
Garrison Mathews is the biggest ‘small splash’ the Boston Celtics could make
Could there be one more reunion that Brad Stevens has up his sleeve in the form of a Garrison Mathews comeback?
This would be one of the ultimate mulligans after Mathews wasn’t retained following a stint on the Cs during the 2021 preseason. After letting him walk, Stevens has had to watch Mathews blossom into a lethal 3-point shooter for a Houston Rockets team that may be too far away from his contributions even being relevant. Mathews is already 25, so his timeline actually does fit Boston’s more than the Rockets’ at this point.
The Cs now have Derrick White, so the sting is subdued compared to what it could have been otherwise. Even still, there’s room to right the wrong of letting him walk in the first place, and all it would take is one of the C’s remaining exceptions.
Now, I will admit, not every TPE is represented on this list. Some are simply too small to absorb a player salary into. That said, Mathews would be covered by all but three of the remaining TPEs not already listed.
38% 3-point shooting on almost seven attempts per game is certainly something you consider relinquishing a draft pick for. Mathews has become that good in Houston.