Celtics Filling Final Roster Spot Could Lead to Adding Veteran Sharpshooter

Bobby Krivitsky | Aug 27, 2024

Oct 15, 2023; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Davis Bertans (9) shoots over Charlotte Hornets center Nick Richards (4) in the first half at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Nell Redmond-USA TODAY Sports / Nell Redmond-USA TODAY Sports

The Celtics can enter the 2024-25 campaign with their roster as is. They've satisfied the league minimum of having 14 players signed to standard contracts. They've even filled their three two-way roster openings.

They've done so with a premium placed on continuity. Fifteen of the 17 players from last season's title team, including those on two-way deals, will be there on opening night on Oct. 22 to see Banner 18 raised to the TD Garden rafters before Boston's rivalry clash with the Knicks.

Furthermore, the reigning NBA champions are already spending $196.6 million in player salaries and are $7.6 million over the second apron. Anyone projecting whether they might address their vacant roster spot and how they'll do so must be mindful of that.

"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."

Preserving the roster flexibility they have left and avoiding adding to their payroll also maintains a path to playing time for this year's second-round pick, Anton Watson.

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As previously explored, that could prove best, especially 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 manage Al Horford's workload.

If the Celtics opt to fill their final roster opening before the upcoming campaign gets underway, re-signing Oshae Brissett makes the most sense from their vantage point.

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 in Boston "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."

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But if Brissett finds an opportunity elsewhere with more minutes available, a name to keep in mind is Davis Bertans.

The eight-year veteran is a six-foot-ten sharpshooter with a career conversion rate of 39.6 percent on 4.7 attempts from beyond the arc. Bertans split last season between the Thunder and Hornets, knocking down 37.5 percent of the 6.3 threes he hoisted while with Charlotte.

Having someone with that skill at that size fits into Mazzulla ball and represents a reliable kick-out option. As an added layer of depth who would join the Celtics' "Stay Ready Group," Bertans makes as much sense as any realistic external free agent.

Further Reading

Evaluating Oshae Brissett's Best Options in Free Agency

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Sam Hauser Grateful for Extension with Team That Gave Him His First Chance

Brad Stevens Shares Encouraging Rehab Update on Kristaps Porzingis

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