June 30th was the first day of NBA free agency, and the Celtics only made a couple of moves while some other teams went all out. The Celtics extended Kristaps Porzingis and signed free agent Oshae Brissett. Boston has likely already made its big splash of the offseason, but they shouldn’t be settled with what they have.
Breakdown of Celtics Day 1 Free Agency Moves
Celtics Extend Kristaps Porzingis
The first move the Celtics made in free agency was signing recently-acquired Kristaps Porzingis to a 2-year, $60 million extension. With this extension, Porzingis is on Boston’s books until 2026. What is most notable is that Porzingis was eligible for an extension worth $77 million. It is interesting that Porzingis has seemingly already taken a discount to play for the Celtics for more than just this season.
Porzingis was coming off a career year in Washington before being dealt to the Celtics in a three-team trade that also saw long-time fan favorite Marcus Smart head to the Memphis Grizzlies. Having the 27-year-old under contract for multiple years seemed to be inevitable following the trade. Seeing it officially come to fruition is one obstacle Brad Stevens and the team have seemingly avoided.
Oshae Brissett Becomes Newest Celtics Member
The first (and so far only) external move the Celtics made was signing free-agent forward Oshae Brissett. The Celtics signed Brissett to a two-year deal with a player option for the second year.
Brissett was signed by the Toronto Raptors as an undrafted free agent in 2019 out of Syracuse. From 2019-2020, Brissett played on a two-way contract for both the Raptors and their G League affiliate, the Raptors 905. Brissett only played in 19 games for Toronto before being selected in the first round of the 2021 NBA G League Draft by the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the Indiana Pacers G League affiliate. Brissett played parts of three seasons for the Pacers before the Celtics picked him up on Friday.
Interestingly, Oshae Brissett had a near career-high 27 points in a February win against the Celtics in 2022 while playing for the Pacers. In this same game, Brissett made a career-high six three-point shots on nine attempts while also adding six rebounds. This game clearly caught Brad Stevens’ eyes as he is currently the newest addition to the team.
In four seasons, Brissett averages 7.4 PPG and 4.2 RPG while shooting 34.9% from beyond the arc for his career. Brissett has also proven to be a good defender in his young career. The 25-year-old logged a career-high 118.5 defensive rating last season in 65 games.
Oshae Brissett will likely be nothing more than a role player for Boston, especially if the Celtics re-sign Grant Williams. Still, Brissett offers lots of potential and is a good fit as a two-way swingman. Brissett may receive a bigger role if Williams does walk in free agency, but this seems like a very low-risk, high-reward move for the Celtics.
What’s Next for the Celtics?
Jaylen Brown Extension for the Celtics
With the first day of free agency now officially over, the Celtics have two main storylines for the rest of the offseason. The most notable one is whether the Celtics will extend Jaylen Brown or not. Brown officially became eligible for a five-year, $295 million supermax extension on July 1. Although nothing is official, it seems as though there is optimism from both sides that a deal will eventually get done.
Brown has been a member of the Celtics since 2016 and made the All-NBA Second team last season. This is the first time Brown has received this honor. Despite there being some debate over whether the 26-year-old should be given the supermax, it is clear that he is a player the Celtics don’t want to lose for nothing. Even though it’s looking like he will be in Boston for a long time, reports don’t mean anything until pen is put to paper and things become official.
Will the Celtics Keep Grant Williams?
The other story to follow is what the Celtics will end up doing with free agent Grant Williams. Williams is a restricted free agent this offseason as his rookie deal expired, and some teams seem to be interested in poaching him away from the Celtics. Although it is deemed “unlikely” Williams makes his return to Boston, it also has not been ruled out. Williams has been with the Celtics since being selected by the team in the 2019 draft. The 24-year-old has seen his role grow every year since then. It should be interesting to see how this offseason unravels for the two sides.
