Taking Stock Of Celtics Roster Prior To Start Of NBA Free Agency

To understand what the Boston Celtics exactly need in free agency, it’s important to know what they already have in-house.

The Celtics shook up their roster this offseason by trading a trio of players — most notably Marcus Smart along with Danilo Gallinari and Mike Muscala — in a three-team deal to acquire big man Kristaps Porzingis from the Washington Wizards last week.

It seems like that won’t be the last of Boston’s moves this summer with players shuffling in and out, and with Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens still having plenty of decisions on his plate.

But let’s take a look at where the Celtics roster stands as NBA teams can start negotiating contracts with free agents starting Friday.

Outgoing Free Agents
Grant Williams (forward), restricted free agent
Blake Griffin (center), unrestricted free agent
Mfiondu Kabengele (forward), restricted free agent/two-way
JD Davison (guard), restricted free agent/two-way

Williams certainly highlights this group. The 24-year-old turned himself into a reliable member of Boston’s supporting cast since being selected in the first round of the 2019 NBA Draft. There are rumblings that he could end up back with the Celtics despite failing to come to a contract agreement prior to the season, but his name has been in the rumor mill an awful lot this offseason, including as a potential sign-and-trade candidate. Williams would still be an important depth piece for the Celtics, but more money elsewhere could lure him away from Boston.

The other three are marginal players at this point in their careers that Stevens won’t sweat over losing. Griffin provided locker room leadership in his first season with the Celtics, but didn’t make much of an on-the-floor impact. The Celtics might want to try to hold onto Davison, who they took in the second round of last year’s draft. Davison spent the majority of his rookie campaign with the G League Maine Celtics.

Celtics Players Under Contract
Guard
Derrick White
Jaylen Brown
Malcolm Brogdon
Payton Pritchard

Forward
Jayson Tatum
Kristaps Porzingis
Sam Hauser
Jordan Walsh
Justin Champagnie

Center
Al Horford
Robert Williams
Luke Kornet

The most important offseason for Celtics players under contract belongs to Brown. He’s eligible for a supermax extension after making Second Team All-NBA this past season, which could net him a contract of around $300 million. Boston offering him that extension and Brown either accepting or denying will say a lot about his future with the Celtics.

And if Brown is viewed more as a forward than guard, it shows the lack of depth the Celtics have at that positional group after trading Smart. They still could move on from Brogdon since they already tried to trade him once this offseason, but that backfired and there’s no certainty with how the seven-year pro reacts to that. And Pritchard, upset with his usage last season, requested a trade at the conclusion of the season.

Porzingis gives the Celtics another big man, but even with the 7-foot-3 Latvian native joining Boston’s front court, there are still a number of concerns. Porzingis has an injury history and has played more than 60 games in a season just once since his second year in the league. Injuries are a big concern for Robert Williams as well while the aging Horford has plenty of miles on his legs as he enters his 17th NBA season.