Who Will the Celtics Add in the Buyout Market?

The Celtics opened three roster spots when they traded five players and only brought back two, Derrick White and Daniel Theis, at the NBA trade deadline. NBA rules allow teams to keep one active roster spot open, while any beyond that need to be filled within two weeks.

That means Boston needs to sign two players, at least to stop gap 10-day contracts, before Thursday Feb. 24. In a particularly sparse NBA buyout market, the Celtics have remained patient hoping for shooting to become available. Boston filled its first of five open slots after dumping Bol Bol and P.J. Dozier by signing Sam Hauser to a two-year contract and Luke Kornet for the rest of the season.

“We can look at it in several different directions,” Ime Udoka said earlier this month. “Obviously, shooting is what we’re looking for, but you have to wait and see what’s happening in the buyout market. Then you look at young development pieces as well, so we’ll kind of scour that and see what’s the best available options, whether it’s young guys going forward for the future, or guys who can help us now, and that’s all dependent on the buyout market.”

The Celtics could be an intriguing destination for guards and wings with spot minutes and roles available for depth contributors who want to join a potential east contender. Who’s available remains a question ahead of the Mar. 1 deadline for players to get bought out and join new teams on playoff-eligible contracts. Goran Dragic, released from the Spurs, reportedly plans to join the Brooklyn Nets, while Pacers center Tristan Thompson joined the Bulls, solidifying two fellow eastern contenders. Deandre’ Bembrey signed with the Bucks last week.

That leaves a pool of unproven players with the hop that more will become available soon. These choices could prove negligible for an Udoka rotation only stretching eight-deep anyway. It’s fair to hope Payton Pritchard, Aaron Nesmith and Sam Hauser can gain favor over any potential outsiders, in which case the development route would be the way to go at the back-end. Boston also has an open two-way contract next to Brodric Thomas it can fill after Hauser vacated that spot for a full-time deal.

The Celtics are roughly $2.9-million below the luxury tax, and minimum contracts would cost around $700,000 for the rest of the season, with each 10-day valued around $150,000.

Here’s who’s out there and who could potentially become available: 

G Armoni Brooks, Free agent 

Former Rockets guard waived on Feb. 10 after averaging 7.8 PPG, 2.4 RPG and 1.3 APG in 19.8 MPG, on 37.2% shooting and 33.5% from three. Took 6.1 of his 7.3 shots each night from three. Is only 23-years-old, 6’3″ and listed at 195 pounds. Brooks cleared waivers last week and could potentially return to Houston after they released him to facilitate the Daniel Theis trade with the Celtics, but multiple teams have reportedly inquired about Brooks.

C Moses Brown, Free agent 

Released by the Mavericks to make room for Davis Bertans and Spencer Dinwiddie. He’s ineligible to sign with the Celtics, since they last traded him to Dallas before his release in exchange for Josh Richardson. If he’s dropped by the next team that adds him, he’d be allowed to return to Boston after spending part of last summer with the Celtics following his trade from Oklahoma City. Brown averaged 3.1 PPG and 2.3 RPG n 6.5 minutes per game in Dallas, largely spending time with their G-League affiliate.

C Willie Cauley-Stein, Free agent

The Mavericks released him in January and committed to help him through a personal situation. He’s still available, at 28-years-old, and recently posted videos on his Instagram of him back on the court. Cauley-Stein averaged 4.5 PPG and 4.0 RPG on 61.8% shooting in three seasons with Dallas. At his age and given Boston’s new front court depth though, he’s probably not what they’re looking for in one of their roster spots and wouldn’t have minutes available to offer him.

G Quinn Cook, Free agent 

Cook, 28, signed with the G-League after an overseas stint in Russia earlier this season. The former Warriors guard joined the Lakers, Cavaliers and Trail Blazers for brief tenures in recent seasons. He’s a shooter, averaging a career 40.8% from deep. Between the Warriors and Lakers, playing with space, he knocked down 40.6% of 389 tries from 2017-2020. He’s a smaller guard at 6’1, 180-pounds though, and may not fit into Udoka’s defensive system.

G Kris Dunn and Carsen Edwards, G-League 

The Celtics traded Dunn and Edwards to the Grizzlies for Juancho Hernángomez late in the offseason after acquiring Dunn for Tristan Thompson and drafting Edwards in 2019. Dunn is averaging 10.1 PPG, 3.7 RPG and 3.4 APG in 10 games with the Agua Caliente Clippers. Edwards has stood among the best G-League players, scoring 23.7 PPG with the Salt Lake City Stars on 38.3% from three on over seven attempts per game. His 3.1:2.8 AST/TOV leaves much to be desired as a ball-handler though, and at 5’11” he’s unlikely to fit in Udoka’s defense.

