Russell Westbrook’s retirement took a possible Celtics headache off the board.
For Boston, that matters because the team never looked like the right landing spot for a former MVP who still wants real minutes and a meaningful role. The Celtics’ last roster opening was always more likely to be used on development, flexibility, or a cleaner fit than on a name that would have come with complications.
That opening became even less of a question when Dillon Mitchell officially signed on a two-way deal. With that move in place, there’s a strong case for Boston to simply keep the spot open. Doing so would preserve flexibility and bring financial benefits for a team that is well-positioned to reset the repeater tax.
If the Celtics do fill the slot, the more realistic paths are converting a player such as Mitchell or using it on another young talent. The least likely route was always giving it to someone who probably would not have been happy in that kind of role.
Westbrook, who turns 38 in November, is coming off a season in which he started 58 of the 64 games he played and averaged 29 minutes a night. In Boston, that number likely would have fallen below 20 for the first time in his career.
Maybe he would have accepted that. Instead, he chose retirement, and that says plenty about the stage he reached in his career.
The nine-time All-Star leaves the game as a future Hall of Famer, and his final season still showed he had plenty left in the tank: 15.2 points, 6.7 assists, 5.4 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. But the fit never really lined up for Boston. If there were minutes available, they were better spent on wings the Celtics want to keep developing, including Hugo Gonzalez, Baylor Scheierman, Jordan Walsh and Ron Harper Jr.
Boston also had a clearer answer already in place. Mike Conley is the better fit for the job the Celtics signed him to in free agency.
He turns the ball over less and is a far more dependable three-point shooter. Westbrook, by contrast, finished last season shooting under 43 percent from the field, below 34 percent from deep and averaging 3.3 turnovers per game.
There’s no denying what Westbrook brings: relentless effort, every night, every possession. Celtics fans would have appreciated that. But when it came to the role Boston had to offer, the team made the smarter call.
Westbrook’s career is over now, and the countdown to his Hall of Fame induction has already begun.
In Other News...
Celtics Are Back In The East Race For One Big Reason
The Celtics have a familiar path back into the East conversation, and it starts with the kind of frontcourt help that can change how a team survives the long grind of the season. Boston added Mitchell Robinson, a move that gives the roster another defensive anchor and a different look around a group trying to keep pace with the conferences deeper contenders.
In a league where the Timberwolves, Pistons and Pacers are all being framed as possible dark horse threats, Boston does not need much imagination to rejoin the race. The broader point is simple enough: teams can go from afterthought to problem quickly, and the Celtics now have one key reason to believe they can stay in that mix rather than watch it from the outside. [Read more 🡒]
Bill Simmons Just Framed The Celtics Jaylen Brown Gamble Perfectly
Bill Simmons offered a revealing read on Bostons decision to move Jaylen Brown to Philadelphia, and it came with the kind of mixed emotions that usually follow a franchise-altering trade. From his perspective, the Celtics were not just reshaping the roster for the sake of change. They were making a fit-driven bet around Jayson Tatum, weighing how the pieces would work together while also acknowledging the sting of parting with a player as established as Brown.
Simmons also pointed to the ripple effects beyond the headline move, including what it could mean for the teams overall rotation and the growth of younger players already in the pipeline. Even with that broader context, he made clear that the deal did not sit comfortably with him, which says plenty about both Browns value and the uncertainty Boston invites whenever it chooses long-term fit over familiar production. [Read more 🡒]
Dillon Mitchell Is Giving The Celtics A Reason To Watch Him Closely
Dillon Mitchell did enough in Las Vegas to make Boston pay attention, and that matters for a player coming in on a two-way contract after being selected No. 40 overall in the 2026 NBA Draft. The Celtics like the framework of a developmental piece who can spend most of his rookie season working with the Maine Celtics while also being available as emergency depth, but the early returns suggested there may be more here than just a long-term project.
What stood out most was the defense, where Mitchell's activity and disruption gave Boston a useful look at how he can fit around the edges of an NBA roster. Summer League can be an imperfect gauge, but it can also reveal whether a young player has a translatable skill, and Mitchell's case gave the Celtics a reason to keep watching closely as he begins the next stage of his development. [Read more 🡒]