Category: Boston Celtics Blog

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Celtics sign Nik Stauskas

The Boston Celtics have signed guard Nik Stauskas.

Per Boston.com, “Stauskas scored 100 points combined in his last two G-League games for the Grand Rapids Gold, including a 57-point explosion on Tuesday. Stauskas set the record for points in a half with 38.”

Originally selected by Sacramento with the eighth overall pick of the 2014 NBA Draft, Stauskas, 28, has averaged 6.8 points (38.9% FG, 35.4% 3-PT, 81.4% FT), 2.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.4 steals, and 19.8 minutes in 337 NBA games (63 starts) over six NBA seasons with the Kings, Philadelphia, Brooklyn, Portland, Cleveland, and Miami. Stauskas competed in two games with the Heat earlier this season, tallying 11 points on 3-of-8 shooting (2-4 3-PT) and three boards.

Stauskas has played in 26 games (25 starts) with the Grand Rapids Gold of the NBA G League this season, averaging 23.8 points on 47.6% shooting (41.6% 3-PT, 87.9% FT), 5.8 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in 38.0 minutes. He scored a career-high and set the franchise scoring record with 57 points on 20-of-29 shooting (11-15 3-PT) against the Wisconsin Herd on March 1, and tallied 43 points on 16-of-21 shooting (9-13 3-PT) the very next night against the Lakeland Magic, becoming the second player in G League history to produce 100+ points in a two-game span.

Stauskas will wear no. 13 for Boston.

Celtics sign forward Matt Ryan to two-way contract

The Boston Celtics have signed forward Matt Ryan to a two-way contract.

Ryan, 24, has played in 28 games (seven starts) for the Grand Rapids Gold of the NBA G League in 2021-22, averaging 15.8 points on 42.7% shooting (38.5% 3-PT, 95.2% FT), 3.0 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 28.7 minutes. He has scored in double figures in 19 of 28 games this season, including a season-high 39-point performance on 12-of-23 shooting against Delaware on Jan. 16 (one of three 30-point games).

A 6-7 forward, Ryan has connected on at least five 3-point field goals eight times this season, shooting over 40.0% from beyond the arc in five of those contests. He made a season-best nine 3-point field goals and tallied 34 points against Cleveland on Jan. 8.

Ryan played in two games for Team USA at the most recent FIBA World Cup Qualifiers from Feb. 24-27, ranking second on the team in scoring at 13.5 points while shooting 9-of-18 from beyond the arc in 18.0 minutes.

A New York native, Ryan competed collegiately in four seasons over five years with Notre Dame, Vanderbilt, and Chattanooga, averaging 7.9 points (40.4% FG, 36.3% 3-PT, 84.2% FT), 2.5 rebounds, 0.9 assists, and 18.9 minutes over 134 NCAA games (62 starts). He concluded his collegiate career at Chattanooga in 2019-20, producing 15.4 points (42.3% FG, 35.9% 3-PT, 87.9% FT), 4.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 30.6 minutes in 33 games (all starts).

Boston Celtics sign Malik Fitts and Kelan Martin to 10-day contracts

The Boston Celtics have signed forwards Malik Fitts and Kelan Martin to 10-day contracts.

Fitts, 24, has competed in 10 NBA games over the past two seasons with the LA Clippers and Utah, averaging 0.9 points, and 1.3 rebounds in 4.6 minutes. The California native has played in seven games with the Jazz in 2021-22 and produced career highs of six points and seven rebounds in his most recent contest at Toronto on Jan. 7.

Martin, 26, has played in 93 games over parts of three NBA seasons with Minnesota and Indiana, averaging 5.6 points on 41.7% shooting (30.9% 3-PT, 88.9% FT), 2.4 rebounds, and 0.7 assists in 13.6 minutes. The Kentucky native produced 6.3 points (41.7% FG), 2.0 rebounds, and 16.4 minutes in 27 games (one start) for the Pacers this season, reaching double figures in scoring on three occasions.

Celtics sign rookie forward Sam Hauser

The Boston Celtics have signed rookie forward Sam Hauser.

