada of MassLive. “Every year, as long as he keeps making a step, he’ll have a very successful career,” Pritchard said. “He has a really good head on his shoulders too, so I expect big things from him in the future.”
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Celtics Notes: Tillman, Bench, Second Apron, White

August 14th, 2024 at 7:31pm CST by Arthur Hill

Xavier Tillman not only won his first championship ring with the Celtics last season, he got to play an important role because Kristaps Porzingis missed most of the playoffs with an injury. Appearing on X Spaces, Tillman recalled some of his favorite memories from the title run, including a three-pointer in Game 3 of the NBA Finals that helped Boston pull away, relays Souichi Terada of MassLive.

“I made it and I looked right at the bench because I think Dereck Lively was right behind me when I shot it and he was like, ‘(expletive) no,’” Tillman said. “So when I hit it, I looked right at him and smiled and was like, ‘Yep.’ That was a pretty cool moment because the art and the love and the passion of basketball is all about being competitive. So for me to be able to back up how I was playing and feeling and talking trash, that was an amazing feeling.”

Tillman, who was acquired from Memphis at the trade deadline, re-signed with the Celtics shortly after the start of free agency. He figures to be in the mix for heavy minutes early in the season with Porzingis still sidelined after surgery and Al Horford typically not playing in back-to-back games.

There’s more on the Celtics:

  • Tillman is part of a bench unit that may be asked to contribute more this season, Jared Weiss of The Athletic states in a mailbag column. Tillman and Luke Kornet will handle the majority of the center minutes when Horford is resting, and Weiss suggests that Tillman can claim a regular rotation role with a strong start to the season. He notes that Tillman had to adjust after being traded in February and should benefit from having a full offseason in Boston. Weiss also sees possible expanded roles for Jaden Springer and JD Davison, while first-round pick Baylor Scheierman should get an opportunity to play because of his outside shooting.
  • In the same piece, Weiss cites sources who say Celtics ownership hopes to keep the core of the roster together for several years, even though it will mean large tax bills and second apron restrictions. He points to the four-year extension for Jrue Holiday as evidence that the organization views its championship window lasting well beyond the upcoming season.
  • Derrick White was a late addition to the U.S. Olympic team, but he said it was easy to adapt because he was asked to do virtually everything he does with the Celtics, per Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. “I didn’t know what my role was going to be,” White said. “I was just going to do what I do, compete at a high level and just try to help us any way we can.”
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Celtics Notes: Davison, Springer, Scheierman, Begarin

July 14th, 2024 at 8:59am CST by Arthur Hill

A desire to remain with the Celtics prompted JD Davison to accept another two-way contract for his third NBA season, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Davison talked about his decision after posting 19 points, six assists and three rebounds in Boston’s first Summer League game on Saturday.

“Of course I had to weigh my options, see how it played out,” he said. “Hearing (president basketball operations) Brad (Stevens) saying he wanted me back and I just talked to my agent and said I wanted to go back to Boston. I just won a championship there and they have built me there for the last two or three years and it wasn’t a bad idea to come back.”

Davison has only played 20 total NBA games since being selected with the 53rd pick in the 2022 draft, but he has made an impact in the G League. He earned All-Star honors by averaging 20.8 points, 8.6 assists and 5.4 rebounds in 28 games last season, but he only shot 26.6% from three-point range, which he’s trying to improve this summer.

“Of course I want to come here and ball out and do my thing,” Davison said. “But I want to come here and work on the things I need to work on, talking more, being a leader on the court. We’ve got a good group of guys and they call me one of the vets and I’m only 21 but it feels good being around these guys. It’s a fun thing to hear yourself being called a vet.”

