Boston Celtics free agent signing set to be ‘end-of-the-rotation’ player

The first Boston Celtics signing of the 2023 free agent period is set to be an "end-of-the-rotation" player according to Boston.com's Conor Roche Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports
The first Boston Celtics signing of the 2023 free agent period is set to be an "end-of-the-rotation" player according to Boston.com's Conor Roche Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports

The Boston Celtics added Oshae Brissett to the roster for depth purposes, but don’t plan to use him in the way they deployed the likes of Justin Champagnie, Mike Muscala, or Luke Kornet last season — instead, the Cs are set to use him as a rotation piece according to Boston.com’s Conor Roche.

“All in all, Brissett figures to be an end-of-the-rotation player for the Celtics this upcoming season,” Roche prefaced before saying, “With his 6-foot-7 frame and 6-foot-11 wingspan, to go along with his knack for corner shooting and ability to make hustle plays, he could figure to be in the mix to replace Grant Williams if he leaves this offseason.”

Brissett was a rotation player with the Indiana Pacers for the past three seasons, averaging 16 minutes in 2022-23 and over 20 minutes the two seasons prior. It’d make sense the Celtics signed him at a bargain rate while giving him good minutes considering the financially restrictive nature of the new CBA.

Oshae Brissett could be a potential Grant Williams replacement for the Boston Celtics

It’s “conceivable,” according to MassLive’s Brian Robb, that the Boston Celtics signed Brissett for the explicit purpose of replacing restricted free agent Grant Williams as the four-year veteran looks to get a personal record payday.

“Brissett is still just 25 years old and has shown enough promise in Indiana to be a useful depth piece for certain matchups,” Robb prefaced before saying, “He is also conceivably a very low-cost Grant Williams replacement (and a far worse shooter) if the team loses him via free agency or a sign-and-trade.”

Williams is receiving interest from the Charlotte Hornets per HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto and has had longstanding interest from the Dallas Mavericks, who are looking to complement their star backcourt of Luka Doncic and the recently re-signed Kyrie Irving with two-way talent. The likelihood of either Williams or Malcolm Brogdon leaving is high per Inside The Celtics’ Bobby Krivitsky.