Originally signed by the Celtics as a two-way player this past offseason, Hauser, 24, has produced 19.0 points on 48.0% shooting (42.4% 3-PT), 5.7 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in 20 games played with the Maine Celtics of the NBA G League. Hauser has reached the 30-point mark twice with Maine this season – including his most recent game against Grand Rapids on Feb. 6 – and leads the team with 84 three-point field goals.

Hauser has played in 10 games for Boston this season, tallying 12 points and six rebounds in 41 minutes of action. He produced 9.0 points (50.0% FG, 46.2% 3-PT), 4.8 rebounds, and a team-high 2.0 assists in five games for the Celtics during the 2021 MGM Resorts NBA Summer League.

Boston Celtics sign Luke Kornet

The Boston Celtics have signed center Luke Kornet.

Kornet, 26, returns to Boston after being acquired by the team as part of a three-team deal with Chicago and Washington on March 25. He played in 18 games (two starts) with the Celtics last season, averaging 4.4 points on 47.3% shooting, 2.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.4 blocked shots. The Texas native scored in double figures four times in 2020-21, three of which came as a member of the Celtics.

In five NBA seasons with New York, Chicago, Boston, Cleveland, and Milwaukee, Kornet has produced 5.7 points on 40.3% shooting, 2.6 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.9 blocked shots, and 15.0 minutes in 136 games (35 starts).

Celtics trade Josh Richardson, Romeo Langford and draft picks to Spurs for Derrick White

The San Antonio Spurs have acquired guards Josh Richardson and Romeo Langford, a protected 2022 first round pick and the rights to swap 2028 first round draft picks with Boston in a trade with the Celtics for guard Derrick White.

Richardson, 6-5/200, is a seven-year NBA veteran who has spent time with Miami, Philadelphia, Dallas and Boston. Originally drafted by the Heat with the 40th overall pick in the second round of the 2015 NBA Draft, Richardson has appeared in 44 games this season for the Celtics and is averaging 9.7 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 24.7 minutes while shooting .397 (62-156) from three-point range. The former Tennessee Volunteer enjoyed a career year with Miami in 2018-19, averaging 16.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.08 steals in 34.8 minutes. Richardson in holds career averages of 12.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.06 steals in 30.0 minutes over 417 NBA games.

Langford, 6-4/215, joins the Spurs after spending the past two-plus seasons with Boston. This season the University of Indiana alum is averaging 4.7 points and 2.4 rebounds in 16.5 minutes in 44 games. Originally selected by the Celtics with the 14th overall pick in first round of the 2019 NBA Draft, Langford has appeared in 94 NBA games, averaging 3.6 points and 1.9 rebounds in 14.7 minutes.

Originally selected by San Antonio in the first round (29th overall) of the 2017 NBA Draft, White, 27, has averaged 11.6 points (44.5% FG, 34.4% 3-PT, 83.6% FT), 3.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 0.8 steals, and 25.7 minutes in five seasons (237 games) with the Spurs. The Colorado native has averaged double-digit scoring over each of the past three seasons, including a career-high 15.4 points/game mark in 2020-21.

In 49 games with San Antonio this season (48 starts), White has produced 14.4 points on 42.6% shooting, 5.6 assists, and 1.0 steals over 30.3 minutes. He has reached the 20-point mark nine times this season, including a season-high 26 points on 9-of-18 shooting (3-6 3-PT) against New York on Dec. 7, and has connected on at least three 3-point field goals on 14 occasions. White produced 18 points and a career-high 14 assists at Detroit on Jan. 1, one of his two double-doubles this season.

Richardson will wear No. 7 for the Silver and Black, while Langford will wear No. 35.

Rockets trade Daniel Theis to Celtics for Dennis Schroder, Bruno Fernando and Enes Freedom

The Houston Rockets have traded center Daniel Theis to Boston in exchange for guard Dennis Schröder, center Bruno Fernando and center Enes Freedom.

In a related move, the Rockets have waived guards D.J. Augustin and Armoni Brooks.

