Hassan Whiteside, Udonis Haslem and Tyler Johnson re-signed, with Dwyane Wade moving on to the Chicago Bulls, Luol Deng to the Los Angeles Lakers, Joe Johnson to the Utah Jazz and, now, Green to the Celtics.
Advertisement
The high-flying swingman who went from essential component to afterthought in the Heat’s rotation last season has agreed to a one-year, veteran-minimum contract with the Boston Celtics, similar to the one he played under last season in his lone season with the Heat.
Green, a 30-year-old shooting guard, was drafted by the Celtics with the 18th overall pick in 2005. He was part of the trade that brought Kevin Garnett to Boston in the summer of 2007. West only signed a one year contract with Ainge. Green was a raw talent back then, who displayed freak-of-nature athleticism from the start and a respectable three point shot in his second season. Green indicated publicly he had hoped to return to Miami. He played in all 82 games and assumed the starting center role for a playoff team – 59 starts.
Much like it is with most trades in the National Basketball Association, there is a chess game being played right now between the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers over Jahlil Okafor.
The Zeller deal adds depth as well, though it is also a positive in terms of flexibility for the Celtics. Both the Herald and Globe have indicated from sources that it’s more likely than not that the roster will definitely be adjusted significantly before the start of camp in late September.
You see, not many teams are going to pay out high prices for the Sixers big men when it’s evident that there are plenty of them, and people won’t stop talking about how badly the Sixers need to make a deal. Even beyond that, his value to the Sixers as a former No. 3 overall pick means that they can’t afford to just drop him if he’s not a complete, Anthony Bennett-level bust.
Advertisement
The 76ers are reportedly planning to trade Okafor to the Celtics as they will have the best possible return of players against him with possibilities like Ben Bentil, R.J. Hunter, Demetrius Jackson, Jordan Mickey, Terry Rozier, Guerschon Yabusele, James Young, and Ante Zizic.
