BOSTON — The Celtics still have to work to do with their roster after making four trade deadline deals this week. Boston opened up three roster spots with their dealing, which helped them to get under the luxury tax for the season. Boston’s current roster stands at 12 players after the team promoted center Amari Williams to the 15-man roster in the wake of trading away Chris Boucher while also adding two-way player John Tonje to take Williams’ slot. With Josh Minott and Xavier Tillman also dealt away, the Celtics will need to get back up to at least 14 players by Feb. 19.
Team president of basketball operations Brad Stevens shed some light on the team’s plans on Friday while discussing the trade deadline moves at the Auerbach Center.
“We’ve got three good two-ways that we feel really good about, and that gives us a lot of flexibility,” Stevens said. “I think Tonje’s addition — Tonje’s an older guy coming out of college that knows how to play and score. I think Shulga’s had a really good year, and we all think Ron is one of the best players in the G League all season. Whenever his opportunity was going to come, he was going to take advantage of it, so I don’t think any of us are surprised at Wednesday night’s game. He’s a stud. He’s a really good player, and he’s been great for us for the better part of two years, somewhere within our system.
“With that said, I think the biggest thing is seeing how this all looks. We’ll ultimately fill a roster spot with at least one more ball-handler and then see how the rest of the needs play themselves out.”
The Celtics dealt away Anfernee Simons in order to bolster the team’s frontcourt and add Nikola Vucevic on Thursday. The move has already led Joe Mazzulla to moving Payton Pritchard back into a bench role but the team is lacking depth at guard following his departure. There are a number of veteran names available on the buyout market but Stevens hinted that any addition would have to be accepting of a reduced role upon signing in Boston.
“I would say that what we will be looking for will not be somebody that we’re going to ask to come in and be a part of the everyday rotation when we’re fully healthy but we also need people that can come in and accept that and be ready to help us move this thing down the hill and forward,” Stevens said. “Anybody that comes in here will know that because that will be well communicated.
“Sometimes that actually eliminates maybe people with bigger reputations or whatever the case may be, but it brings in the right person for your team and so that’s what we’ll look for and I think we’ll evaluate in-house as we always do. When I say in-house, I mean two-ways in Maine and G-League and buyouts from the NBA.”
Boston will also be limited to some degree by salary restrictions if they want to stay under the luxury tax and that could influence who they end up signing as drafted rookies do have cheaper cap hits than veterans. The Celtics could also use a variety of different deals including 10-day contracts to help them navigate the luxury tax and following NBA roster rules. Ultimately, the Celtics will be looking for a fit with a clear goal above all else, according to Brad Stevens.
“It’s not about what somebody’s done or what their reputation is, it’s more about do they want to be here and do they want to add to us winning.”
