"If you can't beat 'em, join 'em," as they say. Brad Stevens has clearly taken this proverb to heart this summer. His two biggest additions, Paul George and Mitchell Robinson, killed the Boston Celtics over the past two postseasons. If he really wants to keep it going, maybe he should bring in another who's very much available right now: Gabe Vincent.
With Vincent appearing on the Miami Heat's radar as the offseason winds down, Stevens may want to avoid a Deja vu from three years ago by bringing him onto the team. At the very least, it keeps him away from a Miami team that has somehow been able to turn him into a playoff riser and a team that just added one of the NBA's best players.
Besides, it's fair to wonder how deep the Celtics' guard depth is. Outside of Derrick White and Payton Pritchard, the only pure guard on the roster is Mike Conley Jr., who probably won't play a whole lot this year. If Boston really wants to address guard depth, why not bring in someone who has killed them when it matters most?
For the record, the same logic applies to Caleb Martin, who also killed Boston in the very same playoff series that Vincent did. The difference is that the latter is right there for the taking with no strings attached.
If signing Gabe Vincent doesn't work, what would it matter?
Let's be clear. There's a reason why Vincent is still a free agent this late into the offseason. Since breaking out in South Beach, Vincent has never approached the same numbers in his time with the Los Angeles Lakers (insert Nelson Muntz's "Ha-Ha!" here) or Atlanta Hawks.
Because there's little demand, it's not likely Vincent would see a resurgence as a Celtic. Still, Boston should make sure a hypothetical resurgence does not happen in Miami by any means, which, by extension, would mean using the final roster spot on him.
But even if Vincent does not work out with the Celtics, it won't hurt. It hurt the Lakers because they committed a good chunk of change and years to him. On a veteran's minimum contract, Vincent being a bust would be pretty easy for Boston to stomach.
Of all the remaining free agents, Vincent has appeal because he's a guard who has low-risk, meh-reward written all over him. And if he doesn't pan out, he can either be a cap filler in a trade or simply waived for someone better.
Because he's a certified Celtics killer, it wouldn't hurt to go the extra mile to ensure something like that never happens again.
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