Boston Celtics: Ranking the fit of NBA’s 8 best bargain free agents

4. Gary Payton II

The son of the great “glove” Gary Payton is an absolute defensive menace, as B/R points out:

"Though 432 minutes isn’t the largest sample size, Payton managed to put his dynamic defensive capabilities on display despite playing for a team that seemed almost hostile to the idea of point prevention. The 27-year-old averaged 2.7 steals per 36 minutes and 2.4 deflections per game while guarding some of the league’s best scorers."

Clearly, Payton is a stud on the less glamorous end of the ball. The thing is, the Cs already have a defensive ace they can deploy at the backup point guard spot in Marcus Smart. Payton is specifically mentioned as a target for Boston, and while he could be a nice defensive compliment to Tremont Waters and Carsen Edwards on the second unit, he won’t have a much of a role when things get intense in the playoffs when the team needs a bucket.

3. Shaquille Harrison

Shaquille Harrison is very much a defensive specialist, but at six-foot-seven, he has more value as a switchable wing:

Per Forbes’ Jason Patt:

"“Harrison’s defensive metrics are impressive. His 2.80 Defensive Real Plus-Minus places him 15th in the NBA, just a few places behind [Kris] Dunn. His Defensive RAPTOR just edges Dunn’s mark. His 4.9 deflections per 36 minutes and 2.3 loose balls recovered per 36 minutes rank toward the top of the league, per NBA.com’s hustle stats. He has always been good at racking up steals, and his block percentage also jumped this season.” At 6’7″, Harrison can guard four positions on his best day and quarterback a stifling perimeter defense. The Bulls had a strong 99.7 defensive rating with the 27-year-old and a 110.0 defensive rating without him."

Obviously, though, the same caveat applies re: Harrison’s ability to contribute in clutch-time situations. Obviously, the plan is to never have to rely on role players like him, but given his putrid 3-point shooting splits before this year (23 and 27 percent in his first two seasons) Harrison wouldn’t add enough offensive value to justify the roster spot.

2. Jordan McLaughlin

Jordan McLaughlin went from two-way contract to being labeled as one of the underrated backup floor generals the association has to offer. His 38 percent shooting from the 3-point line would be well-served in the Boston Celtics offense, but as Namaste points out, it may be his leadership that is his strongest quality:

"Despite a mostly subpar set of teammates, McLaughlin’s strengths still translated to the NBA. He ranked eighth in the league in assist/turnover ratio, recorded the third-best effective field-goal percentage on the Timberwolves and quickly became one of the team’s leaders. Of the 24-year-old, Minnesota head coach Ryan Saunders said: “He has leadership qualities that are qualities you’re born with. He has an ability to connect people, an ability to connect with his teammates and try to relay things to them that maybe us as coaches may not be able to convey to them.”"

McLaughlin brings plenty of intangibles to the table, but his experience in the league is somewhat limited. He played Pac-12 basketball at USC and spent some time with the Iowa Wolves, but his lack of meaningful game experience keeps him from being the top backcourt option.

1. Trey Burke

You can’t argue with the results. Originally a lottery pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, Burke has bounced around the league, having stints with the Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, and Dallas Mavericks.

What separates Burke from the other guards on this list is his playoff abilities, which were on full display against the Los Angeles in the 2020 Western Conference quarterfinals:

"He blitzed the Houston Rockets for 31 points in the Mavericks’ first bubble game, played at least 20 minutes in five more seeding matchups and filled an integral role in their first-round series with the Los Angeles Clippers, shooting 50.8 percent from the field and 47.1 from three on 9.8 field-goal attempts per game. Teams like the 76ers (yes, the organization that dropped him earlier this year) and Portland Trail Blazers in need of a second-unit sharpshooter with playmaking chops should look into signing Burke to a short-term deal."

The Boston Celtics are also in need of a second-unit sharpshooter, causing a marriage between Burke and Beantown to be an idea worth seriously considering this offseason.