F James Ennis, Free agent 

Long a sturdy 6’6″, 215 pound defensive wing who’s bounced around much of the NBA in recent seasons. He bounced between the Nets, Clippers and Nuggets in consecutive weeks around the new year as a replacement player during the league’s COVID-19 surge, averaging 4.1 PPG on 11-of-24 shooting, including going 3-for-8 from three. His last two seasons in Orlando saw him shoot 37.7% from three, and he’d bring some switchability to Boston. Especially on a 10-day deal, the 31-year-old would make some sense for the Celtics as a backup wing.

G Dante Exum, FC Barcelona 

Once a Celtics target in the 2014 NBA Draft, Exum just won the Copa Del Rey with FC Barcelona in Spain, and his contract expires on Feb. 28 after he scored 13 points, with three rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks against Real Madrid. Exum, 26, is undecided about his future after shooting 40.7% from the field and 30.5% from three in seven NBA seasons, last with the Cavaliers before being sent to Houston in the James Harden deal and never playing due to a calf injury.

“I think it was the injuries,” he told BasketNews. “Every time I had a good roll going and felt comfortable in my role, I’d go down with an injury and find myself out of the rotation. Then, I’d try to fight my way back and go down again. One of the main problems I had was teams worrying about me staying healthy.”

C Harry Giles III, G-League 

Hasn’t played for the Agua Caliente Clippers since Nov. 14, so it’s unclear what his status is. His absence through the COVID-19 wave in the winter indicates he probably isn’t ready to play right now. The 23-year-old was obviously a college teammate of Jayson Tatum and once held high-end lottery promise before knee injuries. Giles averaged 2.8 PPG on 43.3% shooting in 2020-21 with the Trail Blazers.

F Justin Jackson, G-League 

Spent time with the Celtics on a hardship exemption contract around the new year, before joining the Suns on the same type of deal and shooting 5-for-14. He’s averaging 23.6 PPG on 39.4% shooting from three on over 10 attempts per game as one of the better G-League players with the Texas Legends. He’s also 6’8, 220-pounds.

F Abdel Nader, Free agent 

Has missed most of this season with right knee injury management after surgery in the spring. It doesn’t seem likely he’s ready to play after the Suns waived him earlier this month to accommodate Aaron Holiday, but the former Celtics draft pick showed promise as a bench scorer in Boston, Oklahoma City and Phoenix. He shot 18-for-43 (41.9%) from deep last season, and has decent size at 6’5″ with a seven-foot wingspan.

G Jevon Carter, Free agent 

Released by the Nets to accommodate Goran Dragic this week. The 26-year-old shot 33.3% from the field and  33.1% from three in a disappointing campaign after being traded from the Suns for Landry Shamet. Carter did shoot 39.7% from three in his two Phoenix seasons, though at 6’1″ he’s probably not a fit for Udoka’s defense.

G Dennis Smith Jr., Free agent 

Released by the Trail Blazers on Monday after Portland signed Trendon Watford. Smith, 24, is averaging 5.6 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game this season after bouncing from New York to Detroit following his role in the Kristaps Porzingis trade. He’s a career 40.2% shooter and 31.2% from three in his his career, and will miss several weeks with an elbow injury for whatever team signs him.

G Kevin Pangos, Free agent 

Waived by the Cavaliers this week. The 29-year-old averaged 1.6 PPG on 32.6% shooting this season.

F Jabari Parker, Free agent

Still awaiting his next opportunity after the Celtics released him in January. Familiar with the system after nearly an entire season in Boston, he wouldn’t be the worst pickup among the players we’ve already listed. Parker averaged 4.4 PPG and 2.3 RPG on 47.4% shooting from the field, including a surprising 8-for-16 run from deep. His defense proved a difficult fit in the switching scheme Udoka employed, though he probably fared better than Enes Freedom.

G Jerome Robinson, G-League

The former 13th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft last played for the Wizards last season and is averaging 13.0 PPG on 43.3% shooting with the Santa Cruz Warriors. His 31% mark from his 113 NBA games has persisted at the lower level, probably making him a difficult fit as a scorer in the league. He turned 25-years-old today.

