The Boston Celtics have emerged as a top landing spot for a six-time All-Star free agent who could provide another major piece for their revamped roster.
But adding the decorated veteran raises an intriguing question about how Boston plans to reshape its roster after its recent trade of five-time All-Star Jaylen Brown.
The veteran is DeMar DeRozan, and the Celtics topped a three-team board that placed them ahead of the Miami Heat and Utah Jazz, published Tuesday by Bleacher Report national writer Dan Favale.
But what is DeRozan’s fit with Boston? He does not shoot from distance, which would set him at odds with coach Joe Mazzulla’s preference for 3-point shooters, and he needs the ball to function. But he averaged better than 18 points and four assists last season while converting 52.7 percent of his two-point tries for the Sacramento Kings.
Celtics Need DeRozan’s Shot Creation After Brown Trade
GettyFree Agent DeMar DeRozan.
The Brown deal sent Boston’s second-leading scorer to the Philadelphia 76ers in early July in exchange for Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-rounders. The incoming picks include a 2028 selection routed through the Los Angeles Clippers and an unprotected 2031, as detailed by The Athletic.
But, Favale wrote, Boston cannot bank on the often-injured George suiting up every night, and that the Celtics roster is in trouble if new acquisition Mike Conley proves to be on the last legs of his career.
Nekias Duncan and Steve Jones Jr. reached a similar conclusion on Yahoo Sports’ “The Dunker Spot” podcast, framing a Tatum-George-DeRozan trio as a fix for Boston’s possession-creation shortage and a hedge against George’s availability.
The durability argument looks good for DeRozan. He appeared in 77 games for the Kings, and an NBAAnalysis.net breakdown from July 15 pitched him as a stopgap starter alongside Tatum, George, Derrick White and Mitchell Robinson.
DeMar DeRozan Contract Terms
DeRozan arrived in Sacramento on a three-year deal worth roughly $73.9 million, agreed to via sign-and-trade with the Chicago Bulls in 2024. His 2026-27 salary was set at $25.74 million, but only $10 million of it was locked in. The Kings cut him loose on July 6 after finding no trade, according to NBC Sports.
Seventeen years of service time sets his floor at $3,876,529. A one-year minimum contract for a veteran of that vintage counts against the signing team for only $2,449,421, with the league covering the gap, as laid out by Hoops Rumors.
Even that discounted figure is a problem. Boston’s tax payroll sits near $198.7 million against a projected $200.4 million threshold, leaving roughly $1.7 million in breathing room, Spotrac figures show. Signing DeRozan puts the Celtics back over the line while the front office is trying to reset the repeater clock. But a minor trade at the deadline would put the Celtics back where they need to be.
DeRozan was born Aug. 7, 1989, in Compton, California, and stands 6-foot-6. He spent one season at USC, took Pac-10 Tournament MVP honors and went ninth overall to the Toronto Raptors in 2009, according to his NBA.com biography. Nine years later he left Toronto as the franchise’s all-time leading scorer.
Along with three All-NBA nods, five All-Star selections, Olympic gold in Rio and career averages of 21.1 points and 4.1 assists across 1,264 games, per Basketball-Reference.
Celtics Named Top Landing Spot for $74 Million 5-Time All-Star Free Agent