Getty Head coach Steve Nash and Lamarcus Aldridge #21 of the Brooklyn Nets.
The Boston Celtics still have some open roster spots left at the moment. Many speculate that they will use one of them on a player who could potentially replace Daniel Theis, who was traded back in July in Boston’s deal to acquire Malcolm Brogdon. With Theis gone, they need another big man who can spell minutes for Robert Williams III and Al Horford. One Eastern Conference executive believes one particular big could do the job – LaMarcus Aldridge.
At 37 years old, Aldridge is no longer the scoring machine he was during his days with the Portland Trail Blazers and San Antonio Spurs, but the exec believes his offensive prowess combined with his familiarity with Udoka from their days together with the Spurs could make him a good fit with the Celtics.
“Aldridge is 37 now, (so) it would not be a surprise if he decided on retiring,” the executive said. “But he still can score, he still has some value out there. He would be a nice fit in Boston, just as a guy who can knock down some shots and step in when Rob WIlliams or Horford needs a break. He has been with Ime (Udoka) a long time.”
The exec also added that Boston may try to let one of their younger players get the role that Theis previously, so as of now, they haven’t contacted Aldridge.
“But Boston, it looks like they want to give some young guys a chance to win a job, so they have not gone in on him. Not yet, anyway.”
Aldridge’s Numbers Last Season
LaMarcus Aldridge played for the Brooklyn Nets last season. After calling it quits following an irregular heartbeat, Aldridge came out of retirement to return to the Nets for the 2021-22 season.
In the 47 games Aldridge played for the Nets, he averaged 12.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, and one block a game in 22.3 minutes a game. Aldridge also shot 55 percent from the field while shooting 30.4 percent from three.
The Nets did not play Aldridge at all during the 2022 NBA Playoffs, and the last game he played for them was on April 6, 2022, against the New York Knicks. Aldridge played six minutes and did not score a single point.
Evidently, the Nets did not trust Aldridge when the stakes were higher. There have been no reports that the Celtics are interested in bringing him in, but it appears they are interested in filling the void left by Theis, as evidenced by their latest signing.
Celtics Added Noah Vonleh
On August 1, the Celtics signed Vonleh to a one-year deal, according to Adrian Wojnarowski. Vonleh agreed to the deal in the hopes of making it on their roster.
Free agent F Noah Vonleh has agreed to a one-year deal with the Boston Celtics, source tells ESPN. Vonleh will go to training camp with the hopes of making the roster.
Keith Smith later added that the deal was not an Exhibit 10 contract. In other words, it was not exclusively a training camp deal. This means that presumably, Vonleh will be heading into the Celtics training camp with a real shot to make their roster.
Noah Vonleh’s deal with the Boston Celtics is not an Exhibit 10 contract, a source tells @celticsblog.
Vonleh is going to camp with Boston with a real chance to make the regular season roster.
Vonleh did not play during the 2021-22 season and only played four games for the Nets during the 2020-21 season.
Despite the lack of playing time recently, the Celtics brought Vonleh in to take a flyer on him. He is the third former lottery pick from the 2014 NBA Draft over the past year or so to be signed by the Celtics, joining Jabari Parker and Nik Stauskas.