CelticsBlog - All Posts

01 July 2025

• Celtics sign free agent center Luka Garza

  Former college star signed two-year vet minimum with Boston.

  Per ESPN's Shams Charania, the Celtics have signed former Iowa standout and Minnesota Timberwolves center Luka Garza to a 2-year, $5.5 million veteran minimum contract. In 39 games with Minnesota last season Garza averaged 3.5 PPG and 1.4 REB on 49.5% shooting from the field and 27.8% from three.

  Free agent center Luka Garza has agreed to a two-year, $5.5 million fully guaranteed deal with the Boston Celtics, sources tell ESPN. The Celtics negotiated the new deal with Garza's representatives Mark Bartelstein and Kieran Piller of @PrioritySports tonight. pic.twitter.com/d5x5HzGYIL

  — Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2025

  According to The Athletic's Jay King, the Celtics have been a fan of Garza for a while according to Jon Krawczynski of the Athletic. He said Boston has made inquires for Garza in the past with Minnesota and finally were able to acquire him.

  This signing came minutes after Luke Kornet signed a 4-year/$41 million contract with the San Antonio Spurs and with Al Horford still a free agent, Garza has a chance to play real minutes for the first time in his NBA career. Garza was a standout college player at Iowa where he was a two time National Player of the Year and two time Kareem Abdul-Jabar Award Winner, given to the best center in college basketball.

  He also found great success in the G League early on in his career as he was named to the All-NBA G League Third Team and NBA G League All-Rookie Team in 2022. He was also named to the NBA G League Next Up Game for back to back seasons where he won MVP of the game in 2023 and played in 2024.

• Celtics lose Luke Kornet to free agency, as big man earns massive payday

  Kornet signs a four-year, $41 million contract with the San Antonio Spurs.

  Luke Kornet is heading to San Antonio after four seasons with the Celtics, ESPN’s Shams Charania first reported. Kornet signed a four-year, $41 million deal with the Spurs, signing by far the biggest contract of his NBA career.

  The move comes despite the fact that Brad Stevens said on Wednesday that bringing back Kornet and Al Horford would be the Celtics priorities. But, the Celtics had no ability to match that type of contract.

  “They’re going to have, I’m sure, plenty of options all over the place, and that’s well-deserved, but I think that would be a priority,” Stevens said. “At the same time, I don’t want to put pressure on them. It’s their call, ultimately. But, yeah, we would love to have those guys back.”

  Kornet is coming off his best season as a pro, averaging 6 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1 block over a career-high 18.6 minutes per game. He put together the best game of his playoff career in Game 5 against the Knicks, tallying 10 points on 5-5 shooting, 9 rebounds, and 7 blocks.

  Kornet took a pay cut last summer to remain on the Celtics, opting to sign a one-year, minimum deal. But, at age 30, the former Vanderbilt standout has opted to finally cash in.

  Kornet’s journey to a lucrative NBA deal was a circuitous one

  After stints with the New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls, Luke Kornet joined the Maine Celtics for 10 games in 2021, then signed 10-day contracts with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Milwaukee Bucks.

  He rejoined the Celtics in January of 2022, and signed a rest-of-season contract with Boston for the rest of the year. He re-signed with the Celtics on a two-year, $4.5 million contract that summer, and signed a one-year, minimum deal with the Celtics the summer after they won the championship in 2024 — which has since been widely reported as a paycut.

  In one contract, Kornet will nearly triple his career earnings, which to date have amounted to just under $14.2 million.

  In addition to Jayson Tatum, the Celtics will now be without Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, Luke Kornet, and (potentially) Al Horford next season, losing five key players from their 9-man rotation.

• Celtics add college basketball’s steals leader to Summer League roster

  Hayden Gray, an undrafted guard out of UC San Diego, led the nation in steals and was named Defensive Player of the Year in his conference.

  The Celtics have added one of college basketball’s top defenders to their Summer League roster. Hayden Gray, a 6’4 guard who played at UC San Diego last year, was the Defensive Player of the Year in the Big West Conference and led the NCAA in steals.

  Gray averaged 11.2 points, 3.3 assists, and 3.1 rebounds per game last season, shooting 47.9% from the field and 41.8% from three. Most impressively, he averaged 3.1 steals per game.

  Out of most guys who will go R2 I like Hayden Gray more than damn near anyone
  
  7.2 BPM (5.3 DBPM lolol) 5.7 stl% is insane. He has elite ball hawking and steal generation + Quick hands and gusty anticipatory skills, great fundamentals, feel and motor etc.
  NBA scouts don’t sleep https://t.co/jRJDVgxf92 pic.twitter.com/QOiZ6haAah

  — (@juerter) June 7, 2025

  Celtics Summer League Roster

  In addition to Gray, the following players will be on the Celtics’ Summer League roster. Several more players will be revealed in the coming days.

