Former No. 9 Pick Floated as Celtics Free Agent Target
The Boston Celtics have shown a liking towards having big men who can stretch the floor. Since 2013, the Celtics have acquired the likes of Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, Grant Williams, Kelly Olynyk, Jonas Jerebko, and Mike Muscala, among others, who fit that bill. They’ve even had some of their other bigs, like Daniel Theis and Aron Baynes, occasionally spot up for three.
There are still stretch-bigs on the open market. One of them is former lottery pick Frank Kaminsky, who NESN’s Keagan Siefel floated as someone the Celtics could add to their training camp roster.
“Frank Kaminsky might not necessarily be a sexy name (in more ways than one), but he feels like the kind of guy who could be added at some point over the later portion of training camp.
“The 30-year-old shot 39.4% from three-point range in 2023, and at 7-feet tall, he can guard the forward and center positions. Like we said, no one is going to jump for joy if this is the signing, but he’s more than capable of filling in minutes.”
Kaminsky was the No. 9 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets and has a career three-point shooting percentage of 34.9%.
Multiple Reports Confirm Celtics Interest in Blake Griffin
On August 3, CLNS Media’s Bobby Manning reported that the Celtics were interested in bringing Griffin back for the 2023-24 season while adding that he may take some time to make a decision.
“I’ve heard the door remains open for his return despite the distance from family and his home on the West Coast,” Manning wrote. “Given that he mulled his options until October last year, it’s worth assuming he’ll follow a similarly deliberative process this summer.”
Marc Stein reported on August 7 that the Celtics want Griffin back, but it’s not clear if he wants to play for them again.
“The Celtics, league sources say, have interest in re-signing Blake Griffin,” Stein wrote. “Less clear is Griffin’s stance, at 34, on returning to Boston for a 15th NBA season. Griffin signed with the Celtics in early October after training camp had already begun and appeared in just one playoff game after playing in 41 regular-season games.”
Griffin does not fit the typical mold of a stretch big, but he wasn’t too inefficient from distance during the 2022-23 season, as he shot a respectable 34.8% from three.
Drew Gooden Approves of Kristaps Porzingis Trade
While talking with Bally Sports’ Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson, former NBA player Drew Gooden praised the Celtics for acquiring Porzingis, though he added that losing Marcus Smart will be hard.
“I like Porzingis in Boston because they didn’t have to give up too many pieces,” Gooden told Robinson. “I know Marcus Smart was a huge, huge, huge emotional piece I would say that you cannot probably replace, but when you get a guy like Porzingis that ultimately can play alongside Jaylen (Brown), and…(Jayson) Tatum. I say they’re going to be a tough team to beat in the East.”
The Celtics almost made the 2023 NBA Finals and will enter the 2023-24 season having made a major shakeup with Porzingis in and Smart out. Whether the Celtics will improve from the trade will depend on if Porzingis’ talent as a player will outweigh the grit that Smart provided for the Celtics.