The Boston Celtics did a wonderful job upgrading their roster this NBA offseason without sacrificing large portions of their rotation.
Malcolm Brogdon was acquired from the Indiana Pacers in a trade and Danilo Gallinari was signed following the San Antonio Spurs waiving him.
Boston looked ready to go, but they have already been hit by the injury bug despite training camp only opening this week. Gallinari tore his ACL while playing for Italy in EuroBasket, creating a hole at the power forward spot.
The frontcourt took another hit when it was announced that Robert Williams III would be sidelined for several weeks following knee surgery of his own. Looking to shore things up, the Celtics dipped back into free agency to find some depth.
LATEST NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Blake Griffin & Boston Celtics Updates
Adrian Wojnarowski announced that the Celtics agreed to a one-year deal with veteran big man Blake Griffin. The deal is fully guaranteed as Griffin will earn just over $1.8 million this upcoming season, which is the veteran’s minimum.
Griffin provides the team with some more depth capable of playing either frontcourt spot in the lineup. Replacing Gallinari and Williams won’t be easy, but Griffin looks like he could be part of the plan in the early going to soak up minutes.
Griffin has spent the last season and a half with the Brooklyn Nets following a buyout from the Detroit Pistons. He is well past his prime, as the Nets removed him from the rotation down the stretch of the season.
LATEST NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Blake Griffin & Boston Celtics Updates
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft has lost a good amount of athleticism and explosiveness in recent seasons that defined his game early in his career. But, with the team looking to scale back Al Horford’s minutes this season, Griffin could find himself playing rotation minutes for the Celtics at least until Williams is healthy enough to return or they make another move to shore up the frontcourt.
