Boston has a new big.
Celtics officially announce deal with 2-time NBA champion originally appeared on The Sporting News
The Boston Celtics have signed forward Chris Boucher to a one-year, $3.3 million deal, according to the team’s official X account.
This upcoming 2025-26 campaign does not carry great expectations for the Celtics, who, without Jayson Tatum, should focus on the future rather than the present.
Jaylen Brown, Payton Pritchard, and Derrick White will win Boston some games, but Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis are also gone from that 2024 championship-winning team.
Enter Boucher, who spent the last seven seasons with the Toronto Raptors after a brief stint in the Golden State Warriors organization in 2017-18.
The 6-foot-9, 200-pounder is a high-energy, low-risk move for the Celtics, who needed some muscle and hustle down low.
Boucher carries career averages of 8.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, just under 1 block, and, perhaps most tantalizingly, a 33.9% clip from beyond the arc. Boucher should be given plenty of opportunities on what should be a mix-and-match front court to start the year.
Aside from Sam Hauser, who is no superstar in his own right, the Celtics will boast a big man rotation that includes Neemias Queta, Xavier Tillman, Boucher, and possibly someone like Luka Garza or Jordan Walsh.
While this signing will not significantly alter Boston’s grim outlook, Boucher will have something to prove to earn another long-term deal, and the Celtics should have no issues affording him a long leash.
Boucher, 32, has earned rings with the Warriors (2018) and the Raptors (2019). He did not play a huge role in either run, but adding championship DNA never hurts.
Category: Basketball
