3 ring-chasers the Boston Celtics can sign in free agency

2022-07-23 00:12:39 By : Ms. Meryem Dai

Boston Celtics (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

The Boston Celtics are fresh off their first NBA finals berth in a dozen years and are now viewed differently by win-now veterans seeking a Championship. Boston is positioning itself to be the odds-on favorites to hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy next season.

Danilo Gallinari reportedly took less money to join the Beantown boys because winning supersedes everything else at this stage of his career. In a subsequent move yesterday, the Celtics landed star guard, Malcolm Brogdon in a steal of trade with the Pacers giving no core parts of their eight-man rotation.

Brad Stevens has been given full blessings from ownership to do what he deems necessary to improve the team. The Celtics are heavy spenders, as expected, and the bench has been given a facelift as the first order of business.

There are still dominoes left to fall as we are only on day three of NBA free agency. The Cs traded out a slew of end-of-bench players that will need to be replaced. This opens up three potential roster spots.

The only improvements can be done by using the 17.1 mil TPE, which seems highly unlikely as they were able to get their primary targets without it or filling out the roster with guys on veteran minimum contracts.

This is where the term “ring-chasers” comes into play — there are numerous players that have gotten paid in their long careers and are solely focused on winning. What better place to do this than on a team coming off a competitive Finals run in the Boston Celtics?

Boston Celtics Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

The Boston Celtics are missing an enforcer on their bench to instill a sense of toughness and energy in the soul of this ball club. DeMarcus Cousins is as rugged and bruising of a player that is still seeking his first NBA championship.

The 11-year veteran center only has 20 games of playoff experience because he spent a large chunk of his career in a Sacramento Kings jersey. ‘Boogie’ accepted backup big man duties in his last three stops with the Los Angeles Clippers, Milwaukee Bucks, and Denver Nuggets.

The 31-year-old averaged nine points and 5.6 rebounds as he split time between the Bucks and Nuggets last season. Cousins is a plus defender on the court, can score at all three levels and plays with a chip on each shoulder.

In the last few seasons, the former All-Star has done much work to rid the reputation of “having an attitude” or being un-coachable. That didn’t stop Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone from speaking admirably to the Denver Post about Cousins positive impact on the team:

“You can see all the guys on our bench, even on the court and on the bench, how much they’re rooting for DeMarcus, which is really neat for me, just from a personal level, from a family atmosphere type of a thing. Like here’s DeMarcus, four-time All-Star, out of the league. Shouldn’t be the case, and he’s here with us, he’s found a home. I love him, and I think you can see all the teammates, when he has a play like that, whether it’s blocking a shot, rolling and dunking, hitting a three, you can feel the energy.”

The Boston Celtics lost Daniel Theis, a serviceable back-up big who could provide minutes of rest for guys like Robert Williams and Al Horford. This is the one discernable hole in the C’s rotation.

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