The Boston Celtics have made some major changes to their roster after their second round exit in the 2024-25 season.
With their star player Jayson Tatum expected to be out for at least the majority of next season, the Boston Celtics knew that contending would be a tough task.
Their roster was expensive and over the second apron, which is why Brad Stevens made some big decisions to move on from players like Luke Kornet, Kristaps Porzingis and even Al Horford, who is close to joining the Golden State Warriors.
The team got Georges Niang as part of a trade that saw Kristaps Porzingis move to the Atlanta Hawks.
But it was reported yesterday that Niang had been traded to the Utah Jazz for two second round picks and rookie RJ Luis Jr.
Right after that, Shams Charania also reported the team had signed Chris Boucher on a one-year $3.3 million deal.
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Joe Mazzulla got heated after an incident with Boucher
Boucher was part of the Toronto Raptors side that won the championship in 2019. He remained a vital contributor for the franchise, but his contract ended after last season.
His move to the Celtics certainly gives him the chance to be on a good roster, but he might have to resolve his relationship with coach Joe Mazzulla first.
The 37-year-old, who is known to be calm on the floor, got heated when Boucher bumped into him back when he was on the Raptors in 2023.
Mazzulla, who was in his first year as a head coach, gave his side of the story after the game, “I just got bumped and was trying to figure out what happened. I’ve got to be more aware of my surroundings.”
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Celtics rotation still lacks quality
Adding Boucher does not help fill the void Horford and Porzingis leave on the team as both of them were valuable on both ends of the floor.
While Boucher is not a known three-point shooter, he averaged his career-best 36.3% from beyond the arc last season. He also scored 10 points per game and averaged 4.5 rebounds on the Raptors off the bench.
Boucher has come off the bench for the majority of his career, and it will be difficult to expect him to do a lot as a starter.
They will likely have to look at the likes of Xavier Tillman and Neemias Queta to have impactful seasons as Boucher alone will not be able to contribute significantly to the team.
Derrick White and Payton Pritchard are always going to be influential, but with key players like Horford and Porzingis gone, the frontcourt looks shorthanded.
