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Offseason Report Card: Celtics get four Bs, a C and an F for offseason moves

By Josh Cornelissen

Jaylen Brown has not said a word about Marcus Smart being traded by the Boston Celtics -- but what is the reasoning for the silence from Brown? (Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images)
Jaylen Brown has not said a word about Marcus Smart being traded by the Boston Celtics -- but what is the reasoning for the silence from Brown? (Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images) /
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Boston Celtics
In the midst of free agency drama, the Celtics signed their second player since the Kristaps Porziņģis trade by agreeing to a deal with guard Dalano Banton (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /

4. Signed Oshae Brissett

Signed former Indiana Pacers forward Oshae Brissett to a 2-year, $4.63 million contract

An underrated member of the Indiana Pacers over the past two seasons, Oshae Brissett established himself as an NBA player in the open spaces of a rebuilding team. That does call into question how viable he will be on a contender, but his play established the possibility that he could be a rotation player as well.

The Celtics needed to add forward depth on the minimum after letting Grant Williams leave, and Brissett has the defensive chops to get on the court. His efficiency is his big weakness; if he can shoot at a league-average level he’ll have a shot to be in the Celtics’ rotation ahead of Sam Hauser and Luke Kornet; if not, he’s likely just a regular-season player. Either way, it was worth the price.

Grade: B

5. Signed Dalano Banton

Signed former Toronto Raptors point guard Dalano Banton to a 2-year, $4.22 million contract

Moving Marcus Smart left a need for another ball-handling point guard, and the Celtics went after former Toronto Raptors guard Dalano Banton to bolster their bench. It’s likely that with Peyton Pritchard moving into a bench role behind Derrick White whoever they signed was going to be outside of the rotation, so this was purely a depth move.

Banton is 6’9″ which gives him a very defensive floor as a part of the Celtics’ scheme, which historically has featured a lot of switching. He isn’t Marcus Smart, but he’ll be a positive. The question is what kind of growth he can exhibit on the offensive end. He has something of a “Ben Simmons” lite profile if he can improve his finishing; if the shot comes around, this grade elevates. The problem is that his track record suggests he is such a poor scoring threat in the halfcourt that he’ll get played off the floor.

Grade: C+