The Boston Celtics have had tons of success in their history but it hasn't always been rosy and they've made their fair share of free-agent mistakes.
The Boston Celtics have had a very clean history when it has came to NBA off-season moves, but, like every other team, they've made some mistakes.
A horrible signing during the Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen era forced the team to have less of a chance to repeat after 2008. Another mistake was made during the very horrible Rick Pitino era. Additionally, in recent years, they have made a major mistake in free agency which they were only able to get over by making an amazing trade.
Celtics biggest free agent mistakes: 3. Chris Mills
Under Pitino, the Celtics signed Chris Mills to a seven-year deal worth around $33 million (again this is a pre-cap jump so a pretty big investment). The Celtics would end up trading Mills not even three months into the deal to the New York Knicks. In order to get Mills, the Celtics traded away two second-round picks and Eric Williams to clear cap space.
Williams was on his rookie contract which would have made him a cheaper investment. In terms of total disaster, this would not have a huge long-term impact due to the fact that the Celtics traded him away. Still, this signing represented the Rick Pitino era in a nutshell.
Celtics biggest free agent mistakes: 2. Kemba Walker
Kemba Walker was a very bad fit for the Celtics. After making all-NBA third team in 2018, Walker left the Hornets and signed with the Celtics. Technically, this was a sign and trade but this still applies. Walker was signed to a $140 million contract over four years.
The idea behind signing Walker was the fact that he could add ball-handling to this group. He did add this but his defense made basically unplayable. As his left knee worsened, it became a lot harder to justify any minutes for the former All-NBA and star.
After two years, Walker was traded to the Thunder for Al Horford along with draft picks. Over the next couple of years, his defense got a lot worse and he is in danger of not playing in the NBA next season. Lucky for Boston fans, trading for Horford seem to solve a lot of their defensive problems and created another weapon for Boston on offense.
Celtics biggest free agent mistakes: 1. Rasheed Wallace
After the Celtics were unable to make a deep run for their second title in two straight years, Boston management decided to make a big swing and sign Rasheed Wallace to a $19 million deal over three years. The idea behind this signing was the fact that Wallace would provide vital depth for a team that lacked it in their title defense.
Wallace would be unable to supply any meaningful bench presence as he was at the end of his career. He ended up only playing one year in Boston before he was waived by the team. Celtics' management decided to just eat his contract rather than give it an extra year due to him being so bad on the bench.
Boston would lose some vital cap space during their run with the Big Three and made it even harder for Boston to win another title in that era.
Check out The Step Back for more news, analysis, opinion and unique basketball coverage. Don't forget to follow us on Twitter and Instagram and subscribe to our daily email newsletter, The Whiteboard.