  1. Baylor Scheierman (drafted 30th in 2024, entering sophomore season)
  2. Jordan Walsh (drafted 38th in 2023, entering third season)
  3. Miles Norris (two-way player, signed last year)
  4. Amari Williams (Kentucky center, drafted 46th in 2025)
  5. Max Shulga (VCU guard, drafted 57th in 2025)
  6. Aaron Scott (St. John guard Aaron Scott, undrafted rookie)
  7. Ben Gregg (Gonzaga forward Ben Gregg, undrafted rookie)
  8. Zach Hicks (Penn State forward, undrafted rookie)

  Hugo Gonzalez, who was drafted with the 28th overall pick in last week’s draft, may or may not join the Summer League roster, Brad Stevens said as he just finished his season with Real Madrid.

  Celtics Summer League Schedule

  The Celtics will tip off Summer League in Las Vegas on July 11th.

  • July 11:Celtics vs. Grizzlies, 4 p.m. ET
  • July 13:Celtics vs. Knicks, 5:30 p.m. ET
  • July 14:Celtics vs. Heat, 8 p.m. ET
  • July 17:Celtics vs. Lakers, 9 p.m. ET
  • Game 5 TBD:Celtics vs. TBD

• Celtics offseason started strong — but free agency could become a difficult day

  The Celtics have navigated a difficult season well since the season ended. The toughest day lies ahead on Monday when free agency begins.

  Jayson Tatum tore his achilles 49 days ago.

  The Celtics’ season ended 45 days ago.

  The following day, Jrue Holiday expressed hope he would remain part of the Celtics. One week ago, Boston traded him to the Blazers. And one day later, the Celtics salary dumped Kristaps Porziņģis. While most fans could foresee their departures, two players with more tenure in Boston could leave in far difficult fashion on Monday.

  Only 56 days ago, Celtics-Knicks began with some hope of a Boston sweep based on how the regular season series went. Even down 2-0, 54 days ago, the Celtics seemed to have every chance to turn their postseason around. They were still a championship contender.

  The past two months turning, instead, into an unceremonious end of an era feels wrong, abrupt and surreal. Some of the Celtics’ downfall occurred outside of their control. But the regret that showed on their faces — sharing their knowledge that the team would break up soon — reflected how the team mismanaged massive leads in Games 1-2. On Wednesday, Brad Stevens showed similar dismay in his expression. No matter how well he managed the start of the offseason, he seemed to understand that the most difficult day stood ahead.

  “(Luke Kornet and Al Horford) are huge parts of this organization,” Stevens said last week. “They’re going to have, I’m sure, plenty of options all over the place, and that’s well deserved, but I think that would be a priority. At the same time, I don’t want to put pressure on them. It’s their call ultimately, but yeah, we would love to have those guys back.”

  The Celtics cleared more than $200 million in luxury tax and salary off their books to begin the offseason without shedding draft picks. They returned expiring salaries and solid players in Anfernee Simons and Georges Niang, but without a clear path to re-routing either emerging ahead of 6 p.m. on Monday, Boston could find itself with limited flexibility to retain Kornet and Horford. Both bigs should receive mid-level exception interest around the league.

  Boston, with roughly $7 million in room beneath the second apron, could carve out more space by offloading another player. It’s unclear whether they can do that while following the organizational mantra of returning assets. The Celtics might reach a point where they have to cut their losses, and face some grueling decisions on Horford, Kornet and even Sam Hauser’s future. Like with Jaylen Brown and Derrick White, Boston doesn’t seem interested in parting with Hauser for the salary relief he’d provide. The Celtics want a serious return.

  Hauser, Simons and Niang remaining would indicate they haven’t fielded one yet. And that places Boston in serious danger of losing not only Kornet, but Horford as well, despite him seemingly having a narrow number of teams he would consider after turning 39. Adam Himmelsbach reported that Horford might not reach a quick decision when free agency begins as he assesses the situation in Boston. By all accounts, Horford plans on continuing playing. So the prospect, however crushing, remains that he could change uniforms again.

  In this conversation about asset management, losing both centers would appear detrimental to not only 2026, which increasingly looks like a reset year for the Celtics, but also 2026-27, when Jayson Tatum could return to see his three rotation centers from the title run gone. Only Neemias Queta and Xavier Tillman Sr. enter next year under contract.

