The NBA offseason is blazing by, leaving just over two months until the Celtics take to the court. Expectations are high as usual for Boston, especially after the organization has reached the Eastern Conference Finals five times with one NBA Finals appearance since 2016.
The motivation to win now is only elevated when you have oddsmakers like FanDuel Sportsbook give the Celtics the best odds (+470) to win the 2023-24 NBA Championship.
Joe Mazzulla and his players can’t fall short of their goal again, especially in the midst of a 15-year championship drought. The good news is that Boston still has a couple of open roster spots that can be used to flesh out the team, making it as much of a contender as possible.
Here’s a look at three remaining free agents that need to be on the Celtics’ radar ahead of the upcoming season.
Celtics Roster Rumors
1. Blake Griffin
Sometimes the best available free agents are the most familiar ones. In this case, that’s none other than six-time NBA All-Star Blake Griffin.
Make no mistake: this isn’t vintage Griffin. At 34 years old, the former 2009 first-overall pick isn’t going to average a double-double while dropping jaws with highlight-reel dunks on any given night.
Having said that, the Celtics learned last season that Griffin still has tremendous value at this point in his career.
He’s a consummate professional who brought nothing but good vibes to Boston’s locker room. His teammates and coaches had nothing but good things to say about him, highlighting his ability to elevate the team even when he isn’t on the floor.
And even when he did get some playing time, Griffin was far from downright horrible. He averaged 4.1 points and 3.8 rebounds over 41 games (10.8 and 9.8 per 36 minutes, respectively) and even finished with 59.0% true shooting — the best mark of his career.
Adding Griffin on a veteran minimum deal makes a ton of sense. He already knows the players, coaches, and system and has proven that he can occasionally handle a bigger role when needed.
Plus his return would make a lot of Celtics fans happy.
2. Will Barton
It wouldn’t hurt if the Celtics added another shooting guard before the 2023-24 campaign begins. Derrick White and Malcolm Brogdon are more than capable of handling most SG responsibilities, however, another body would help take some pressure off the veterans’ shoulders.
Enter Will Barton.
Barton is an experienced veteran who’s averaged 11.2 points on .430/.355/.787 splits over 679 career games. He’s coming off a down year split between the Washington Wizards and Toronto Raptors, though, having averaged just 6.8 PPG while shooting 37.9% from the field in 56 outings.
With that being said, joining the Celtics could motivate the 32-year-old to turn things around. Playing on a contender means Barton could play some pressure-free basketball with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Kristaps Porzingis handling the majority of the offensive load.
It also isn’t farfetched to assume that Barton could bounce back next season.
Even though he underperformed last year, his three-point percentage was still better than his career average (35.5%). He also averaged 13.7 points and 4.1 assists per 36 mins, proving that he isn’t a total offensive blackhole.
Signing him would hardly guarantee the Celtics a championship, but I do see Barton being effective as a solid bench option throughout the year.
3. Austin Rivers
Another familiar face that the Celtics should target is Austin Rivers.
Although he only spent three days with the franchise in 2015, Rivers isn’t a stranger to Beantown. He’s the son of Doc, who coached the C’s from 2004 to 2013, leading them to their most recent title in 2008.
The idea of Rivers returning to Boston isn’t unfounded. The Boston Globe‘s Gary Washburn reported in July that the Celtics had expressed interest in signing the former Duke Blue Devil.
"“Another free agent looking for work is veteran guard Austin Rivers, whom the Celtics have shown interest. Rivers, who played with the Timberwolves last season, is looking for more than a mentor role.”"
Like Barton, Rivers isn’t going to light up the board at this stage of his career, but that isn’t what he’s needed for. He’s a solid depth shooter who’s shot 34.9% from distance throughout his 11-season career.
He’s also a solid defender when need be, helping the Celtics if Brodgon is hampered by the injury bug again.
At the end of the day, signing Rivers would be a low-risk option that gives the Celtics another trusted veteran to deploy.
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