Getty Joe Ingles, Boston Celtics
Heading into the offseason, the Boston Celtics will be armed with the Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception, which projects to be around $5 million.
As such, Boston’s ability to find a legitimate role player is slightly limited this summer. However, according to Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz, there is still value to be found for the Celtics – especially if they’re targeting a sharpshooter.
One player that Swartz believes would be an ideal addition to Boston’s rotation is Joe Ingles, a veteran sharpshooter who can attack off the dribble when the defense close into his airspace.
Joe Ingles might have one of the hardest mixtapes in NBA history
“Cost is also an issue for Boston, a team that is already projected to dive deep into the luxury tax, especially if Grant Williams is brought back,” Swartz wrote. “Ingles only got better as his season went along in a return from a torn ACL.”
Ingles, 35, played in 46 games for the Milwaukee Bucks this season, providing them with 6.9 points, 3.3 assists, and 2.8 rebounds per game while shooting 55.6% from two-point range and 40.9% from deep.
Grant Williams Undergoes Surgery
When it comes to perimeter scoring, Grant Williams is one of Boston’s biggest threats – especially when his shot is coming from the corner. However, following the 2023 All-Star break, Williams struggled for form and consistency, finding himself in and out of the rotation for the remainder of the season.
However, now it would appear that the Tennessee alumn was nursing an injured left hand for some of the season and recently underwent surgery to help repair the issue – as reported by ESPN’S Adrian Wojnarowski.
ESPN Sources: Boston Celtics forward Grant Williams – who’ll be a restricted free agent this summer — had surgery on his left hand Friday that’s expected to have him fully recovered for the start of fall training camp:
“Boston Celtics forward Grant Williams – who’ll be a restricted free agent this summer — had surgery on his left hand Friday that’s expected to have him fully recovered for the start of NBA training camp in the fall, sources told ESPN,” Wojnarowski wrote. “The surgery, considered successful, comes after Williams hurt the hand in March. Williams decided to continue playing with the injury through the Celtics’ run to the Eastern Conference Finals.”
Williams will be a restricted free agent this summer, putting Boston in a difficult situation regarding where to draw the line in matching potential offer sheets from other teams around the league.
Celtics Add Another Assistant Coach to Their Staff
Outside of their impending player personnel decisions, the Celtics have also been put in a position to begin rebuilding their coaching staff. Before the 2022-23 season began, the Celtics lost Will Hardy, who became the head coach of the Utah Jazz. Then, during the postseason, Damon Stoudamire left the team to become the new head coach at Georgia Tech University.
Finally, Ben Sullivan and Aaron Miles left Boston after the season to team back up with Ime Udoka on the Houston Rockets. However, Brad Stevens and Joe Mazzulla have moved quickly to secure Sam Cassell and Charles Lee, adding the two highly-respected coaches to their staff in recent days, with the latter being announced on June 11.
Charles Lee is finalizing a deal to join the Boston Celtics as the lead assistant coach, sources tell ESPN. Lee had been the associate head coach with Milwaukee and a finalist for the Toronto and Detroit head jobs.
Suddenly, the Celtics project to have one of the deepest coaching units in the NBA, which fans will be hoping can help lift the team back to the finals next season after the team fell short in the Eastern Conference Finals this year.