The Boston Celtics could have as many as three free agents in the 2023 NBA offseason, depending on the player valuations and decisions about them that the Celtics’ front office makes. And with the league’s new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) having been put together with the intention of making team building for contending ball clubs like the Celtics, their choices will carry extra weight for keeping Boston in the mix to win titles in future seasons as well.
To try and get ahead of whatever might happen in the coming offseason with regard to free agency decisions for the Celtics, Bleacher Report NBA analyst Zach Buckley put together his own assessment of what he thinks the team will do.
Let’s see who might be off of the roster come 2023-24 — and who might be sticking around.
This episode, we see how things look in the Hawks-Celtics first-round series from the Atlanta point of view thanks to SI’s Pat Benson. https://t.co/12rEGuEVVl
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) April 13, 2023
Blake Griffin (Unrestricted)
“The Celtics have to be pleased with what they’ve squeezed out of Blake Griffin,” suggests Buckley. “He was an emergency addition who didn’t sign until late September—after Danilo Gallinari tore his ACL and Robert Williams III had knee surgery.”
“The full-strength Celtics won’t need him, though, and it’s fair to wonder whether any NBA team will … Still, with his basketball IQ and offensive skills, he has a chance to latch on somewhere.”
Griffin is projected to join the Phoenix Suns.
Mike Muscala (Team Option)
“Boston probably knew all season it needed to add another big man. The Celtics had the option of trading for someone or waiting to see what the buyout market offered up,” suggests the B/R analyst.
“Muscala not only addressed a need for depth, he brought a different dimension to the frontcourt with his outside shot. That the Celtics sought him out to add that dimension suggests they probably want to keep him around.”
Buckley sees the Celtics hanging onto Muscala.
Grant Williams (Restricted)
“There is undoubtedly a universe in which Grant Williams takes the money and runs out of Boston this offseason,” offers Buckley. “We just almost assuredly don’t live in it.”
“Williams could have perhaps convinced someone to splurge on him by authoring a breakout season, but he either plateaued or perhaps even regressed a bit. If his next contract is reasonable, the Celtics will be the ones signing his checks.”
Clearly, the B/R analyst believes Williams is nearly a lock to return. For more detail into Buckley’s thinking, please be sure to check out the full article here.
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