The Boston Celtics were busy ahead of the trade deadline, as they swung four different moves that were largely aimed towards getting the team to be salary cap compliant. With a pair of roster spots available now, the C’s are positioned to add players through free agency or the buyout market.
There are certainly a handful of players who should be of interest for the Celtics, as the team could use another reliable ballhandler to fill in off the bench. One potential target is Lonzo Ball, who has been released by the Utah Jazz after being picked up in a trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Ball has struggled this year, but he’s a solid two-way guard who can run the offense when guys like Derrick White and Payton Pritchard need a rest. Boston appears to be among several teams who are interested in Ball, but the teams courting him in free agency are looking to review his medical reports before potentially signing him.
“Multiple teams have requested to review the medical of Lonzo Ball in order to make a determination on signing the new free-agent point guard, league sources tell me,” Chris Haynes of NBA on Prime shared in a post on X.
Ball missed the entire 2022-23 and 2023-24 campaigns due to complications from a knee injury, and while he’s played in 35 games this year, his numbers are rough (4.6 PPG, 4 RPG, 3.9 APG, 30.1 FG%). Ball has upside still, but teams want to make sure there aren’t any underlying medical concerns before signing him.
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Boston’s financial situation is the most important thing for the team currently, but Ball would make a lot of sense as a free agent target, assuming he’s healthy. With several teams in the running for his signature, expect a resolution on Ball’s status in the coming days.
Featured image via Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images
