Though he only spent half a season with the Boston Celtics, fans should be ready to say goodbye to Torrey Craig. The forgotten forward didn’t play much during his time with the Celtics, only earning playoff minutes when Joe Mazzulla looked to intentionally foul Mitchell Robinson, and now, it’s probably time to move on.
Craig recently appeared on The Garden Report, speaking about his time in Boston, and though he’s still around the organization right now, it doesn’t make a ton of sense for the Celtics to bring him back. Instead, they should look to prioritize the development of guys like Baylor Scheierman and Jordan Walsh.
Goodbyes may be in order.
Why should the Celtics let Torrey Craig walk?
Craig is an unrestricted free agent this summer, and while he could provide Boston with decent depth next season, they should be looking to go in a different direction.
At 34 years old, Craig is entering the final years of his career. He joined the team in hopes of helping Boston chase a second straight championship, but those hopes were snuffed out in the second round by the New York Knicks.
If Jayson Tatum were healthy, keeping Craig around would make more sense. He could be a reliable deep-bench piece for Boston as they look to win a title. But with Tatum’s Achilles injury taking him out for most (or all) of next season, the Celtics should be looking in a new direction.
Instead of keeping Craig around and loading up the bench with veterans, Boston should embrace a semi-youth movement.
Guys like Scheierman and Walsh still have a ton of room to grow, and since the Celtics’ title hopes aren’t as significant as they would have been next year, giving them the necessary minutes to grow should be a priority for Boston.
Re-signing Craig could get in the way of that, unless they want to deploy him as a mentor in the locker room.
Craig has been spotted around the Celtics since the season ended. He’s posted to social media while at the Auerbach Center, Boston’s practice facility, and seems to be in good spirits.
He’s connected with Tatum during his recovery and worked out with some other Boston teammates, so maybe Boston wouldn’t mind keeping him around.
Still, with how uncertain the Celtics’ roster construction is shaping up to be heading into next year, maintaining flexibility is important, and it seems relatively unlikely that Craig will be in their plans.