SB Nation Boston - NBA Free Agency 2012: Boston Celtics In Search Of Roster Tweaks To Reload

Darko Milicic Signs 1-Year, Guaranteed Contract With Celtics, According To Report

2012-09-20T16:47:15Z

The Boston Celtics will sign center Darko Milicic to a one-year contract some time next week, according to a report by A. Sharrod Barkley of Comcast SportsNet New England. The deal will be for the veteran's minimum.

Milicic reportedly had more lucrative offers to play in Europe but opted to sign in Boston instead. For the Celtics, the deal is low-risk, high-reward because they are only committed to one season at a minimum salary. The 7'0 center is expected to compete with Chris Wilcox, Jared Sullinger, Fab Melo and Jason Collins for playing time as the backup to Kevin Garnett.

With training camp set to begin on Sept. 29, the Celtics will now carry 14 guaranteed contracts, which means there is only one spot remaining for players with non-guaranteed deals.

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Celtics Free Agency: Darko Milicic Will Sign With Boston, According To Report

2012-09-20T15:01:17Z

The Boston Celtics will sign center Darko Milicic, according to A. Sherrod Blakely. The report is also coming from Kurt Helin of Pro Basketball Talk.

There is no word on whether or not this will be an actual contract the Celtics will sign Milicic to, or if it will be merely a training camp invite. Helin says that the likelihood of this being a full signing with a guarenteed contract is pretty slim.

Boston plans to play small a lot this year...Thing is, Boston already has Jason Collins for that role. Plus they have Chris Wilcox off the bench. The Celtics have no available roster spots to put anyone, and while size is always a premium I'm not sure they eat a contract to add Darko to the roster.

If Milicic does sign with the Celtics, it would be his sixth team since being drafted at No. 2 overall in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons. Over his career, he has averaged 6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game.

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Boston Celtics Add Jay Larranaga As Assistant Coach

2012-09-19T18:19:51Z

The Boston Celtics announced on Wednesday that the team has added Jay Larranaga as an assistant coach.

The 36-year-old has spent the last two seasons as the head man of the Erie Bayhawks of the NBA Development League and has led the team to a 60-40 record over that span with consecutive playoff berths. In addition, Larranaga has also coached the Irish national team as well as serving as an assistant at Cornell.

Prior to becoming a coach, Larranaga played professionally in Spain, Italy, Greece and France. He also played for Bowling Green State University and holds the school's record for most three-pointers made in a single game with nine.

He is the son of University of Miami head coach Jim Larranaga, who led George Mason to the 2006 Final Four.

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Boston Celtics Sign Jeff Green

2012-08-22T23:45:24Z

After months of tacit assumption that a deal was all done, forward Jeff Green has officially signed a contract with the Boston Celtics, according to the team's website. The length and amount of the deal is not being reported, per team policy, but reports stretching back to July suggested the two sides had come to an agreement on a four-year, $36 million deal in July.

Green, 25, adds some youth to an aging Celtics' front court that features veterans Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. The 6-foot-9, 235-pound forward will also be looking to put together a bounce-back season after missing all of 2011-12 due to an aortic aneurysm -- essentially, an unusual bulging of the primary artery that extends from the heart out into the rest of the body -- that was found during a preseason physical.

In '11, Green was traded to Boston from the Oklahoma City Thunder, the franchise with which he spent his first four NBA seasons. The former Georgetown Hoyas star was drafted fifth overall by the Celtics in the 2007 NBA draft, but he was traded to the Seattle SuperSonics as part of the deal that brought All-Star shooting guard Ray Allen to Boston.

During his five-year NBA career, Green has averaged 13.9 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.

For more on the Jeff Green signing, visit CelticsBlog.

Jeff Green's Contract Situation With Celtics Is Confusing

2012-08-20T17:00:06Z

The contract negotiations surrounding Boston Celtics unrestricted free agent forward Jeff Green has turned into a sordid affair with several twists and turns.

After the need for season-ending heart surgery in December, the organization pulled a qualifying offer, which eliminated the possibility of a sign-and-trade. In July, the two sides came to terms on a four-year deal worth $36 million that has yet to be signed.