  It’s not just the basketball. Boston formed a strong connection with both players.

  Horford became synonymous with the city despite the two-year break between his two tenures. Kornet arrived in 2021 and achieved unimaginable staying power since, surviving a G-League stint, emergency COVID-19 contracts elsewhere, three coaches and emerging as an ancillary contributor before starting a playoff game to cap his emergence over three seasons. It’s no surprise that Kornet could receive the full MLE, and if a team like San Antonio offered $14.1 million for three years, the Celtics have little hope of competing.

  If Tatum’s achilles tear made Horford more willing to assess options outside of Boston with so little time left in his career, nobody would knock him. Kornet leaving after accumulating only $14 million for his efforts so far in his career also makes sense, despite the Celtics seemingly scrambling to compete with comparable offers to ones they can make with their Bird rights. It’s become the team’s best hope for maintaining a future at center beyond this season.

  “I kind of knew the whole time it’d be hard to go anywhere else,” Kornet told CelticsBloglast fall after passing up larger offers from other teams to stay with the Celtics. “I knew that Boston, in terms of what was available for us too, was kind of limited, but to be able to play with this team — and my family’s been here. There were some great options to go other places, but you notice … is there anywhere else I’d want to play with a different group of people?”

  If the Celtics can’t retain either player, the prospect of a far more difficult reset looms. Boston might need to embrace a larger step back at that point, or would need to pivot to a stop gap center by trading another player that would leave them thinner at a different spot.

  But the Celtics’ strength so far has been operating with patience. Free agency could dry up quickly this summer. Opportunities to offload cap could emerge. And a roster might emerge that looks more competitive, or at least points in that direction. Simons, Niang and Hauser don’t need to move yet, and exiting free agency with one of their main centers would prove a win. Even if greater challenges exist after this week.

  Celtics fans could use a pleasant surprise after a draft week that sounded focused on the long term. Retaining either Kornet or Horford would qualify.

  “I think we’re always trying to compete with the guys that we have. Brad did mention last night that our first team all-NBA player’s in a boot, and so that’s a real thing, and I think you got the update from him last night on that,” Celtics executive Mike Zarren said last week.

  “But having more flexibility is always useful in these things. We have made a key part of our philosophy is to be opportunistic about opportunities that come along, and so depending on where we end up and what moves we make, obviously you guys know I can’t talk about some specifics of things, but depending on what we do, we’ll try to put ourselves in the most opportunistic position to take advantage of other opportunities as they come along. I know that’s kind of a boring answer, but that’s really how it works.”

• Celtics decide upon future of G League MVP — for now

  The team picked up JD Davison’s team option after his G League MVP season — but it’s non-guaranteed.

  The Celtics have exercised JD Davison’s team option for the upcoming season, Michael Scotto of Hoop Hype first reported. The one-year deal is non-guaranteed, per the Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach, and will be worth $2.27 million.

  Last year, Davison had the best G League season of his career, averaging 25.6 points, 7.8 assists, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.4 steals en route to being named G League MVP.

  Davison, who was drafted with the 53rd overall pick by the Celtics in 2022, had spent the last three seasons on a two-way contract with the Celtics, but has gotten limited on-court opportunities with the parent club. He appeared in a career-high 16 NBA games last year, but in his three-year career, he’s only played 198 regular-season NBA minutes.

  If Davison does stick around next year, he could be presented with a larger opportunity, as Jrue Holiday, who started at guard for the past two seasons, was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers earlier this week. Davison could also still be used in a trade or waived, given the non-guaranteed nature of his contract.

  Last year, Davison’s teammates sang his praises and expressed their belief he was ready for the next level.

  “JD is a really good passer, and he has a really good feel for the game, especially when he’s playing pick-and-roll,” Al Horford said. “He’s a real guard. He’s able to kind of manipulate the defense. And then his ability to get to the basket, he’s really explosive.”

  In the spring, Holiday said he expects Davison to make the transition to the NBA soon.

  “He’s definitely going to be a really good NBA player,” Holiday said.

  Ahead of the playoffs, the Celtics converted his two-way contract to a standard deal, with a team option in the second year. That option has now been exercised.

  “I just felt it was the right thing to do because of what he’s done for our program and what he’s done as a player and what he’s done as a person off the court,” Joe Mazzulla said after Davison’s contract was first converted. “So, I’m really happy for him.”

• CelticsBlog community poll: grade the Celtics 2025 Draft

  How do you feel about Boston’s draft haul?

  The 2025 NBA Draft has concluded, and all the camera crews have left the Barclays Center for another year. We invite our CelticsBlog readers to give your thoughts on Boston’s draft haul this year.

