Friday night brought a new name into the Celtics’ conversation: Devin Carter.
The Atlanta Hawks waived the 24-year-old guard, according to league sources reported by @hoopshype, and that immediately raises the question of whether Boston should get involved. Carter, the former lottery pick, spent last season with the Sacramento Kings and put up 8.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 18.4 minutes across 38 games.
If Carter is willing to accept a two-way deal, Boston should seriously consider bringing him to training camp. If another team is offering him a standard NBA contract, though, he should take that opportunity.
The Celtics are currently $1.7 million below the luxury tax, and while they have until the end of the league year to get back under that line, Carter probably isn’t the player they’d use to make that move later. The rest of the roster is already set.
There’s a real fit here, at least on paper. Carter just finished a season in which he also averaged nearly 1.0 steals per game, and his calling card is clear: disruptive defense, nonstop energy, and the kind of edge Boston fans tend to appreciate. If he landed on a two-way deal, Maine would likely be where he spends a lot of his time.
The appeal for Boston goes beyond the box score. The Celtics could use a young point guard to grow inside their system, and the 13th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft fits that need. If the organization can help sharpen his shot the way it’s already working with Dillon Mitchell, Carter could turn into a nice two-way success story, much like what happened when Neemias Queta arrived on a two-way deal.
That said, Boston doesn’t have to force the issue. Carter is 24, and it would not be shocking if another team gives him a standard contract. If that happens, or if he simply isn’t interested in returning to New England, the Celtics have another name already in the building to lean on.
Milos Uzan turned heads at Summer League with the Sin City C’s. The 6-foot-4 guard is the same age as Carter, and he brings his own case to the table: tough defense, steady playmaking, dependable three-point shooting, strong turnover control and the kind of basketball IQ that comes from being a coach’s son. So if Carter ends up elsewhere, Boston should still feel comfortable with its internal option.
In Other News...
Celtics Have A Real Defensive Trade Debate Tied To The Clippers
The Celtics have spent enough time this season searching for ways to tighten up the back end that a name like Kris Dunn naturally lands in the conversation. Boston already knows what it is getting on defense if it looks toward the Clippers guard, and the appeal goes beyond stops and deflections. Dunn has also shown enough offensive growth to make him more than a one-dimensional specialist, which matters for a Celtics team trying to preserve spacing while adding toughness.
The fit is part of what makes the idea worth serious debate. Dunns contract could work into Bostons trade exception, and the price tag in the proposal is built around three future second-round picks, a relatively modest outlay for a player who could help in the short term. For the Clippers, the return is draft flexibility and a chance to move the money attached to Dunn, while Boston would have to decide how much it values another defensive guard against the cost of using assets on a deal that is still more concept than certainty. [Read more 🡒]
Celtics Frontcourt Trade Talk Comes Down To One Huge Question
If Boston does end up exploring trades in the coming months, the frontcourt conversation could quickly center on Domantas Sabonis. His offensive touch and passing make him a natural fit for a Celtics group that has long valued skill, spacing and decision-making from its big men, and his style would seem to blend neatly with how Boston likes to play.
The bigger question is what Sacramento would actually want back, because a deal for Sabonis would likely force Boston to part with a significant player, with Paul George mentioned as a possible piece. Whether the Kings would even entertain that framework is another matter, and it is the kind of trade-talk hurdle that can keep a promising idea from ever getting off the ground. [Read more 🡒]
Celtics Just Sent A Strong Message About Derrick Whites Future
Even with Derrick White going through a down shooting season, the Celtics continue to treat him as more than just another name on the roster. A Western Conference executive said Boston has made it clear it is not interested in trading him, which speaks to how much the guard still means to the organization beyond whatever his jumper is doing in the moment. Whites influence in the locker room and his standing with the front office have helped keep him firmly in the teams plans.
Brad Stevens has never been one to let sentiment override long-term thinking, though, and that keeps this from being a fully closed case. Boston has been willing to make hard roster calls when it believes the bigger picture demands it, so Whites status feels secure for now without being untouchable. For a team with real title expectations, that is exactly the kind of quiet tension that tends to linger around the margins. [Read more 🡒]