When the Celtics raise Banner 18 to the TD Garden rafters on opening night, Oct. 22, before a rivalry clash against the Knicks to kick off the 2024-25 campaign, 15 of the 17 players on last season’s championship roster, including those on two-way deals, will suit up for the home team.
Boston has filled its two-way openings with JD Davison, Drew Peterson, and Anton Watson. However, there’s room for one more player on a standard contract.
“We’re just going to monitor the health of our team and see how everybody’s doing, and if there’s any issues that arise between now and September that we need to really address, then we might use it,” the franchise’s president of basketball operations, Brad Stevens, told Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe in Paris during the Olympics.
“But right now, I’d say it’s unlikely. We’re still looking to sign a couple of Exhibit 10s that their most likely path will be to play in Maine. But we’ll see.”
Not only is it wise to preserve the roster flexibility the Celtics have, but they and anyone projecting if and how they might address their vacant roster spot must also be mindful that they’re already spending $196.6 million in player salaries and $7.6 million over the second apron.
As previously explored, there’s a compelling case that avoiding adding to their payroll and maintaining a path to playing time for Watson is best. That’s especially true while Kristaps Porzingis rehabs from offseason surgery after suffering a torn retinaculum and dislocated posterior tibialis tendon in Game 2 of the NBA Finals. His recovery could keep him out until December and possibly longer. There’s also a need to pace Al Horford.
But if Boston fills its final roster opening, a reunion with a former forward makes as much, if not more, sense than any other realistic option.
Oshae Brissett returning would be the top option in this scenario. It’s a prospect he hasn’t ruled out, recently stating, “The door is not closed fully,” on his vlog, BrissyTV.
He also called his year with the Celtics “the best season of my career,” not only due to becoming an NBA champion but because “I grew so much as a player” while “practicing every single day with Hall of Famers.”
But if the 26-year-old wing heads elsewhere in search of more minutes, should Boston elect to address its vacant roster spot before the 2024-25 campaign gets underway, Lamar Stevens is an intriguing option.
The six-foot-six forward started last season with the Celtics before getting rerouted to the Grizzlies at the trade deadline in the deal that brought Xavier Tillman Sr. on board.
While Stevens averaged just 6.4 minutes across 19 appearances with the C’s, after joining an injury-depleted Memphis team, he logged 23 minutes per contest in as many games.
The four-year veteran capitalized on his opportunity, producing 11.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, and nearly 1.0 steals and blocks per matchup.
As much as Stevens, like Brissett, would like to find a suitor that can offer more playing time than Boston, as the 27-year-old from Philadelphia figures out what’s next, if both sides are open to it, he could rejoin the Celtics’ “Stay Ready Group.”