There’s more on the Celtics:

  • Also fighting for playing time in Boston’s backcourt is Jaden Springer, who was acquired from Philadelphia at the trade deadline, notes Souichi Terada of MassLive. The combo guard saw limited playing time in 17 games after the deal, so he’s hoping to show the team what he can do in Las Vegas. He had 23 points without any turnovers on Saturday, and Terada states that teammates have been raving about Springer’s impact on defense. “They just wanted to see my play,” Springer said in explaining his decision to return to Summer League. “Limited minutes throughout the season. We had a great team. Just coming in here, it’s a great chance to play, get run, get reps. I feel like that’s the biggest thing: They just wanted me to come out here and hoop.”
  • First-round pick Baylor Scheierman had an impressive debut with 13 points, five rebounds and six assists, Terada adds in a separate story. He struggled with his shot at first, but felt more comfortable as the game wore on. “It feels pretty good out there — I like getting my teammates involved,” Scheierman said. “I’ve said it multiple times, but I’d rather get an assist than score a bucket, especially if it’s like a cool pass. I’m always looking for my teammates and trying to get them open shots.”
  • French guard Juhann Begarin, whom the Celtics selected with the 45th pick in the 2021 draft, has a new three-year contract with AS Monaco, per Eurohoops. The story doesn’t specify whether Begarin’s contract includes NBA outs if he gets an offer to join the Celtics.
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Celtics Re-Sign JD Davison To Two-Way Contract

July 8th, 2024 at 3:22pm CST by Luke Adams

JD Davison is back under contract in Boston, according to the Celtics, who announced (via Twitter) they’ve signed the free agent guard to another two-way deal.

Davison, who was the 53rd overall pick out of Alabama in 2022, has spent his first two professional seasons on two-way contracts with the Celtics, logging just 105 total minutes in 20 games at the NBA level across those two years.

While Davison hasn’t been able to crack the rotation on a veteran NBA roster, the 21-year-old has been a high-level performer for the Maine Celtics in the G League. He earned All-NBAGL Third Team honors this past season after averaging 21.5 points, 8.5 assists, and 5.1 rebounds in 34.3 minutes per game across 44 total Showcase Cup and regular season contests.

The Celtics didn’t issue Davison a qualifying offer at the end of June because he was ineligible for another two-way QO (his offer would’ve been a one-year, partially guaranteed standard contract). However, it appears bringing him back on a third two-way contract was always the plan. Davison will play for Boston’s Summer League team this month in Las Vegas.

The C’s now have one two-way slot available, with Drew Peterson filling the other.

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Atlantic Notes: Brissett, Springer, Walsh, Gordon, Knicks Rotation

July 4th, 2024 at 10:55am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Celtics have one remaining roster spot after agreeing to re-sign Luke Kornet and Xavier Tillman. The team has interest in bringing back wing Oshae Brissett, who declined his $2.5MM player option. However, Brissett is still seeking out another team that can offer more playing time, Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe reports.

The Celtics still have the option to bring back Brissett on a veteran’s minimum deal or with Non-Bird rights.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

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QO Decisions: Jazz, Okeke, Pacers, Krejci, Celtics, More

June 29th, 2024 at 8:09pm CST by Luke Adams

The Jazz declined to issue qualifying offers to guard Kira Lewis or center Micah Potter ahead of Saturday’s deadline, reports Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter links). As a result, both players will be unrestricted free agents this summer rather than restricted.

Lewis, the 13th overall pick in the 2020 draft, didn’t establish himself as a rotation player during three-and-a-half seasons in New Orleans. He was traded from the Pelicans to the Pacers to the Raptors to the Jazz during the 2023/24 season, and played a limited role in Utah after arriving from Toronto as a salary-matching piece in the deal involving Kelly Olynyk and Ochai Agbaji. His qualifying offer would have been worth $7.74MM, so it comes as no surprise that it wasn’t tendered.

Potter also played sparingly for the Jazz last season while on a two-way contract, though he has shown some promise in the G League and is part of the U.S. Select Team that will scrimmage with Team USA ahead of the Olympics. His qualifying offer would’ve been for a partially guaranteed minimum-salary deal. According to Jones, a return to Utah is possible, though Potter may receive interest from other teams.

The only Jazz player eligible for restricted free agency who received a qualifying offer is guard Johnny Juzang, Jones reports (Twitter link). Since he has finished each of the past two seasons on a two-way contract with Utah, Juzang wasn’t eligible for another two-way qualifying offer, so his QO is for a partially guaranteed one-year minimum deal.

