Last week was unexpectedly busy for the Boston Celtics. They signed head coach Joe Mazzulla to a multi-year contract extension, traded Georges Niang to the Utah Jazz, and reportedly signed former Toronto Raptors big man Chris Boucher in free agency.
While the first two moves were immediately announced, there was a bit of a holdup with Boucher’s signing. That changed on Sunday night when they announced that they were waiving two-way forward Miles Norris.
After going undrafted in the 2017 NBA Draft, Boucher latched on with the Golden State Warriors, where he immediately won a championship in 2018. The following year, he landed with the Toronto Raptors, where he immediately won another title in 2019.
Since then, Boucher has been a valuable presence off the bench for the Raptors. However, he has now landed in Boston, with the team officially announcing his signing on Sunday night after it was initially reported last week.
“Welcome to Boston, Chris Boucher,” the Celtics announced in a post on X.
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In 50 games last season, Boucher averaged 10 points, 4.5 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game while shooting 49.2% from the field. His best season was the 2020-21 campaign when he averaged 13.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game, earning him an eighth-place finish in the Sixth Man of the Year race.
After moving on from Kristaps Porzingis, Luke Kornet and likely Al Horford, Boucher appears set to play a big role with the Celtics, potentially even starting for them in their frontcourt.
With the deal reportedly being a one-year, $3.3 million pact, this is a solid low-risk, high-reward signing for Boston. However, there are still moves that could be made this offseason, so it will be worth keeping tabs on them over the next few weeks.
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Featured image via Patrick Gorski/Imagn Images
