The Boston Celtics wasted little time Thursday in making the Greg Monroe deal official after standing pat at the NBA trade deadline.
The Celtics announced they’ve signed Monroe, who recently was bought out by the Phoenix Suns after being acquired in a trade with the Milwaukee Bucks back in November. The veteran center will wear No. 55 with Boston.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported last week that Monroe would sign a one-year, $5 million contract with Boston, which had been granted an $8.4 million disabled player exception after the serious leg injury Gordon Hayward suffered in the team’s season opener.
The Celtics seemingly waited until after Thursday’s trade deadline to make the deal official so they could maintain roster flexibility. The C’s had an open roster spot, but if they signed Monroe before the deadline and subsequently made a trade in which they acquired more players than they gave up, then Boston would have been required to cut a player from its roster.
Monroe, who was drafted by the Detroit Pistons with the seventh overall pick in 2010, is averaging 10.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 21.8 minutes per game over 25 games this season. The 27-year-old averaged at least 15 points per game in five consecutive seasons from 2011-12 to 2015-16, making him one of five NBA centers to accomplish that feat in that span.
