Who can the Celtics add after Hayward’s injury?
On Tuesday, the Celtics saw their prized offseason signing go down with a gruesome injury.
It is useless to speculate the length of Gordon Hayward‘s injury. None of us are doctors and none of us have examined his body. Regardless, the NBA world is praying and hoping for the best for Hayward and his family.
But with the injury, the Celtics are forced to change their plans for this season.
Boston now has an empty roster spot. Brad Stevens said before Wednesday’s loss against Milwaukee that the Celtics would actively look for someone to fill that hole.
They will seemingly look to fill it with a forward because of the depth they lost. Danny Ainge could also add another big man because Aron Baynes is the only true center on the roster. So what realistic options do the Celtics have in free agency?
Green is the most familiar name on this list. The Celtics drafted him in 2005. Then he was included in the Kevin Garnett trade in 2007. In 2016, he finally came back home to Boston.
Last season, he served the role of an end of the bench veteran presence. He played in just 47 games, averaging 11.4 minutes and 5.6 points per game.
Green really showed that he still had it in the playoffs. The Celtics fell behind 0-2 to the No. 8 seed Chicago Bulls in the first round when Brad Stevens thrusted him into the starting lineup. He had 18 points in Game 4 and 16 in the series clinching Game 6.
He has clearly proven that he can preform in any role. In the event of any type of injury, Green is an reliable fill-in option.
Green was a great locker room presence, especially on a young Celtics team.
The former No. 2 overall pick (after Kyrie Irving) has been underwhelming in his NBA career. He has played for five teams thus far, but was most recently with the Cavaliers last season.
Irving has familiarity with Williams after playing together last season. In 25 games with Cleveland last year, Williams averaged 6.2 points per game and shot 40.4% from three. Solid numbers for a bench player.
Like Green, Williams could add some athleticism and the capability to play multiple positions. He is a superior defender to Green, but does not shoot it quite as well. He could guard positions three through five and fill in nicely off the bench.
Thompson has played the last four seasons in the NBA with the Philadelphia 76ers and the New Orleans Pelicans.
This offseason, he signed with Olympiacos in Greece, so it is unknown whether he would be able to opt out of his deal and rejoin the NBA. But if he can, Thompson might be a guy worth considering.
His best season came in 2015-16 when he averaged 9.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per game on 38% shooting from three. He is 6-foot-8, and has the ability to guard positions two through four in most lineups.
Thompson could be a solid addition for this team, but the likelihood seems slim.
Another former Cleveland Cavaliers joins the list of potential future Boston Celtics. McRae currently plays for Saski Baskonia in the Spanish ACB League. He’s played parts of the last two seasons for the Cavaliers and Suns.
Last season, he averaged 4.4 points per game for Cleveland in 37 appearances. At 6-foot-6, McRae is a pure shooter. In Stevens’ lineups, McRae could play shooting guard or small forward.
McRae’s shortcoming fall on the defensive end. He’s averaged just 0.7 steals per 36 minutes over the course of his brief career.
He could become a realistic option if the Celtics feel they need more outside shooting, but adding Green as a shooter would make more sense.
House is an outside-the-box option the Celtics could consider. At 24 years old, he is the youngest player on this list. House played in just one game for the Wizards last year, his rookie year. He missed 39 games with a right wrist injury.
He played four years of college (two at Houston, two at Texas A&M). House showed his real potential there, averaging 14.1 points per game over his career and increasing his scoring average each year.
Bringing in an unexperienced player like House seems improbable, but adding him could be a long-term fit. If House can translate some of his college scoring ability to the pros, he could be a real weapon.
The Celtics should consider bringing him to their G-League team in Maine if he is not added to the Celtics roster.