Boston Celtics: Garrett Temple would be a great veteran leader for Cs

The Boston Celtics should seriously consider bringing on veteran players to the roster this offseason, and Garrett Temple should be seen as a viable option.

This past season, the Boston Celtics were a mere two games away from advancing to their first NBA Finals in over a decade. While the squad proved to have the fire-power capable of making a long postseason run, ultimately they lacked the veteran experience and leadership necessary to hold said fire-power in check and, in turn, they faded against a more motivated Miami Heat team.

This offseason, the Cs will look to address their various weak spots on their roster to improve their chances at attaining banner No. 18, and, in the Houdini’s humble opinion, bringing on veteran experience should be viewed as one of their top priorities.

Pickings will be slim, of course, as Boston will have minimal salary flexibility to utilize in free agency, meaning the mid-level exception and veteran minimum contracts will be all the rage for the organization.

One player who could theoretically fill in as a veteran presence on a team-friendly deal is the versatile wing, Garrett Temple.

Though technically still under contract with the Brooklyn Nets, NBA reporter Ian Begley recently reported that multiple teams expect the franchise to decline Temple’s $5 million team option for 2020-21, subsequently making him a free agent.

Serving as one of the Vice Presidents of the NBA Players’ Association, Temple was one of the main orchestrators in the league’s resumption after their COVID-19 induced hiatus as well as their vocalized stance on social and racial injustice — something this young Cs nucleus showed was very important to them.

Having a highly respected figure across the league such as the 10-year-veteran could prove to be a huge plus for this young Boston Celtics squad. His strong and sound voice within this championship-aspiring locker room, coupled with his still productive game on the court — averaged 10.3 points and 3.5 rebounds per game on 33 percent shooting from deep in 2019-20 — should only benefit the shamrocks in the long term.