3 Boston Celtics players on the cusp of being cut loose this summer
By Mark Nilon
Boston Celtics player No. 2) Malik Fitts
If you don’t know the name Malik Fitts, we can’t really blame you.
Now, we mean no disrespect by this, but being that he initially signed on to the team in late February, has seen on-court action in just five games, and has logged a total of 11 minutes played on the year, it’s not outlandish to believe that there are a few people out there who had no idea he was on the roster.
Heck, the picture above with his face completely turned was the only one we could find in our database of him in a Celtics jersey.
If you’re one of these individuals who may not know who Fitts is, fret not, for there may be a good chance that he won’t wind up being back next season anyway.
As we said, he made his way to the Boston Celtics back in February, as he signed a 10-day contract to help the team meet the requirement of having 13 minimum players on the roster. Since then, we have seen the second-year pro be signed to another 10-day and, once that expired, a two-year deal that could find itself spanning to the end of 2022-23.
Like Stauskas, however, the second year is a team option and, if picked up, it would pay the 24-year-old $1.7 million.
If I were a betting man, I wouldn’t put money on the idea that Brad Stevens and co. will wind up shelling out this sum of money, regardless of how minuscule in the grand scheme of things it may appear to be.
During his tenure with the C’s, Fitts has done nothing noteworthy with the playing time he’s received, as he’s boasting averages of .6 points and .6 rebounds on 25 percent shooting from the field.
Even during his lone outing with the Red Claws, the power forward didn’t manage to do anything all that special, putting up a solid, but by no means mesmerizing, 14 points and nine boards on 50 percent shooting.
Granted, it is rather hard to show out when you’re only averaging 2.2 minutes, but, nonetheless, sometimes the NBA can be a cut-throat business.
With his less-than-desirable numbers, raw style of play, and lacking height (Boston already has a 6-5 quasi big man in their arsenal) it’s hard to envision this front office holding onto the former undrafted four past this season.