The Boston Celtics already made their big splash of the offseason, sending Marcus Smart to Memphis and acquiring Kristaps Porzingis from Washington in a blockbuster three-team deal last week.
Still, they could make a move in free agency to bolster their bench for the 2023-24 campaign. While Porzingis’ $36 million salary will put them $8.2 million over the luxury tax, the C’s have roughly $7.3 million to spend before they hit the second tax apron. They can still sign a free agent on a taxpayer midlevel contract worth between $2.5 million and $5 million.
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So, who should they target to improve their depth once free agency opens? Cedric Maxwell identified two players he’d like to see in Celtics green.
“The person that I think about is Montrezl Harrell,” Maxwell said. “You’ve got the nicest bench in the world. What you have is Mr. Clean over there with the Celtics’ bench. I want somebody over there who is a little nasty, a little dirty, a little gritty. He’s one of those few guys I’ve seen that can come in, won’t need the minutes, but really I think will be a high value for this team. …
“(Harrell) is always around the rim, always in somebody’s face. That nastiness that you don’t have, that comes along with that frown and that scowl you see on this kid’s face and I love it.”
Harrell, 29, averaged 5.6 points and 2.8 rebounds off the bench for the Philadelphia 76ers last season. The 6-foot-7, 240-pounder earned NBA Sixth Man of the Year honors in 2019-20 with the Los Angeles Clippers. As Maxwell notes, he is a high-energy player who can bring a spark off the bench and add depth to Boston’s frontcourt.
Maxwell’s second pick knows a thing or two about playing in Boston.
“If you could get Jeff Green to come in, Jeff Green played a great role with Denver playing off the bench and being able to shoot the basketball, attack the rim,” he said.
Green, 36, helped the Denver Nuggets to the 2023 NBA title. The 6-foot-8 wing played for the Celtics for parts of four seasons from 2010-15. He averaged 7.8 points and 2.6 rebounds for Denver in his 16th season. Although Green probably wouldn’t see the court often in his second Boston stint, he’d bring valuable veteran leadership to the locker room.
NBA free agency is set to begin Friday at 6 p.m. ET.