G Nik Stauskas, G-League 

The former No. 8 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft is playing for the Grand Rapids Gold in the G-League, shooting 42.2% from three on high volume. His tries across four teams to remain in the NBA after leaving Philadelphia didn’t work, but he did join the Heat on a hardship exemption this season and shot 2-for-4 from deep in 24 minutes. He’s 28-years-old now and could bring some shooting to the table for Boston. He hasn’t played full-time in the NBA since 2018-19.

G Isaiah Thomas, G-League 

Joined the Grand Rapids Gold after stints with the Lakers and Mavericks through the COVID-19 surge in the winter. It was too bad the Celtics couldn’t get him in for one last run during that stretch, which makes it all the more clear that this reunion isn’t in the cards. Thomas isn’t playing well enough to latch on with any NBA team, and there’s little-to-no chance of the 5’9″ guard playing in Udoka’s switching defensive scheme. Brad Stevens probably doesn’t want nightly chants to raining down on his coach’s head to insert Thomas either, particularly during games where things aren’t going well for Boston. It’s not happening.

G Denzel Valentine, G-League

Playing for the Maine Red Claws after his trade from the Cavaliers and release for the Lakers. Averaging 18.6 PPG on 43.8% shooting from deep, while taking 10.0 three-point attempts per game. Place him under the likely 10-day candidates to fill a spot, especially considering his shooting pedigree and proximity in Portland. The 6’4″ shooting specialist is 28-years-old and shot 33.1% from three on 242 tries in his last full season with the Bulls last year.

G Brad Wanamaker, Free agent 

Last played for the Wizards around the new year following his release from the Pacers. The former Celtics guard played solid minutes, particularly at the defensive end, during the 2019-20 season, averaging 6.9 PPG and 2.5 APG on 44.8% shooting with a 36.3% mark from deep on low volume. His free throw shooting was nearly perfect that year, and we now know Stevens’ affinity as GM for bringing back his former players after trading for Al Horford and Theis within the past year.

G D.J. Augustin, Free agent 

The 34-year-old is among the older options the Celtics could pursue. He isn’t an ideal fit for their defense at 5’11”, but would bring shooting, as a 38% career marksman from deep, and some reliable organization skills at the point guard spot. He could fill more of an emergency backup role behind Marcus Smart, Derrick White and Payton Pritchard. The Rockets waived Augustin to make room for Dennis Schröder and Bruno Fernando. 

Who else could become available? 

The buyout potential over the next week appears scarce, as names like Gary Harris that teams hoped might shake loose have remained with their teams. Harris isn’t pursuing a buyout, according to Marc Stein, and the Magic could make use of his bird rights to either retain him long-term or work out a sign-and-trade this offseason. He’s recently filled minutes through injuries, averaging 27.8 MPG since the trade deadline.

Sean Highkin reported that Eric Bledsoe is staying put in Portland, despite a preciously unreported injury keeping him out of early action with the Trail Blazers. Bledsoe has a $3.9-million guarantee on a $19.4-million expiring contract next season, which Portland could make use of in a trade or cut ties with through their massive expected cap space available this offseason.

John Wall isn’t likely to become available either, with the team maintaining one last shot at trading him this summer and probably holding out hope the Lakers come back around with a pick to move off Russell Westbrook. The two sides talked, and couldn’t come to a deal at the deadline. Dennis Schröder and Robin Lopez are probably staying put, and aren’t names that would attract the Celtics anyway.

Tomáš Satoranský has long been a favorite of mine and bounced from the Pelicans to the Blazers to the Spurs at the deadline. He hasn’t played yet in San Antonio on a $10-million expiring contract that’s primed for a buyout. At 6’7″, he’s a ball mover who was described as passing almost too much in New Orleans following a trade from Chicago in the Lonzo Ball sign-and-trade over the summer.

Ben McLemore could come shoot threes off Boston’s bench if the Blazers let him go. Juancho Hernángomez would be eligible to rejoin the Celtics if the Jazz cut ties. The Magic let Michael Carter-Williams and E’Twaun Moore go, both with Boston and Celtics ties, respectively. Neither seem healthy.

That’s the state of the 2022 buyout market. It’s rough, and the Celtics probably don’t need anyone to play minutes beyond their rotation anyway. So it’s as likely they add a young G-League, or undrafted talent like Matthew Hurt, put that player on ice at the back end of the rotation like the team did with Parker last season, or run a series of 10-day tryouts with unsung talents.