Recap of the Celtics Busy July 23

A recap of every move the Celtics made on July 23

After not a lot of movement from the Boston Celtics since they signed Al Horford, they made headlines yesterday with their plethora of moves. They weren’t able to pull off a blockbuster trade, but they still improved their team and got closer to finishing their 15-man roster.

The day started off with a somewhat surprising move. The Celtics have been in the market for a three-point shooter off the bench and turned to a familiar face. Their 2005 first round pick, Gerald Green, agreed to return to Boston on a one-year deal worth $1.4 million.

Boston had originally been rumored to be interested in Chase Budinger, although opted towards bringing back the 18th pick in 2005. After reviving his career in Phoenix, Green put together an up-and-down season with the Miami Heat last season. In 69 games, he contributed 8.9 points on 39.2 percent shooting and 32.3 percent shooting from three.

Although, Green is a career 36.1 percent three-point shooter and is just two years removed from averaging 15.9 points per game with the Suns. Also, while not as athletic as when he came out of high school, Green can still get up with the best of them. Pairing him with Jaylen Brown should come with a lot of fireworks as Boston got accustomed to his highlight dunks during his first two seasons in the NBA.

Other than Green, the Celtics decided to bring back big man Tyler Zeller. It comes as somewhat of a surprise as Boston already owned a very deep front court, and the Celtics made Zeller the fourth highest paid player on the roster. Zeller was signed for two-years, $8 million per year, and the Celtics own a team option in year two.

After playing in all 82 games and starting 59 in his first season with the Celtics, Zeller only appeared in 60 games last year. His role diminished last season to just 11.8 minutes per game as he contributed 6.1 points and three rebounds per game. He was a solid contributor when he got a chance to play, however the Celtics depth made it hard for him to find minutes.

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With Jordan Mickey waiting in the shadows, and Ben Bentil a possibility to make the roster, many expected Zeller to sign with another team. Although the Celtics qualifying offer made it hard for him to reach a deal with another team – similar to what happened to Jared Sullinger.

Along with adding a veteran and brining one back, Boston opted towards signing second round pick Demetrius Jackson and giving Ben Bentil a partially guaranteed deal. Jackson was an expected first round pick, and despite a shaky summer league, it’s not a surprise that Boston wanted to keep him around to see how his development goes.

Ben Bentil is not a guarantee to make the roster as his deal was only partially guaranteed. A solid training camp will likely cement his spot on the 15-man roster. If not, it’s likely he’ll join the Maine Red Claws and be back with the Celtics summer league team next year.

As far as Abdel Nader, Boston and Nader are trying to work out an agreement. It’s possible that he stays in the D-League for his rookie season like the reported original plan. Although, after his impressive summer league, international teams will have interest in adding the wing player. Nader will have some options heading into this season, and an impressive training camp could force the Celtics to add him to their 15-man roster.

However, according to Adam Himmelsbach, R.J. Hunter, James Young, John Holland and Ben Bentil are competing for the final roster spot. There’s a good chance that whoever doesn’t make the roster will stay in Maine, but being on the 15-man roster comes with a much bigger payday and a chance to see NBA minutes.

Despite all the moves Boston made, this doesn’t rule out a trade happening this summer. It becomes less likely but Danny Ainge always finds a way to make trades work.

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Boston still faces multiple decisions heading into this upcoming season, and their amount of young players with potential is making it very difficult. Still, adding a scoring wing off the bench and brining back a veteran who has seen 142 games in two seasons weren’t bad moves. It doesn’t impact the Celtics future cap room, either.