Boston Celtics: Remaining free agents that can help in 2017

The Boston Celtics roster additions may not be complete just yet. They could look to add a familiar face or two with remaining available free agents.

When the Boston Celtics traded for Kyrie Irving, I thought that the roster moves were complete. Now though, I think that the team could add a veteran or two to help this young team out from the bench.

Looking at the list of available free agents, I was surprised. I expected some of these players to have already been snagged by some NBA team. Luckily for the Celtics, the soft market for them means that they should be able to sign any of these players for the veteran minimum.

So, who is available? In this post, I’ll break down every possible fit for the Celtics, and I’ll let you know just who I think they should sign.

Tony Allen

Tony Allen began his career in Boston, and he may very well end it there as well. He was selected 25th overall by the Celtics in 2004, and he played there through the 2010 season, winning an NBA title in 2008. Allen said he felt overshadowed by Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, and he chose to sign with the Memphis Grizzlies. Allen was a mainstay on the court for the Griz through last season.

Now, Allen still remains as a free agent. Boston could look to sign him to a cheap deal, where his veteran presence would help in the locker room and his defense could help on the court.

Last season, Allen played 27 minutes per game for Memphis and he’d, of course, see a huge drop in on court time in Boston. He may be okay with that though at age 36 as he looks to win another title. In 2016-17 Allen averaged 9.1 points and 5.5 assists per game, but he’s extremely valuable on the defensive end. He posted a 104.5 defensive rating, which placed Allen above players like Steph Curry, Marc Gasol, and Isaiah Thomas.

With the loss of Avery Bradley, a Tony Allen return to Boston could make perfect sense.