Ignoring any potential major shake-ups, Boston Celtics still have to fill out the back end of their roster. They had 12 guaranteed contracts on the books heading into Monday.
They are giving veteran forward Noah Vonleh and seemingly eternal project Bruno Caboclo a chance to make the roster.
Vonleh has a real shot to be in Green on opening night. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN broke the news of the signing.
Free agent F Noah Vonleh has agreed to a one-year deal with the Boston Celtics, source tells ESPN. Vonleh will go to training camp with the hopes of making the roster.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 2, 2022
This is a true non-guaranteed contract, not an Exhibit 10 (guys headed to the G-League). Vonleh, a 6’10” stretch four/five, played last season in China, and while that is a league not exactly known for impressive defense, Vonleh put up solid numbers, as friend of the site Keith Smith points out.
Noah Vonleh played 22.8 MPG in 28 games in China last year. Playing time rules for non-domestic players likely kept his minutes down. But he still averaged:
14.4 PPG
9.2 RPG
1.8 SPG
1.3 BPGReally important? He shot 38.8% from three on 116 attempts. Still only 26 years old too.
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) August 2, 2022
Before that, Vonleh played in 40 games total over three NBA seasons, bouncing between Minnesota, Denver, and Brooklyn. If Vonleh shows he can bring the shot he had in China stateside and stretch the floor for Boston, he will land a roster spot.
It’s going to be a longer shot for Caboclo to make the final roster, but the former No. 20 pick of the Raptors has bounced around the league and has not found a home. Bringing Caboclo in is a decent flier for the Celtics, but it is a flier.
Free agent Bruno Caboclo has agreed to a training camp deal with the Boston Celtics and will compete for a roster spot, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 1, 2022
Expect the Celtics to bring in some more non-guaranteed camp players and have a little competition to see who can make the roster.