Vincent Poirier might leave the Boston Celtics without making his mark.
The Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn predicted last week the Celtics will sign a center in order to bolster their chances of succeeding in the NBA playoffs. However, they’ll need to open a roster space in order to add a free-agent big man, and Washburn believes they’ll part ways with the 26-year-old rookie center.
“The Celtics will get a big man in the buyout market,” Washburn wrote in his “Sunday Basketball Notes” column. “Boston will seek another center to help for the playoff run and will get one at the expense of Vincent Poirier. Poirier hasn’t worked out as expected and the Celtics will seek to use his roster spot on a rim protector.”
Poirier has played in just nine games, and he’s averaging 1.7 points and 1.7 rebounds in 4.9 minutes per contest.
He has been out of action for the last three weeks due to a broken finger and is expected to return at the end of the month. Although the injury birthed a scandalous new nickname for Poirier, it cost him the chance to capitalize on Robert Williams’ hip injury, play significant minutes and perhaps earn a bigger role in Boston’s rotation going forward.
The Celtics have been linked with a potential trade for a center all season, with names like Oklahoma City Thunder big man Steven Adams and Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond among names bandied about. Other centers with NBA experience likely will emerge on Boston’s and the rumor mill’s respective radar as the Feb. 6 NBA trade deadline and the April 17 playoff-roster-freeze dates approach.