Schröder (6-3, 172) was the 17th overall pick by Atlanta in the 2013 NBA Draft and is in his ninth season. For his career, Schröder has appeared in 606 games with 263 starts while averaging 14.3 point, 4.7 assists, and 2.9 rebounds, including 17.0 ppg and 5.2 apg dating back to 2016-17. Schröder was runner-up for the Sixth Man of the Year award while playing for Oklahoma City in 2019-20.

Fernando (6-9, 240) was the 34th overall pick by Philadelphia in the 2019 NBA Draft before his rights were acquired by the Hawks. In three seasons, Fernando has appeared in 109 games with 13 starts while averaging 2.8 points and 2.7 rebounds in 9.1 minutes per game. The 23-year-old averaged 10.9 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 2.4 apg and 1.3 bpg while assigned to the G League this season.

Freedom (6-10, 250) was the third overall pick by Utah in the 2011 NBA Draft and is in his 11th season. In 748 career games with 259 starts, he is averaging 11.2 ppg and 7.8 rpg in 21.5 mpg.

Theis, 29, has played in 285 games (141 starts) over five NBA seasons with Boston, Chicago, and Houston, averaging 7.5 points on 54.1% shooting (32.7% 3-PT), 5.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.9 blocked shots, and 19.6 minutes. He has played in 26 games for Houston this season (21 starts), contributing 8.4 points (46.9% FG), and 5.0 rebounds in 22.5 minutes.

Originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Celtics in July of 2017, Theis produced 7.2 points on 55.4% shooting (34.5% 3-PT), 4.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.9 blocks, 13 double-doubles, and 18.8 minutes in 236 games (106 starts) over parts of four seasons with the Celtics from 2017-18 to 2020-21. He played a critical role during the Celtics Eastern Conference Finals run in the 2020 NBA Playoffs, averaging 8.9 points (52.1% FG), 7.1 rebounds, 1.2 blocked shots, and 28.4 minutes, while starting each of Boston’s 17 postseason contests.

Augustin was acquired by Houston in March of last season and appeared in a total of 54 games as a Rocket.

Brooks made his NBA debut with the Rockets last April and played in a total of 61 games for Houston.

Celtics trade Bol Bol and P.J. Dozier to Magic, who waive Michael Carter-Williams and E’Twaun Moore

The Orlando Magic have acquired center Bol Bol, guard P.J. Dozier, a future second round draft pick and cash considerations in a trade with the Boston Celtics for a future protected second round draft pick (2023, protected 31-55), President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman announced today.

In addition, Orlando has waived guard Michael Carter-Williams and guard E’Twaun Moore.

Orlando also used a Traded Player Exception (TPE) to complete the deal. A TPE is what one team receives in exchange for a player traded to another team that can absorb that player into salary cap space.

Bol and Dozier were both acquired by Boston from Denver as part of a three-way trade on Jan. 19, 2022 that also included San Antonio. Juancho Hernangomez went to San Antonio and Bryn Forbes went to Denver in the trade.

Bol (7’2”, 220, 11/16/99) played in 14 games this season with Denver, averaging 2.4 ppg. and 1.4 rpg. in 5.8 minpg. He underwent surgery on his right foot on Jan. 18.

Originally selected in the second round (44th overall) of the 2019 NBA Draft by Miami, Bol has played in 53 career NBA regular season games (two starts), all with Denver, averaging 2.7 ppg. and 1.2 rpg. in 6.2 minpg. He has also appeared in eight career NBA G League regular season games with Windy City, averaging 12.0 ppg., 5.8 rpg. and 2.25 blkpg. in 19.3 minpg.

Dozier (6’6”, 205, 10/25/96) played in 18 games this season with Denver, averaging 5.4 ppg., 3.5 rpg. and 1.6 apg. in 18.9 minpg. He suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee on Nov. 23 and will miss the remainder of the 2021-22 season.

