One more domino has fallen in the NBA’s free-agency shuffle, and it comes with a little extra good news for Boston. Bennedict Mathurin is headed to the Pelicans on a two-year, $16 million deal, ending one of the league’s lingering summer questions.
Mathurin was a restricted free agent, and the agreement with New Orleans includes a player option, so the exact mechanics still aren’t fully settled. But the bottom line is clear: Mathurin is out of the Clippers’ orbit and in with the Pelicans.
That matters to the Celtics because Boston is now heavily invested in the Clippers’ future going sideways. The Celtics control LA’s first-round pick in the 2028 draft, assuming it ends up more favorable than the 76ers’ pick. The worse the Clippers get, the better that asset looks for Boston.
Mathurin wasn’t a star, but he was a useful young piece, the kind of player that can matter on a roster trying to stay afloat. The Clippers got him in the trade that sent Ivica Zubac to the Pacers before the February deadline, and now he’s gone again, likely for little return. That only makes LA thinner.
If the Kawhi Leonard trade eventually goes through and he lands with the Raptors, the Clippers will have moved James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, and Ivica Zubac in a matter of months. In return, they’d be left with Darius Garland, draft picks, and whatever comes back from Toronto - Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, and draft picks, unless the deal changes.
Now Mathurin is part of the list of departures, too. That leaves the Clippers with another hole in the rotation and a rebuild that looks more difficult by the day. They still have two seasons before they hand over that valuable pick to Boston, but it’s hard to picture this group turning things around that fast.
On paper, LA looks like one of the weakest rosters in the league. The franchise wants to build around its young core, but even that group looks shaky outside rookie Keaton Wagler. They’ve picked up some useful draft capital in the Zubac and Leonard deals, but unless they use those assets to swing big on the trade market, those picks aren’t likely to change their fortunes anytime soon.
More realistically, the Clippers appear headed for a painful reset. That may be a rough road for the organization and its fans, but it also means Boston could be sitting on a premium asset when 2028 rolls around. The Celtics got that pick in the Paul George-Jaylen Brown trade, and right now the path to it becoming valuable looks wide open.
For LA, the future is getting thinner. For Boston, it’s looking better by the day. Mathurin, a 24-year-old wing who averaged 17.6 points and 5.4 rebounds last season, is gone - and with him goes another bit of hope for a Clippers turnaround.
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Celtics Have One Obvious Answer To A Familiar Guard Problem
Bostons guard depth has a familiar hole, and Gabe Vincent is the kind of name that naturally comes up when the Celtics start looking for a way to shore it up. The free agent guard has already shown he can matter in big postseason moments, including against Boston, which makes him an obvious fit for a team that wants more insurance behind its primary creators without having to reinvent the roster.
There is also the added wrinkle of keeping him away from Miami, where he has strong ties and where a return would make plenty of sense. For the Celtics, the appeal is straightforward enough: he is available, he has playoff experience, and he would address a clear need. The harder part is figuring out whether he would be more than a useful depth piece, or the sort of signing that looks better on paper than it does once the games start piling up. [Read more 🡒]
Payton Pritchard Is Chasing One Skill That Could Unlock More Scoring
Payton Pritchard has already carved out a valuable role for Boston as an efficient scorer and a reliable free throw shooter, but this offseason he is zeroing in on one part of his offense that could make him even more dangerous. The Celtics guard wants to improve his ability to draw fouls and get to the line more often, a subtle skill that can change how defenses play him and open up easier scoring chances.
Pritchard talked recently about that focus, and it fits the kind of incremental growth Boston has long valued from its rotation pieces. He did not get to the stripe often last season despite making the most of his opportunities there, so the challenge now is turning more of his shot creation into contact and pressure on the rim, the sort of next step that can quietly raise his ceiling without changing his game entirely. [Read more 🡒]
Celtics Face A Payton Pritchard Decision That Could Expose The Bench
Payton Pritchard has already shown he can handle a larger role when Boston needs one, and the Celtics may have to lean on that again next season after Jaylen Browns departure reshapes the rotation. The idea of moving Pritchard into the starting lineup makes sense on paper, especially with his ability to score and organize an offense, but it also changes the way the rest of the roster fits together.
The bigger question is what happens to Bostons bench if one of its most reliable creators is no longer coming off it. The current reserve group does not offer an obvious replacement for Pritchards scoring or playmaking, which leaves the Celtics weighing lineup balance against second-unit production. However Boston chooses to sort it out, this looks like the kind of decision that could affect more than just the opening five. [Read more 🡒]