Intriguing Option for Celtics May Soon Become Available

The Celtics have one full-time roster spot vacant and a pair of openings for two-way deals. They're $3.4 million under the second apron, per Spotrac.

Plus, Luke Kornet, Dalano Banton, and Justin Champagnie's contracts not being fully guaranteed gives them more flexibility.

And while they've reportedly expressed interest in signing Austin Rivers, per the Boston Globe's Gary Washburn, a free agent cited while exploring the Celtics' best available options, players cut as teams finalize their rosters will create another intriguing pool of players to consider.

According to Keith Smith of Spotrac, multiple teams are monitoring who becomes available from the Thunder, with one executive conveying, "Some good players are going to get cut from OKC, and we all need to be ready to jump when that happens."

Oklahoma City, who extended head coach Mark Daigneault's contract Wednesday, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, has done an outstanding job developing the high volume of younger players that have mainly joined its roster from the franchise stockpiling draft picks.

Unfortunately for the Thunder, to that team executive's point, they can't keep everyone.

That could lead to Usman Garuba or TyTy Washington Jr. relocating again after their involvement in multiple trades this summer or Aaron Wiggins becoming available.

It could also result in Oklahoma City parting with Jeremiah Robinson-Earl. The former Villanova Wildcat was the 32nd pick of the 2021 draft. He's a six-foot-nine power forward who turns 23 in November.

Robinson-Earl is at his best at the defensive end, where he has the versatility to guard multiple positions. He's also a high-IQ player who sees the floor well and is an effective cutter.

The former five-star recruit averaged 7.2 points per game his first two years in the NBA and made 35.2 percent of his 3.4 three-point attempts as a rookie, demonstrating his ability to grow into a reliable stretch-four. He's also productive on the glass, grabbing 5.6 rebounds in 22.2 minutes as a rookie and 4.2 per contest in 18.9 minutes last season.

While the Celtics may not want to part with multiple second-round picks to acquire him, if they can bring Robinson-Earl on board for one, he'd provide them an added layer of quality front-court depth with promising upside. And according to Spotrac, he's only on the books for $1.9 million for the 2023-24 campaign and has a team option also worth under $2 million for 2024-25.