The Boston Celtics have been the busiest team this offseason and continues to make moves entering the dog days of summer. Last week, the team traded Georges Niang and two future second-round picks for R.J. Luis Jr. and an $8 million trade exception, and signed center Chris Boucher.
Since trading away Jrue Holiday for Anfernee Simons, the Celtics are still expected to trade Simons after actively seeking trades for him last month. They’ve yet to hold a press conference welcoming Simons, which is an indicator that they intend to trade him.
The Celtics' focus this offseason has been on cutting costs since Jayson Tatum suffered a torn Achilles tendon. So far, they’ve managed to get out of the second apron and are just $4 million over the first apron.
They should continue cutting costs by releasing big man Xavier Tillman Sr., as it would move the Celtics closer to getting out of the first apron.
Celtics Should Cut Xavier Tillman to Open Up a Roster Spot
When the Celtics traded for Tillman during their championship run, he was projected to be a depth piece behind Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford. But when Porzingis went down again in the NBA Finals, Tillman stepped up in Game 3, hitting a big three to help put the Celtics up 3-0.
Once he re-signed last summer, he was expected to play more minutes and contribute in a smaller role similar to Horford. However, Tillman wasn’t able to crack the rotation after averaging 14.8 minutes in October, only making appearances in blowout wins or losses.
Tillman finished the season averaging 1 point, 1.3 rebounds, .2 assists, shooting 24.5% from the field in 33 games. Although he’s not the best shooter, Tillman was supposed to be another big man who could shoot, but he shot a poor 15.6% from three last season.
Even though the Celtics lost three of their bigs, Neemias Queta is still on the team, and they signed Luka Garza and Chris Boucher, who are both better options than Tillman. Unless Tillman shows improvement in his play, he shouldn’t see much playing time again this year, which is why the Celtics should release him.
Tillman, 26, still has time to progress and polish his game, but he won’t be able to make an impact in Boston. The Celtics could then use this open roster spot to sign Charles Bassey, who had a stellar performance in the Summer League and remains unsigned.