The NBA off-season never fails to entertain the sports world.

We’re only 2 days into free agency, and players are moving all over the league. With some big notable signings and transactions of Serge Ibaka, Montrezl Harrell, Jrue Holiday, Eric Bledsoe, & Gordon Hayward, the Celtics were in need to make a splash.

Tristan Thompson

Thompson, 29, has spent his entire career with the Cleveland Cavaliers. After being drafted 4th overall in 2011, it has been an interesting career for him. He has seen Cleveland at the top, with winning the NBA finals alongside former teammate LeBron James in 2016 in a thrilling fashion. He has made it to the NBA finals 4 times, largely due to the fact that he had LeBron as his teammate, and, to some degree, Kyrie Irving.

He has seen Cleveland at its top, but since LeBron’s departure, he has for sure seen it at its lows.

After James left, the Cavaliers have been in full on rebuild mode. With some recent draft picks of Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, & Kevin Porter Jr, it was clear that Thompson wasn’t a true part of their future plans, with that being shown heavily at the 2020 trade deadline where rumors were that he was on the move.

Signing with Boston seemed to be the best possible option for Thompson. A 6’9” big with tremendous rebounding & defensive abilities, he will fill a hole that the C’s have been largely in need of filling. While he isn’t much of a scorer (career averages of 9.4 points), he can help in the areas that Boston needed help most in, and would also allow more offense to flow through Jayson Tatum & Jaylen Brown. With recent rumors that Boston was interested in acquiring Myles Turner, GM Danny Ainge took another route for Thompson instead. While many fans personally would prefer Turner, Thompson will be able to produce at a high level with Boston.

Thompson’s deal with Boston will be a much bigger positive impact than most would think. He’ll help with their rebounding issues, improve their defense, and give the team playoff & championship experience.

Jeff Teague

Boston’s second move was signing veteran point guard Jeff Teague. Teague, 32, has been somewhat of an NBA journeyman for his career. Spending his time with the Atlanta Hawks, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Indiana Pacers, Teague can offer a lot to the table.

With the reported departure of backup PG Brad Wanamaker, it was clear Boston needed a reliable option behind Kemba Walker. Even at 32, Teague is an instant upgrade over Wanamaker.

Teague can offer great playmaking abilities for the C’s. He’s an above average shooter (career 36% from 3, with his highest in career being 40%), can distribute the ball with ease (5.8 assists per game for his career), and has shown to also be a capable scorer (12.6 points per game for career, highest being 16.5).

In playing behind Kemba, it filled not only the backup PG spot, but also creates more reliable options to Boston’s somewhat young bench. Teague has had his fair share of experience like Thompson, making the playoffs a total of 9 times in his career.

What’s Next?

Both of these signings filled holes that Boston needed to work on. Boston does still need to replace Gordon Hayward’s playmaking ability after his departure to the Charlotte Hornets, but with free agency only beginning, Boston still has some time to work with.