Here are more qualifying offer updates from around the NBA:

  • Former Magic first-round pick Chuma Okeke didn’t receive a qualifying offer that would’ve been worth about $7.4MM and will become an unrestricted free agent, per Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. Okeke, 25, has played good defense since entering the league in 2020, but hasn’t contributed much offensively, averaging 6.3 points per game on .383/.318/.789 shooting in 189 career contests (20.3 MPG).
  • The Pacers have tendered qualifying offers to Obi Toppin ($7.74MM), Oscar Tshiebwe (two-way), and Quenton Jackson (two-way), according to a pair of stories from Tony East of SI.com. All three players will now be restricted free agents.
  • The Hawks have issued a two-way qualifying offer to guard Vit Krejci, making him a restricted free agent, a league source tells Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link). Krejci is a candidate to negotiate a standard contract with Atlanta after finishing the 2023/24 season as a rotation player. He could also sign an offer sheet with another team, but the Hawks would have the right to match it.
  • After declining Neemias Queta‘s team option for 2023/24, the Celtics tendered him a qualifying offer, according to Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link). Two-way player Drew Peterson also got a qualifying offer from Boston, but JD Davison didn’t, Smith adds. Queta’s QO will be worth approximately $2.37MM, while Peterson’s will be for another two-way contract.
  • The following players also received two-way qualifying offers, according to Smith: Lakers big man Colin Castleton (Twitter link), Bulls forward Adama Sanogo (Twitter link), Spurs wing David Duke (Twitter link), and former Warriors guard Nico Mannion (Twitter link), whose RFA rights continue to held by Golden State as he continues his career overseas. San Antonio issued a $2.7MM qualifying offer to big man Sandro Mamukelashvili too, making him a restricted free agent, tweets Smith.
  • The Clippers opted not to extend qualifying offers to two-way players Xavier Moon and Moussa Diabate, according to Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter links). The door isn’t closed on a new deal for either player, but it sounds like they’ll explore their options as unrestricted free agents, per Murray. The qualifying offers for Moon and Diabate would have been partially guaranteed minimum-salary offers, since they were ineligible for another two-way QO.
  • Neither Nate Hinton nor Jermaine Samuels received a two-way qualifying offer from the Rockets, tweets Kelly Iko of The Athletic. Both players will be unrestricted free agents.
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Celtics Notes: Porzingis, Holiday, Davison, Peterson, White

June 11th, 2024 at 7:14pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Kristaps Porzingis‘ unusual leg injury is something the Celtics big man can play through but he’ll eventually need surgery, a medical expert told Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe (Twitter link).

Porzingis is listed as questionable to play in Game 3 of the Finals due to a “torn medial retinaculum allowing dislocation of the posterior tibialis tendon in his left leg.”

Dr. Daniel Kharrazi, an orthopedic surgeon at Cedars-Sinai in Boston and former Lakers consultant, told Washburn he’s only seen a injury like Porzingis’ once in 25 years.

“A lot of times the ankle and the tendon can be taped to allow play,” Khazzari said. “There are even some braces that they can use that helps protect the tendon. I don’t think it’s something that he’s gonna make worse by just playing, especially if he’s just running up and down the court and even some lateral movements may be OK. This can be a repetitive issue if he has awkward landings or with his foot in certain positions that causes subluxation of the tendon. I don’t think it’s a season-ending injury.”

We have more on the Celtics:

  • The addition of Jrue Holiday has Boston two wins away from a championship. Holiday has provided stability to the starting unit and he can put up big numbers when needed, as his 26-point, 11-rebound effort in Game 2 exhibits, Kyle Hightower of the Associated Press writes. “It’s been great and the journey’s been awesome, but at the end of the day, the job is not done,” he said.
  • Two-way contract players JD Davison and Drew Peterson have been in the stands during the Finals because they’re ineligible to suit up and there’s no room on the Celtics’ bench. They’re cheering the home team and jeering the opponent just as much as the fans, according to Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe. “It’s definitely like being a fan and being on the team at the same time,” Davison said. “When everybody’s standing up and cheering, I’m one of the ones standing and cheering with them. We just wanted to be a part of everything and support the guys, honestly, so we’ll take whatever seats we can get.”
  • Derrick White was traded from the Spurs to the Celtics during the 2021/22 season but he still hears Gregg Popovich’s voice when he’s playing, he told Mike Finger of the San Antonio Express-News. “The simple play always is the right play. That’s something I took from (Popovich), and it’s been great for my career,” White said.
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