The Celtics have an open two-way slot and there’s a pretty good chance it won’t be filled for another month or so, MassLive’s Brian Robb states in the mailbag column. Amari Williams and Dylan Mitchell currently have two-way deals with Boston, and Rob suggests the team wants to maintain as much flexibility as possible before practice.
He notes that several teams around the league have excess guaranteed contracts or backlogs at certain positions, meaning some attractive options could emerge in free agency. He points to Nehemiah of Quettawho signed a two-way contract with Boston in September 2023 after being waived by Sacramento as the type of player who could become available.
Internal hole-filling options include beginners Milos Uzan and Tucker DeVrieswho will both be in camp on Appendix 10 contracts and were part of the Celtics’ Summer League team. Looking at the roster, Rob sees a potential need for another ball handler out back Mike Conley‘s age, which could give Uzan an advantage.
More on the Celtics:
- On the Big 3 NBA Podcast (Link to YouTubehat tip to Clutch glasses), Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe says the Celtics should be willing to pay Peyton Pritchard about $22 million a year in his next contract. Pritchard, who will earn $7.8 million this season and $8.3 million in 2027/28, is currently eligible for an extension and is likely to receive a significant raise. Washburn calls Pritchard “one of the biggest deals in the league” and points out that the new contract will be easy to trade if the team ever decides to move on from Pritchard.
- The Celtics will present Pavel George, Mitchell Robinson and Conley at Tuesday’s press conference, trans MassLive’s Suichi Terada. George was acquired in Philadelphia in Jaylen Brown trade and will be counted on to help replace the All-NBA wing’s production. Robinson and Conley joined the team as free agents and are expected to fill backup roles.
- Jason TatumThe new signature shoe, which was announced this week, will include five lines on the right heel, Terada adds. The lines symbolize the scars on the foot after Achilles surgery. “Obviously this is my first full season back from tearing my Achilles.” Tatum said via Complex (Link to video on Twitter). “What I’ve had to learn and also accept that my experience is that whenever you go through something traumatic, you’re not the same person anymore. You just can’t be the same person. It doesn’t mean you’re worse. It’s just different. I even got to a point where I learned to appreciate not what happened, but what this journey and this process has taught me. So matching that with Tatum 5, it looks different than any other.” another shoe.”