However, a report was recently published by the Boston Globe that stated that the deal would be officially announced in the coming week. With this in mind, the delay in the announcement could be the result of the two sides trying to figure out how to handle any potential health issues Green may suffer in the future.

While the soon-to-be 26-year-old Georgetown product has stated that he feels better than he ever has, the organization will likely want to protect themselves from any unfortunate developments that could occur over the course of the deal.

This creates a trickle down effect that could include the contract's structure, which impacts how much annually the Celtics have to pay Green as well as how close to the $74 million salary cap apron the contract will place the team.

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Jason Terry Predicts NBA Championship For Boston Celtics In 2012

2012-08-20T13:54:52Z

Jason Terry's belief that he can help Boston bring home another NBA Championship this season is more than skin-deep - or however deep tattoo ink goes, anyway - he reiterated his belief that the Celtics are bound to win a Larry O'Brien Trophy in 2013 in an interview with Boston's CBS affiliate:

"If I looked at our team and what they accomplished last year - they're one game away. They're one game away from going back to the NBA finals, and I think they win it," Terry told WBZ-TV's Steve Burton Thursday at the Reebok Headquarters in Canton.

"This year, put a little ‘Jet Fuel' into the mix, and I think we have the team," laughed a confident Terry.

Terry's always found a way to be extra-cocky and confident, but he's backed up his talk and his pretending-to-be-a-plane with his on-court play: Terry has averaged over 15 points all but two times in his 15 year NBA career and has shot over 34.7 percent from three every year since his rookie year, nailing 37.8 percent of his triples in 2011-2012. And of course, the last time he guaranteed a ring with a tattoo, his prognostication turned out to be right, as his bench play was pivotal in helping the Mavericks to the 2011 NBA Championship. Terry won't fully replace Ray Allen, but he's proven he can contribute on winning teams. If he does win a ring in Boston, it had better come soon, as Terry is 34, and the rest of the squad aren't exactly spring chickens either.

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Jeff Green Contract: Celtics Will Reportedly Make Deal Official Next Week

2012-08-18T19:50:23Z

The Boston Celtics are reportedly close to finalizing their deal with Jeff Green, and the Boston Globe's Gary Washburn reports that agent David Falk thinks it will be official next week. Washburn reported on Saturday that Falk was working to finalize the outstanding minor issues:

For those who missed it earlier, David Falk, the agent for Jeff Green, told Boston Globe that his client's deal with #celtics is close and should be official next week.

The framework of the deal was agreed upon at the beginning of the NBA free agency season in July. It's reportedly a four-year deal worth $36 million.

Green became an unrestricted free agent after the Celtics pulled back a qualifying offer last winter. But the two sides came to an agreement as free agency opened this summer, with the Celtics even holding a press conference with Green.

At the end of July, Falk said the deal was imminent and that just some minor issues involving CBA changes were being worked out. But no deal was ever officially announced. It's still unclear how much of the deal will be guaranteed, but everything should be finalized in the coming week.

For more on the Celtics, please be sure to visit our site CelticsBlog and SB Nation Bostonfor all the latest news and updates.

Celtics Offseason 2012: Paul Pierce Will Test Free Agency In 2013

2012-08-06T12:13:01Z

Paul Pierce isn't waiting around to let his intentions be known for when his contract expires.

One of the greatest Boston Celtics players of all-time doesn't want a contract extension, opting instead to test free agency after next season, according to SI.com.

In an interview with Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe on Saturday, Pierce stated the following:

"I think I am going to play this one out," Pierce said. "I want to see what it feels like to be a free agent for once in my life. I think I am going to play this one out. A lot can change in two years. My body [may not] be where I want it to be, I could retire, a lot of things could happen. I love the game. I made as much money as I possibly can. It’s about winning a championship and if I feel like it’s the right thing to do, maybe so [come back]. If I solidify my third year, maybe they opt out, so it’s about keeping your options open."

Despite being 34-years-old, Pierce remains very valuable to the squad after averaging just over 19 points per game in 2011-12. If he decides to leave after what will be his 15th season with Boston, it would be a hammer to the heart of many Celtics fans.

For more on the Celtics, please be sure to visit our site CelticsBlog and SB Nation Boston for all the latest news and updates.