The Celtics are heading into training camp with most of their roster already spoken for, but that only makes the last few spots more interesting. Boston unveiled its 21-man camp group ahead of Monday’s Media Day, and five players on Exhibit 10 deals are chasing a chance to stick around the organization.
Devin Carter, Tucker DeVries, Hayden Gray, Gabe McGlothan and Milos Uzan are the five Exhibit 10 players in the mix.
The clearest opening is at two-way. Boston has already filled two of its three two-way slots with Amari Williams and rookie Dillon Mitchell, leaving one spot up for grabs. The Celtics also carry 14 players on standard NBA contracts, which puts them one short of the 15-man regular-season limit.
Whether president of basketball operations Brad Stevens chooses to fill that last standard spot right away is still an open question. Keeping it open would give Boston more flexibility, both financially and roster-wise, as the season unfolds.
That leaves a real competition in camp, and Carter is the name that jumps out first. The guard went No. 13 overall in the 2024 NBA Draft, and now he’s trying to make his case with a Celtics team that has often found value at the margins of its roster.
Of course, the biggest story around Boston is much larger than the back-end roster fight. Jayson Tatum is back for his first full training camp since returning from his Achilles injury. Paul George and Mitchell Robinson are also new faces, and Mike Conley adds another veteran option for Joe Mazzulla in the backcourt.
The Celtics are coming off a 56-26 season that ended in a first-round playoff exit. They also enter a sharply different chapter after Jaylen Brown’s departure, with George now joining Tatum, Derrick White and Payton Pritchard among the team’s key veterans.
Camp is where the pieces start to come together.
Boston’s first preseason game comes Oct. 8 against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Then the Celtics return home for an Oct. 10 meeting with Brown and the Philadelphia 76ers.
The stars will draw the spotlight, but the final roster spot battle is there too, waiting for someone to seize it.
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The health piece is where the conversation gets complicated. George has played limited games in recent seasons, and Boston has not signaled any desire to move him, but that kind of uncertainty always changes how teams evaluate a players market. If he can stay on the floor, the Celtics may at least have a meaningful decision to make, especially if the return resembles the kind of protected first-round pick an executive believes is still possible. [Read more 🡒]