Undrafted by an NBA franchise, Dozier has played in 105 career NBA regular season games (six starts) with Oklahoma City, Boston and Denver, averaging 6.4 ppg., 3.0 rpg. and 1.8 apg. in 18.0 minpg. He has also appeared in 107 career NBA G League regular season games (100 starts) with Oklahoma City, Maine and Windy City, averaging 17.9 ppg., 6.4 rpg., 5.2 apg. and 1.36 stlpg. in 32.8 minpg.

Carter-Williams (6’6”, 205, 10/10/91) has not played this season due to left ankle injury recovery. He underwent surgery on Aug. 23, 2021 to remove a bone fragment and to repair a ligament in his left ankle. Carter-Williams has appeared in 391 career NBA regular season games (217 starts) with Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Chicago, Charlotte, Houston and Orlando, averaging 10.3 ppg., 4.4 rpg., 4.4 apg. and 1.27 stlpg. in 25.3 minpg. He was originally signed to a 10-day contract by the Magic on Mar. 15, 2019 and played in 88 games (25 starts) with the Magic, averaging 7.5 ppg., 3.9 rpg. and 3.3 apg. in 21.1 minpg.

Moore (6’3”, 190, 2/25/89) has not played this season due to a sprained left knee. He was signed as a free agent by Orlando on Sep. 9, 2021. Moore has appeared in 598 career NBA regular season games (191 starts) with Boston, Orlando, Chicago, New Orleans and Phoenix, averaging 7.9 ppg., 2.0 rpg. and 1.8 apg. in 21.0 minpg. He also spent two seasons with Orlando from 2012-14. Moore played in 154 regular season games (24 starts) with the Magic during that span, averaging 7.1 ppg., 2.1 apg. and 2.0 rpg. in 20.7 minpg.

75th Anniversary All-Celtics Team announced

As the 17-time World Champion Boston Celtics continue their season-long celebration to commemorate their 75th anniversary as an NBA team, the franchise today revealed the complete roster for its 75th Anniversary All-Celtics Team.

Fifteen Celtics legends, as determined by thousands of votes from fans, media members, and historians were selected for the All-Celtics Team. More than thirty media members and historians, selected for their expertise, knowledge, and experience with and around the franchise, comprised 50% of the All-Celtics Team’s final weighted voting. Fans accounted for the remaining 50% of the voting.

The fifteen players selected are: Ray Allen, Larry Bird, Bob Cousy, Dave Cowens, Kevin Garnett, John Havlicek, Tommy Heinsohn, Dennis Johnson, Sam Jones, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, Paul Pierce, Bill Russell, Bill Sharman, and Jo Jo White. Each member of the team has been elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, and the group combined has a total of 64 championships as players with the Boston Celtics. Players from each of the team’s NBA-best 17 World Champion teams are represented.

“Considering how many world class players have worn a Celtics uniform, selecting our all-time team is yet another reminder of the incredible legacy and singular place in the NBA that the franchise holds,” said Celtics President Rich Gotham. “Our organization thanks all the fans and media who participated in the selection process.”

The latest on the Celtics

The latest on the Boston Celtics, from the Boston Herald:

In a time-worn ritual — the one where an underperforming team bonds together because of outside doubt and criticism — the Celtics are standing against the world, according to Marcus Smart.

Jaylen Brown believes this is exactly the approach the Celtics need.

“The season hasn’t gone the way we expected as far as ups and downs, but we always try to find ways to come together as a team,” said Brown. “So the mentality of us against the world is the right frame of mind to be in. If these are the guys that we’ve got, the guys that we’re rolling with, then we’ve got to make the best of our situation regardless of the media or whatever other people are saying. I would support that.

“There’s always urgency, always a sense of urgency, for sure,” he said. “Whether you’re winning or you’re losing, there’s always gotta be that approach of, you know, we’ve had some ups and downs this season and put some stretches together, and we’re looking to do so more as we took what we learned from the first half of the season into All-Star break and beyond. I think that we have improved in a lot of areas offensively, as a team, as a coaching staff, as players, I think we’ve gotten a little bit more comfortable. We’ve just got to keep that sense of urgency and keep building on top of it.”