3 Players Boston Celtics should target after waiving Justin Champagnie
By Sam LaFrance
The Boston Celtics started off the month of August with a bang (or waive). On Tuesday afternoon, the C’s waived forward Justin Champagnie, according to multiple reports. Champagnie’s contract would’ve become partially guaranteed had Boston not waived him Tuesday, meaning that they would’ve had to cough up a crisp $50,000.
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
With the 22-year-old no longer on the roster, they now have two open roster spots — one of which must be filled by opening night.
The Celtics are currently about $4.2 million under the dreaded second-apron, after waiving Champagnie. They’ll have some — albeit a small amount — of wiggle room to operate in the open market now, without violating the “super tax.”
Boston Celtics could bring in Trendon Watford to fill out the roster
As they look to fill at least one more roster spot, Boston has a few different options — the first of which would be a longer-term project.
Former Portland Trail Blazers forward Trendon Watford is a player who could help fill a key role for the Celtics down the line. Last season, he averaged 7.4 points and 3.8 rebounds per game in about 19.1 minutes per contest. Watford was efficient in his scoring as well, knocking down 56.0% of his attempts from the floor and 39.1% of his attempts (only one attempt per game) from beyond the arc.
Watford’s three-point percentage took a major jump from his rookie season, where he shot just 23.7% from distance for Portland. The progress he was able to make in such a short period of time should be an encouraging sign for the Celtics, as well as other teams around the association.
With that being said, the 22-year-old was waived by the Blazers on June 30, and no one seems to care. He’s still out there as a free agent and the Cs should take a chance on him.
The former LSU standout has a skillset that somewhat resembles that of aging big man Al Horford — at least on the offensive end. He’s still got some growing to do on the defensive side of the ball, which is probably why he’s still out there for the taking.