The Boston Celtics have signed NBA veterans with varying degrees of experience throughout the last week, most recently with Wednesday’s signing of Joe Johnson along with the prior agreements with C.J. Miles and Justin Jackson.
All three players are on 10-day contracts with Boston, like the rest of the league, battling COVID-19 concerns. The Celtics currently have seven players in health and safety protocols. Unlike some of the teams that are using those spots to grab players from G League teams, or younger players in general, the Celtics have brought in the 40-year-old Johnson and 34-year-old Miles. Johnson, a seven-time NBA All-Star, is a veteran of two decades in the league, while Miles has 15 seasons and Jackson has four.
Celtics head coach Ime Udoka essentially said it has been by design.
“Yeah, it’s somewhat of a consistency as far as their track record and what they’ve done,” Udoka said prior to Wednesday’s game against the Cavaliers. “And, you know, like I said, with the other guys, we saw them in the G league practices and games, but we have a good, good young group coming off the bench. Obviously with Josh (Richardson) out that’s hurt the veteran leadership part. But we’re more so targeting that (veteran leadership) then another young guy that’s more of an unknown.
“We have guys who we’re relying on Payton (Pritchard), Romeo (Langford), Aaron (Nesmith), young guys that are stepping up and playing well, but we want more of a steadying presence and kind of know what they’re all about more so than a project or potential down the line.”
Obviously, there is no guarantee any player the Celtics signed to a 10-day contract will be around longer than that, but if those veterans flourish, there’s also no telling how it could play out.
