Following Jaylen Brown’s big deal extension, the Celtics make their first roster move.

August 2, 2023 admin CHELSEA 0

On Tuesday, the Celtics elected to clear a roster spot by parting ways with 22-year-old forward Justin Champagnie.

The Boston Celtics have been busy this summer, and they have completed the most important task on their list by signing All-Star Jaylen Brown to a hefty contract extension. However, this does not mean that Boston is done making moves.

According to NBA insider Shams Charania, the Celtics dismissed forward Justin Champagnie on Tuesday afternoon in order to avoid paying $50,000 as part of a partially-guaranteed deal. The undrafted 22-year-old wasn’t with the C’s long, and despite a solid summer league performance, it wasn’t enough to earn him a roster place.

Following Jaylen Brown's big deal extension, the Celtics make their first roster move.
     Following Jaylen Brown’s big deal extension, the Celtics make their first roster move.

Boston signed Champagnie just before the 2023 postseason. The former University of Pittsburgh great appeared in only six games in Boston, with no important minutes to his credit. Furthermore, in his three-year career, he has averaged only 7.7 minutes per game. The C’s appear to be focusing their youth movement on point guard J.D. Davison and youngster Jordan Walsh.

With Champagnie no longer on the roster, the Celtics now have two available roster spaces. Blake Griffin, a six-time All-Star, is an unrestricted free agency this offseason and might be a great option to fill one of those open places. Despite the lack of a contract deal for Griffin, a reunion with the Celtics makes perfect sense.

This summer, the C’s also lost Grant Williams and Marcus Smart, two vital defensive players. If they let Griffin go, they’ll lose another outspoken leader and positive locker room presence, which isn’t ideal for a team that just hired a new head coach in Joe Mazzulla. A short-term deal for Griffin could help them retain some of their previous defensive identity. Because the 34-year-old is also past his prime, he may accept another team-friendly contract to remain in the league.

“Taking a charge up 30, 40 (points), whatever it is, says a lot about you.” “This is my favorite play of the game.”

There aren’t many obvious candidates for the other roster place. Boston could keep the spot open in the hopes of adding depth later in the season, but Brown’s historic contract will limit the front office’s financial freedom. For the time being, the Celtics should concentrate on retaining Griffin at a low cost before considering who should fill out the rest of their roster in the wake of Champagnie’s departure.

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