Celtics Executive Has ‘No Idea’ If Club Can Make This Signing

The Boston Celtics discovered a key piece during summer league, but he might not end up on the roster.

Celtics fans are well aware of the team’s ominous depth chart at the center position. Players like Neemias Queta and Luka Garza will surely outperform expectations and shouldn’t be disrespected; however, Boston could still use another proven big man. 

That’s what made Charles Bassey’s summer league explosion such a welcome sight. The former San Antonio Spurs center was a last-minute addition to Boston’s squad in Las Vegas, and he dominated, averaging 15.3 points, 11 rebounds, and two blocks in three games on 70.4 percent shooting from the field.

Bassey’s play — a continuation of his underrated production last year for the Spurs — had some Celtics observers thinking he might compete for the starting center job this season.

Now, it appears Bassey admirers may have been getting ahead of themselves in that regard. According to a new report from Spotrac’s Keith Smith, who spoke to an unnamed Celtics executive on the matter, a Bassey signing is far from guaranteed for Boston. Smith revealed the following:

“On Charles Bassey: ‘Considering he got added to our team so late, this was an awesome run for him. No idea if we’ll have roster space for him or not. But we’d love to keep working with Charles and see if we can make something work,’ a Celtics front office executive said.”

This news on Bassey is another reminder that the Celtics are behind the 8-ball right now due to salary constraints. If money weren’t an issue, adding Bassey would be such an obvious move that it would have already happened. Times have changed, however, and 2025-26 promises to be a different sort of year for the Celtics, both on the hardwood and in the front office.