Celtics' summer league roster headlined by deal-breaker in Giannis trade bid

With all the excitement going on in Boston lately, there hasn’t exactly been a lot of bandwidth for hype around the rapidly approaching Las Vegas Summer League. But that should change in short order as the dust continues to settle from the wild Jaylen Brown for Paul George trade, and the young Celtics take the court on July 10th.

And, at least for now, the player headlining that summer league squad will be none other than sophomore standout Hugo Gonzalez, who has caught some unwanted attention this summer as his name popped up as a sticking point in trade talks for Giannis Antetokounmpo between the Celtics and Bucks.

The rumor was blown out of proportion, and in reality, it was likely some combination of Gonzalez, Baylor Scheierman, other players, and lots of draft capital, but still, Hugo’s name was blasted all over the media, with people talking like the potential deal came down to Boston’s unwillingness to include him in the trade.

Hugo Gonzalez will have a target on his back

Through no fault of his own, Hugo has a huge spotlight on him and a target on his back. Again, it’s completely unfair, but some fans and media members will inevitably grade him on a steep scale and be quick to remind others that he’s the reason the Celtics don’t have Giannis (again, to be clear, that is leaving out a lot of details, context, and nuance).

Gonzalez is making waves currently for the Spanish national team, and from the look of it he’ll soon be in Las Vegas, leading a Celtics’ summer league team that also includes rookies Chris Cenac Jr. and Dillon Mitchell, plus a second-round pick who saw some time with the Cs last year in Amari Williams, and John Tonje, who came over at the deadline and starred in Maine.

The only player from last year’s Celtics squad who would have been in the summer league squad is Max Shulga, a second-round pick from a year ago who didn’t receive a qualifying offer from the Cs and has latched on with Golden State for summer league. 

Keep an eye on Amari Williams, Chris Cenac Jr., and Dillon Mitchell

Watching the Celtics’ youngsters in Vegas is always fun, but it should be particularly interesting this year to see how Gonzalez looks after hearing the rumors all summer. Hopefully, like a lot of promising second-year guys, he’ll come out and quickly prove that he’s too good for summer league. After playing for Spain, the Celtics likely don’t want to work him too hard anyway.

It will certainly also be interesting to see how Williams looks after a year as a pro, and showing some flashes in Boston. Cencac Jr. is an intriguing upside bet on a big, freakish athlete. If he really pops, he should have a chance to crack the rotation this season. And the same goes for the second-rounder, Dillon Mitchell, one of the best defensive players in the draft who just badly needs to improve his jumper.

The full roster and schedule are below, courtesy of Noa Dalzell.

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