  After Night 1 of the draft, Brad Stevens continuously mentioned “flexibility,” and that certainly played out on Day 2, as the Celtics moved back and gained additional draft capital.

  In an international twist, Brad Stevens and the front office selected players from Spain, England, and Ukraine, respectively. As we study the tape and learn more, we want to see what the fanbase thinks. Hugo Gonzálezis the first Spanish first round pick since 2021when Usman Garuba and Santi Aldama were selected.

  Photo by Sonia Canada/Getty Images

  The summary of assets Boston came away with after the 2025 NBA Draft are:

  Pick #28 Hugo González, Real Madrid (Spain) SF, • 6’6” | 207 pounds (19 yrs)

  Traded back from #32 in the second round with the Orlando Magic for 2 future second round picks (2026, 2027) and the 2 picks below:

  Pick #46 Amari Williams,C, Kentucky • Sr • 7’0” | 262 pounds (23 yrs)

  Pick #57 Max Shulga,PG/SG, VCU • Sr • 6’5” | 206 pounds (23 yrs)

  ---

  Drop a grade in our poll below and sound off in the comments section.

  ---

  Various media outlets have started to grade all the teams and Boston’s grade varies. The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie graded Boston a B-, ESPN’s Kevin Pelton gave Boston a C+, Yahoo Sports Kevin O’Connor gave the Celtics a B+, whilst CBS Sports David Cobb gave Boston a B overall.

• How Hugo Gonzalez and Amari Williams fit with Boston — and each other

  Hugo Gonzalez and Amari Williams’ complementary skill sets perfectly fit Boston’s future and could form a dynamic duo off the bench.

  In an offseason where the Celtics are retooling their roster for the future, Brad Stevens used the NBA Draft to reinforce a clear organizational pivot: prioritize movement, versatility, and defensive depth.

  When the Celtics lost to the Knicks in the second round of the playoffs this past season, their lack of ball movement and pace was apparent. Countless times, the Celtics had stagnant offensive possessions where the ball never entered the paint and even missed transition opportunities by bringing the ball up the floor far too deliberately.

  Watching the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers — two fast-paced, movement-heavy teams — battle it out in the NBA Finals only amplified the need for Boston to alter its approach. The league’s elite teams are younger, faster, and deeper. Brad knows that if the Celtics want to continue contending for championships until Tatum and Brown retire, they need to evolve not just their roster, but their philosophy:

  Brad Stevens says he could feel it during the postseason when the Celtics' offense got stagnant. He pointed to the two Finals teams as groups that played with elite ball and player movement, and said the Celtics will strive to get back to that next season.

  — Marc D'Amico (@Marc_DAmico) June 26, 2025

  This stylistic evolution is exactly why the Celtics drafted Hugo Gonzalez and Amari Williams. Let’s break it down.

  Hugo Gonzalez

  Gonzalez thrived off the ball. Coming from a Real Madrid team stacked with veterans and former NBA talent, he rarely had the ball in his hands — but when he did, he made it count. He was constantly making backdoor cuts, filling open space, tipping in rebounds, and hammering down putback dunks.

  He plays with instinct and rarely misses an opportunity to make a smart read or hustle play. Gonzalez is an incredibly savvy player and brings a flair of the European game that emphasizes pace, flow, and reads over isolation.

  One thing I really like about Gonzalez's game, is his willingness to cut off ball, especially from the slot and wing.
  
  Seems to have a solid feel and timing on those cuts, and looks comfortable scoring in traffic. pic.twitter.com/AYE0XuZJuY

  — Adam Taylor (@AdamTaylorNBA) June 26, 2025

  The fit here is obvious. Gonzalez will be surrounded by Boston’s stars who dominate the ball, allowing him to do what he does best — create without it. His off-ball movement will inject some much-needed variety into the Celtics’ offense, lifting them out of their stagnant lulls.

  In addition to his offensive upside, Gonzalez has an equally high motor on the defensive end. When watching Gonzalez's tape, I was shocked at how consistently he picked up ball handlers 94 feet from the basket. He will help repair some of the defense the Celtics lost in the offseason while also complementing a fast-paced, defensively focused style of basketball.

  Amari Williams

  Next is Williams, who fits the Celtics’ system — and Gonzalez — just as naturally.

  Williams was widely regarded as the best passing big in this draft class. With a 7’0”, 260-pound frame, he has the size to command the paint and the basketball IQ to dissect a defense like a quarterback. At Kentucky, he often anchored possessions from the post or the high elbow, finding cutters with clever bounce passes and spraying passes to open shooters.

