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Boston Celtics have made offer to sharpshooting wing: Report

By Sam LaFrance

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - MARCH 28: P.J. Washington #25 and Svi Mykhailiuk #10 of the Charlotte Hornets walk down the floor in their game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center on March 28, 2023 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Joshua Gateley/Getty Images)
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - MARCH 28: P.J. Washington #25 and Svi Mykhailiuk #10 of the Charlotte Hornets walk down the floor in their game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center on March 28, 2023 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Joshua Gateley/Getty Images) /
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Less than a day after the Boston Celtics waived Justin Champagnie, it sounds like they’ve got their sights set on a potential free-agent signing.

According to SDNA — that’s the source, good luck reading the article, though — Boston has extended an offer to sharpshooting wing Svi Mykhailiuk.

“Svi Mykhailiuk received an offer from the Boston Celtics,” read an aggregated tweet from the Euroleague Basketbolu account. “Mykhailiuk will make up his mind soon if he chooses to return to Europe he will sign with Panathinaikos.”

Does it make sense for the Boston Celtics to target Svi Mykhailiuk?

With the way that they play offense, yeah.

Mykhailiuk has made a name for himself in the NBA by doing one thing: shooting. He fits perfectly into the offensive scheme of Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla, where the Cs shoot as many threes as possible. Boston shot the second-most 3-pointers per game in the regular season, firing up 42.6 attempts each night.

The Ukrainian marksman would give the Celtics another reliable shooter off of their bench. Last season, he played in 32 NBA games with the New York Knicks and Charlotte Hornets. In those appearances, he averaged 6.9 points per game and shot 44.5% from the field and 42.4% from beyond the arc.

He finished the season in Charlotte, where his numbers were even more impressive. Mykhailiuk’s scoring average shot up to 10.6 points per game in about 22.5 minutes each contest. He knocked down 40.4% of his attempts from distance with the Hornets, which is still an impressive clip despite being lower than his season average.

What would Svi Mykhailiuk’s role with the Boston Celtics be?

If he were to sign with the Celtics, Mykhailiuk would likely be a “break glass in case of emergency” guy. Yes, his numbers last season — particularly his efficiency were impressive. But, it’s tough to fathom that he’d edge Sam Hauser or Oshae Brissett out of the rotation.

Maybe he’d take on a smaller role like the one that Hauser played last season, as Hauser perhaps begins to eat some of the minutes voided by Grant Williams’ exit.

At the end of the day, it doesn’t ever hurt to add more shooting, but Mykhailiuk would not be an earth-shattering signing for the Cs.

For more potential free agent targets to fill Boston’s final two roster spots, check out a recent upload to the How ‘Bout Them Celtics YouTube channel where CelticsBlog’s Jack Simone and I discuss some possible fits.

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