Ranking the 3 best contracts on the Boston Celtics

Daniel Theis

Originally signed in 2017 on a two-year deal with only one year guaranteed, Daniel Theis has transformed from end of the bench project to full-time starter. Theis was mined from the German League on a make-good contract on a stacked C’s team that was pegged as the team to take down LeBron James‘ Cleveland Cavaliers.

The version of the Boston Celtics that did go deep into the playoffs but ultimately fell to the “king” for the second straight year was a scrappier bunch than the potential power that had Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward.

With their injuries, several Celtics stepped up to push the conversation of their youth stepping up. While Theis didn’t get much burn in the 2018 playoffs, he did enough throughout the season to have his contract guaranteed for the 2018-19 season.

He didn’t disappoint yet again, even averaging 10 points and eight rebounds per-36 minutes in the 2019 playoffs. That led to Ainge giving the German center a $10 million deal.

That has still seemed like a bargain because of Theis’ ability to fortify the front-court in Boston. The team hasn’t missed a beat with him in place of Al Horford and Aron Baynes, and they now have him for a second year in 2020-21.