Xavier Tillman reveals why he re-signed with Celtics in free agency

BOSTON — For the Boston Celtics, last season ended in confetti. A shower of green and white covered TD Garden, and not long after, duck boats sailed from Causeway to Hynes Convention Center. But hidden amongst the celebrations were a slew of tough decisions regarding contracts, and Xavier Tillman was one of those.

The big man joined the Celtics at the deadline in a trade with the Memphis Grizzlies. He didn’t earn much playing time during the regular season, but when the NBA Finals rolled around, he was thrown into the fire. Kristaps Porzingis was out, so Tillman earned real minutes, and he looked stellar. He was a huge part of their Game 3 win over Dallas.

So, once the offseason rolled around, both he and the Celtics had to navigate free agency.

Xavier Tillman reveals why he re-signed with Celtics in free agency

For Tillman, it was simply a matter of if other teams could pay him more than his love for Boston was worth. That didn’t happen.

“Well, you got to do your due diligence,” Tillman told reporters at Celtics practice on Wednesday. “You got to see what other teams are offering, and all that stuff like that. But once you get all the offers in, if they're not comparing to where you want to be at, then you just go ahead and do what you do.”

Tillman re-upped with the Celtics on a multi-year deal, and heading into next season, his role could grow even more. Just as Porzingis was out during the Finals last year, he’s slated to miss significant time to start the 2024-25 season.

With that, Tillman, Al Horford, Luke Kornet, and Neemias Queta are in line to see a bump in playing time. And considering Horford will likely sit out back-to-backs, the latter three will need to pick up the slack.

“It'll probably be me, Al, Luke, and Neem kind of just cycling in,” Tillman said. “And you know Al, he's probably not playing any back-to-backs. So for us, just figuring out what we can best assess.”

Tillman is ready for those responsibilities.

“I'm very excited. Very excited,” Tillman said. “This is what you hope for. To be able to get an opportunity. So for me, it's all about being healthy. You can have the opportunity, but if you're not healthy then, you know what I'm saying? So, for me, I just want to make sure I'm stretching, geting in an ice bath, eating right, so that when it's my turn to go in, I'm ready, I feel great, and I'm ready to go.”

It’s never easy to join a team mid-way through the season, and it’s certainly difficult to jump into a rotation and play important minutes—especially when those minutes are in the NBA Finals.

But Tillman was always ready, and the team believed in him. From Joe Mazzulla to Brad Stevens to the City of Boston, everybody had his back.

One of the first times Tillman spoke to reporters since moving to Boston, he complained about the traffic. Now, he knows every street and pothole. He’s making the city his home.

“We talked about it yesterday at Jrue [Holiday]'s house. We're very, very comfortable. Like very, very comfortable,” Tillman said. “And at first, when I got here, because I was finishing up my contract, I didn't know how it was all going to pan out for me. 

“But now, as far as the city and everything, I feel like I know all the streets. I know where I'm going. I know about them crazy potholes and stuff like that. Like I'm good. I feel like, slowly but surely, I'm becoming part of the city. So, I love it.”