After spending more than two months in a sort of free-agent purgatory, Evan Turner is officially a Boston Celtic.
The Celtics announced the signing Monday morning. The terms of the contract were not disclosed, but Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today reports that it is a two-year deal worth $3.278 million per season.
Reports surfaced in late July that Turner and the Celtics were finalizing a deal to bring the 25-year-old swingman to Boston. Roster constraints prevented Turner from signing, though, until the team made the necessary moves to clear space for him.
The Celtics did just that over the past few days, waiving Chris Babb and Chris Johnson on Thursday and John Lucas III and Malcolm Thomas on Monday. Lucas and Thomas were acquired last week in the trade that sent Keith Bogans to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Turner, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft, will hope that a change of scenery will improve his fortunes on the court. He has not lived up to expectations during his four pro seasons and hit rock bottom after being traded to the Indiana Pacers this past February.
Turner averaged just 7.1 points in 27 regular-season games for the Pacers and saw his playing time dwindle to the point that he played just four total minutes in Indiana’s six-game Eastern Conference finals against the Miami Heat.
The Celtics will hold media day Monday at their training facility in Waltham, Mass. Training camp practices will begin Tuesday.
The team also signed guards Tim Frazier and Rodney McGruder and forward Christian Watford on Monday to shore up it’s training camp roster. Here is the full list of players the Celtics will be bringing to camp:
