Per The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the Boston Celtics have officially waived guard/forward Justin Champagnie after playing in just six games with the Eastern Conference powerhouse in 2023.
The 22-year-old former Pittsburgh standout came over from the Miami Heat’s G-League affiliate the Sioux Falls Skyforce on April 7, 2023. He originally signed a multi-year contract with the 17-time NBA champions and would have been owed $50,000 if he was on the roster past Tuesday. The potential NBA Finals contenders opted to waive him instead.
During his time in Sioux Falls, Champagnie averaged over 18 points per game on 52% shooting from the floor to go along with eight rebounds. The majority of his NBA career before that was spent with fellow Celtics’ Atlantic Division foe, the Toronto Raptors. His dream of obtaining some sort of role in the association is not going to happen in Boston.
He came in to fill out the roster in early April, becoming the 15th man on the team for the final two regular season contests, and the 2023 playoff run. Though he has been a consistent standout in the G-League, the former Pitt player has yet to crack into consistent playing time at the professional level since Toronto waived him last summer.
The Boston Celtics have waived G/F Justin Champagnie, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Champagnie was signed to a multiyear deal out of the NBA G League late last season.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 1, 2023
Attempting to earn a roster spot with the green and white next season, Champagnie opted to play in the NBA 2K24 Summer League in Las Vegas. He participated in four out of the five games for the Vegas Celts, showing some flashes of potential, but at the end of the day, it was not enough for Brad Stevens to keep him around. The former All-ACC First-team player averaged just over 13 points while shooting under 40% from the field in July. He did lead the team in rebounding though, snatching 1.7 more boards per game than any of his teammates this summer.
With the decision made by Stevens, Boston now has two open roster spots to fill out its roster. Given where the team is, just above the second apron, the Boston Celtics are likely going to round out this talented roster with players on veteran minimum contracts.
Justin Champagnie’s future in the NBA is blurry after Boston Celtics release
With Champagnie now heading out on the market, he has to be seeking a two-way deal with another franchise. The Warriors, Clippers, Pelicans, and Thunder are the only organizations with more than just one two-way deal to give out.
His brother Julian Champagnie just re-signed with the San Antonio Spurs on July 6, 2023. The former Celtic could join forces with him via a two-way deal with the Texas outfit given that it has one more to distribute after signing Sir’Jabari Rice, and Dominick Barlow to two of the three potential spots.