With 14 players signed to guaranteed contracts, the Boston Celtics don't have to do anything else this summer. They have extra motivation because staying under the tax allows them to reset the repeater tax. They don't have to add anyone else, but if they don't care much for that, they could look into bringing back a familiar face like Kelly Olynyk.
Brad Stevens has brought back players he used to coach, like Al Horford, Daniel Theis, and... Enes Freedom. So, he has no problem bringing back players he is familiar with. That might especially be the case with Olynyk, who not only became a Celtics hero but also paved the way for Boston to make the Eastern Conference Finals with Stevens.
Not many players in Celtics history have the kind of legacy Olynyk does because of one game (Grant Williams did, and even then, fans are still divisive on him). It goes beyond sentimental purposes too. Olynyk has familiarity, but also fits into the Mazzulla Ball as a floor-spacer who doesn't make mistakes on either end of the floor.
He was frustrating at times during his Boston tenure because of how erratic his scoring could get, but it's not like the Celtics would bring back the same player that left in 2017.
There are worse big man options out there
Olynyk is not coming off the best season, but at 35 years old, that's not all that surprising, especially for a player who has always been a limited athlete. He's not as in demand as he was during his multiple free agency periods because he didn't have much of a role with the San Antonio Spurs.
But for a Celtics team that will likely depend on its big man depth quite a bit, with Mitchell Robinson likely to be conserved as much as possible, Olynyk wouldn't be too bad. The only proven floor-spacing big man on the roster is Luka Garza, who is solid from distance, but what's wrong with having another player like him on the roster?
Olynyk has also never been the best rebounder for his size thanks to his alligator arms, but luckily, he would be surrounded by excellent rebounders from every which way if he played for Boston again this coming season.
Again, he's not among the younger players in the league, but evidently, the Mike Conley Jr. signing proves that age is nothing but a number to Boston, so why not entertain a reunion like this? Olynyk is not Horford, but if the expectation is Blake Griffin (Boston version), that definitely isn't too high a bar to clear.
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