New Celtics Buyout Target Emerges After Surprising Development

The Boston Celtics suffered a blowout 111-89 defeat at the hands of the New York Knicks on Sunday afternoon, and after dealing away several pieces at the back of their bench, it appears this team could use a little bit of extra help, particularly in the backcourt.

The good news for the C’s is that there is a slew of players who are set to be available either as a free agent or on the buyout market in the near future. As noted above, Boston could use another guard to come in and help out off the bench, and a new target for the team may have appeared from out of nowhere.

That player would be guard D’Angelo Russell, who was dealt from the Dallas Mavericks to the Washington Wizards as part of the Anthony Davis blockbuster trade. Russell will not be reporting to his new team, which will likely lead to him getting bought out over the next few days.

“Wizards GM Will Dawkins gave an update on D’Angelo Russell’s situation with the organization today: ‘We’ll try to figure out what’s best for him and for the team,'” Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints shared in a post on X. “Russell will not report to Washington and may very well hit the buyout market this upcoming week.”

Russell never really panned out for Dallas this season, which led to him getting traded. And yet, he’s a capable ballhandler who can find his open teammates and create open looks for himself when needed. In 26 games, Russell is averaging 10.2 points, four assists and 2.3 rebounds per game while shooting 40.5% from the field.

In the right situation, Russell is a player with a lot of value, and his ceiling may be higher than that of the majority of the other buyout candidates who will be available. Russell’s future with Washington still needs some resolution, but assuming he gets bought out, he’s another player Boston’s front office could pursue.