The Boston Celtics just signed Luka Garza to a two-year, $5.5 million contract that is fully guaranteed, Shams Charania of ESPN reported. The move came shortly after the San Antonio Spurs stole Luke Kornet away in free agency, and with Al Horford’s status in limbo, the Celtics needed a big man.
Enter Garza. The 6-foot-10 center has spent the last three years with the Minnesota Timberwolves, but has failed to earn serious rotation minutes. Instead, the Iowa University legend did most of his damage in the G League in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons. Now, he’ll have a chance to earn real NBA minutes in Boston.
But that’s not a good sign for the Celtics.
What does Luka Garza bring to the table?
In college, Garza was an elite scorer. And he carried over that success into the G League. In the 2022-23 season, in which he was named an All-Star, Garza appeared in 15 G League games, earning 36.0 minutes per contest.
He averaged 30.7 points, 10.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.3 blocks while shooting 63.4% from the field and 47.1% from beyond the arc on 4.5 three-point attempts per game.
Those are crazy numbers, but he never earned the chance to prove himself at the NBA level, as he was stuck behind Rudy Gobert, Naz Reid, and others in a Timberwolves rotation that was gunning for a deep playoff run year in and year out.
He’s not the best defender, as he’s not a great athlete, and he plays mostly below the rim. However, Garza’s three-point shot is very quick, and he does a pretty good job of filling space under the rim in the dunker spot.
Why is this bad for the Celtics?
Through no fault of his own, Garza signing this deal with the Celtics is not a good signal regarding the state of their roster, nor for the direction of their season next year.
As things stand, the Celtics are slated to roll out a center rotation of Garza, Neemias Queta, Xavier Tillman, and rookie Amari Williams. Of those guys, Queta is probably the most ready to be a starter, and he still struggles mightily with foul trouble, passing, and finishing around the basket.
The fact that Boston had to sign Garza as an effort to strengthen their center position heading into next season reveals one thing: Boston could be slowly moving toward a tank year.
With no Jayson Tatum, it may be inevitable at this point.