Getty Dwight Howard #39 of the Los Angeles Lakers fouls LaMarcus Aldridge #21 of the Brooklyn Nets.
The Boston Celtics‘ frontcourt suffered a significant blow when Danilo Gallinari suffered a torn ACL, which presumably sideline him for the entirety of the 2022-23 season. Then, Heavy’s Sean Deveney reported on September 20 that Robert Williams III will get arthroscopic surgery on his knee, which will sideline him for four to six weeks.
That leaves Al Horford, Grant Williams, and Luke Kornet as their only viable options at center. The injuries to Gallinari and Williams make the Celtics a little thin in that department, so it may be in their best to add another proven option until Williams makes his return.
After Williams’ surgery had been confirmed, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski brought up who the Celtics could potentially sign. One name, in particular, was brought up because according to Wojnarowski, the Celtics had interesting him at one point.
“There are still some veteran bigs out there in the marketplace if they decide that they want to add somebody. Dwight Howard is out there. LaMarcus Aldridge is out there, a player I was told they showed a little interest in this summer.”
.@wojespn with the latest report on Robert Williams III:
Aldridge, who has spent the past two seasons with the Brooklyn Nets, managed to average 12.9 points and 5.5 rebounds while shooting 55 percent from the field and 30.4 percent from three at the age of 37 last season. Though he put up solid numbers, the Nets did not play him one minute in the 2022 playoffs.
Head Coach Ime Udoka also has personal experience with Aldridge, having been an assistant both with the Nets and the San Antonio Spurs during the time in which Aldridge played for both teams.
Celtics May Not Add Anyone
In that same report by Wojnarowski, he also said that the Celtics may not add anyone because of the timeframe of Williams’ injury.
“They expect to have (Williams) at 100 percent fairly early in the season. So I think it still remains to be seen whether Boston feels like it needs to go out and get some help. Really, mostly, this is going to be a preseason, training camp injury.”
After the Celtics made the moves that they’ve made this offseason, they have three open roster spots – potentially four if they don’t think things are working out with Luke Kornet since his deal is partially guaranteed. While they also brought in veterans on training camp deals, there’s no guarantee that who they’ve brought in will fill in those spots or if any of them will make the team period.
They may very well wait to see who’s on the open market mid-season.
Celtics Waive Bruno Caboclo
After Williams’ surgery had been reported, the Celtics then waived training camp signee and former first-round pick Bruno Caboclo, as reported by The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
Sources: The Celtics have waived forward Bruno Caboclo.
Given the timing, waiving Caboclo may very well be a simple coincidence, or it could be a sign that Williams’ injury has pushed the Celtics to covet another veteran who is a bit more proven. It could be Aldridge, Howard, or maybe even Carmelo Anthony.
Regardless, the training camp limit is 20. While Brodric Thomas is expected to be brought on, the Celtics will still have one more space for another training camp body. The timing feels like more than a coincidence since Caboclo didn’t even get to participate in training camp before the Celtics waived him.