The Boston Celtics will see a familiar face a lot more often when the 2022-23 season starts. According to Adrian Wojnarowski, Juancho Hernangomez will be re-joining the Atlantic Division for this upcoming season, as he agreed to a one-year deal with the Toronto Raptors.
Free agent F Juancho Hernangomez is finalizing a one-year deal with the Toronto Raptors, sources tell ESPN.
The Celtics acquired Hernangomez from the Memphis Grizzlies last summer in exchange for Kris Dunn, Carsen Edwards, and the right for a 2026 second-round pick. Hernangomez played 18 games for the Celtics, averaging 1.1 points and 1.4 rebounds while shooting 18.5 percent from the field and 16.7 percent from three.
Hernangomez was later traded to the San Antonio Spurs, where he played five games before being traded again to the Utah Jazz. Hernangomez was much more productive in Utah compared to Boston and San Antonio. In the 17 games he played for the Jazz, Hernangomez averaged 6.2 points and 3.5 rebounds while shooting 50.7 percent from the field and 43.8 percent from three.
Despite putting up better numbers for the Jazz, Hernangomez was waived by the team earlier this summer. While Hernangomez didn’t do much for the Celtics, he certainly stirred some controversy after they traded him.
Hernangomez Called Boston Players ‘Selfish’
While promoting his movie Hustle, Hernangomez was candid when asked about his time with the Celtics.
In an interview with NBA en Movistar Plus on May 26, 2022, Hernangomez called his former teammates “selfish” and said that they had “egos.” Hernangomez added that not only was he not happy in Boston, but his time there made him lose his some of his love for basketball.
“Venía de Boston que a nivel de equipo eran jugadores un poco egoístas, había ego entre ellos. Después con 7 jugadores de cambio han sabido como jugar y juegan muy bien con 7/8. El problema era ese, que fuera de la pista no se hacía equipo”.
@juanchiviris41 en #GeneraciónNBA.
Juan Hernangomez on his stint in Boston:
“I wasn’t happy there, it was very hard. There was no communication, I didn’t know what was expected of me. There were many super selfish players, no team building. I lost my love for basketball a bit.”
(via @elpaisinenglish)
A few days later, Hernangomez backtracked some of his comments when appearing on the Rich Eisen Show on June 3. Hernangomez clarified that while he was frustrated at times during his stint with the Celtics, he was happy to be in Boston. He also vocalized his support for the team when they played in the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors.
“We had a rough start,” Hernangomez said. “We got a couple of close losses, a new coach, new everything. Everybody tried to (figure) out their roles. I was so happy there. I was so happy with the city, with the team, with the fans… They are three wins (away from) the title. I mean, they deserve it. They work so hard. We just had a bad beginning of the season. We didn’t find our game, but I’m happy they changed things, and they deserve to win the championship.”
Regardless of what his true feelings were when he played for the Celtics, Hernangomez showed his support for the team during the 2022 NBA Finals.
Hernangomez Rooted For Boston Against Golden State
Shortly after Hernangomez reflected on his time in Boston, he took to Twitter to show his support for his former team as they entered the final round of the NBA Playoffs.
After the Celtics took Game 1 in Golden State, Hernangomez tweeted, “Wow, never back down,” while adding a clover emoji to cheer on the Celtics.
Wow, never back down 🍀
Even after the Celtics would go on to lose the series in six games, Hernangomez tweeted that he was proud of the team after losing Game 6.
🍀 Proud
Now that Hernangomez has joined a division rival, he may not be so keen on supporting for his former team.
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Former Disgruntled Celtic Joins Division Rival