  Even better, he won’t slow Boston down. In today’s NBA, many traditional bigs get played off the floor in fast-paced matchups, like Isaiah Hartenstein in the NBA Finals. But Williams can keep up in the open floor. If he’s not finishing in transition, he’s usually the one who initiated it. One of my favorite plays of Williams college career was this full-court dime:

  Oh, some Kevin Love inspiration, I see... pic.twitter.com/YcNzhQPt71

  — Adam Taylor (@AdamTaylorNBA) June 27, 2025

  Defensively, he has real potential as a paint anchor. With a 7’6” wingspan and strong vertical instincts, Williams has the tools to anchor the paint in his minutes off the bench. His shot-blocking instincts should generate plenty of fast-break opportunities for Boston’s guards.

  Rookie Synergy

  Together, Hugo Gonzalez and Amari Williams could be a dynamic pairing off the bench for Boston. With Williams operating surgically from the high post and Gonzalez cutting from every angle, there’s real chemistry potential between these two rookies.

  Defensively, their skills mesh perfectly. Gonzalez’s ability to pressure ball handlers full court pairs well with Williams’ rim protection, giving the Celtics more options to disrupt offenses and generate transition chances.

  As they develop, this duo could become essential to Boston’s next installment in the Tatum and Brown era.

  Although there is plenty to be uncertain about with Boston, one thing is clear: Brad Stevens has a plan — and Hugo Gonzalez and Amari Williams fit seamlessly into his vision.

• Brad Stevens isn’t done making deals

  Expect the Celtics to continue to maximize their flexibility and positioning themselves for both the near and long term

  Brad Stevens and the Boston Celtics got the offseason kicked off with a bang by trading away Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis in order to get themselves under the dreaded 2nd Apron. They followed that up with a selection in the first round of the draft, a day two draft trade, and a couple more picks in the 2nd round (which by the way, saved them even more money).

  Next #Celtics date to watch: JD Davison's team option due SUN. Declining would drop C's below the 3rd tax bracket, bring their tax hit down to ~$43M & pull them within $5.1M of the 1st apron line, $12.8M of the tax line
  
  Not drafting a 2R to a roster deal saved them about $2.3M

  — Bobby Manning (@RealBobManning) June 27, 2025

  Even with all that movement and activity, we’re still just a few days into the offseason calendar. It seems silly to point this out, but there’s plenty of time for Brad to keep wheeling and dealing.

  Note: I believe the Celtics when they say they never seriously considered trading Brown or White. You always have to listen in case they offer a ridiculously stupid overpay package, but even then you still need to put star level talent around Tatum or else you are messing with something special.

  Free agency will open soon and some of the trades that have been agreed to around the league haven’t even been finalized yet. So there’s still a chance that the Celtics could expand those deals or flip some of the incoming players elsewhere.

  In fact, we have at least two sources that have indicated that Stevens is trying to do just that.

  From MassLive’s Brian Robb

  However, with free agency approaching and the Celtics prioritizing bringing back free agents Al Horford and Luke Kornet, league sources tell MassLive that the Celtics are expected to remain active in the trade market while retooling their roster. The team is expected to explore their options with newly acquired talent like Anfernee Simons and Georges Niang and other parts of the roster including Sam Hauser.

  From The Athletic’s Jay King

  Looking to continue shedding salary, the Celtics have explored the idea of flipping Simons’ $27.7 million expiring contract, according to league sources. In such a move, they would be aiming to accomplish two organizational directives Brad Stevens emphasized after the first round of the NBA Draft on Wednesday: regaining more roster flexibility and setting up a path to retain free agents Luke Kornet and Al Horford.

  We’ve heard a lot from the Celtics about maximizing that flexibility. Some of that is just code for cutting costs. However, those cost cutting moves do allow you to make moves and could even open up enough space to help us re-sign our centers and/or hang onto Sam Hauser (who’s on a very good value contract for his production).

  Both Simons and Niang inherently give the Celtics flexibility since they are on expiring contracts. They can be dealt right away or the team could wait till the trade deadline. Those two along with Sam Hauser all possess the very valuable skillset of being able to shoot the ball with high efficiency.

  The roster and depth chart might not make a ton of sense at this moment, and that’s ok. There’s still plenty of time to put together a more cohesive short term roster while maintaining the flexibility to make moves later on. The team might not be willing to say this out loud, but it almost doesn’t matter what the roster looks like on opening night. (And there will be no shortage of mini-goals that the coaching staff will have for the players) As long as it all makes sense and is ready to compete at the highest levels when Jayson Tatum returns to the court.