Danny Ainge, Boston Celtics
On March 28, the Boston Celtics waived goodbye to Luka Samanic, who had been impressing during his time with the Maine Celtics, as he inked a 10-day contract with the Utah Jazz.
Now, it would appear that Samanic did enough to impress Danny Ainge, Will Hardy, and the rest of Utah’s coaching staff, as according to a report by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Utah is signing Samanic to a multi-year deal.
The Utah Jazz are signing F Luka Samanic through the 2023-2024 season, a deal including guaranteed money and trigger dates, his agents George Roussakis and Mark Bartelstein of @PrioritySports tell ESPN. Samanic, 23, was the 19th overall pock to the Spurs in 2019.
“The Utah Jazz are signing F Luka Samanic through the 2023-2024 season, a deal including guaranteed money and trigger dates, his agents George Roussakis and Mark Bartelstein of @PrioritySports tell ESPN. Samanic, 23, was the 19th overall pick to the Spurs in 2019,” Wojnarowski tweeted.
During his time with Maine, Samanic built up an impressive season statline of 22 points, 8.1. rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game on 48.4% shooting from the field and 33% from the perimeter. Since joining Utah, Samanic has participated in five games, dropping 7.4 points, pulling down 4 rebounds, and dishing out 2.2 assists on 44.8% shooting from the field.
JD Davison Expected to Get Late-Season Playing Time
#NEBHInjuryReport for tomorrow vs. Toronto (1/2):
Malcolm Brogdon (low back pain) – QUESTIONABLE
Danilo Gallinari (left knee ACL repair) – OUT
Payton Pritchard (left heel pain) – QUESTIONABLE
With just two games left in Boston’s regular season, rookie guard JD Davison could see some playing time for the Celtics. Especially since their entire guard rotation has been listed as questionable by the team heading into their April 7 contest against the Toronto Raptors.
Davison, 20, was the 53rd selection in the 2022 NBA draft and has spent most of the season with the Maine Celtics in the G-League, where his athleticism and defensive upside have quickly seen him become an impactful player at that level. Davison has participated in 26 games for the Maine Celtics, averaging 12.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 8.7 assists per contest while shooting 50.6% from the field and 31.7% from deep.
Celtics fans will now be hopeful that one of their younger prospects could potentially get the opportunity to earn a bigger role within the team next season, although that will be difficult given the amount of guard talent on the Celtics roster.
Joe Mazzulla Heaps Praise on Malcolm Brogdon
“I hope he gets it. He deserves it.”
Joe Mazzulla on Malcolm Brogdon potentially winning sixth man of the year ☘️
Regardless of whether Brogdon suits up against the Raptors on April 7, the veteran guard has been an incredible addition to the Celtics rotation and could potentially end the season with a Sixth Man of the Year award to recognize his exceptional play.
When speaking to the media following the Celtics’ April 5 victory over Toronto, head coach Joe Mazzulla revealed his hope that Brogdon earns the individual recognition, as he believes the veteran has earned the chance to compete for the award.
“It would me a lot,” Mazzulla said. “The humility that he brings to our team, he takes pride in the second unit. And, in order to be a great team, you have to have people like that. And we have that from top to bottom. And different guys do different things. And, you know, Malcolm has come in here with patience, humility, and understanding and credit to the locker room for, you know, embracing and empowering him. And I hope he gets it. He deserves it.”
Fortunately for Boston, the outcome of their final two games will have no bearing on their standings within the Eastern Conference, as the Celtics have cemented the second seed, which could be why they might choose to rest some of their core rotation in the coming days.