Avery Bradley must love that dirty water.
The Boston Celtics extended a qualifying offer to the guard Monday, meaning they can match any contract proposal he receives from another team. Though Bradley has the option to join another team as a restricted free agent, he said he wants to stay put in Boston.
“Boston is my home now,” Bradley said, via ESPN. “I’ve been living here for four years. I feel like the community, they know me. I feel like they think I’m from here because I’ve been living here for so long.”
Bradley and the Celtics could not come to an agreement in October, when the team offered the 24-year-old a four-year, $24 million extension to his rookie contract. Discussions have not yet taken place with the Celtics regarding a new deal, but Bradley said he has not even given much thought to the prospect of free agency.
“I haven’t been worried about (free agency),” Bradley said. “I’ve been worried about getting better.”
During last week’s draft, the Celtics selected Marcus Smart and James Young, making the guard position a little bit more crowded in Boston. But Bradley said he can’t worry about who is on the roster and continued to stress that he needs to improve his own game. He averaged 14.5 points per game and shot 39.5 percent from beyond the 3-point arc last season.
“I try not to think about anything I can’t control, Bradley said. “All I can do is continue to try to get better every single day, and I know everything else will work out.”
