Boston Celtics: Who is Donte Greene And Can He Make The Final Roster?

The Boston Celtics made a minor trade on Thursday to send second-year center Fab Melo to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Donte Greene. Hardly a move that will cause ripples throughout the NBA, it is quite possible that general manager Danny Ainge has made the move simply to save some money and get his team under the luxury tax. However, should we be so quick to assume that Greene will simply be cast aside by the Celtics? There is still an intriguing mix of size, youth, potential and NBA experience that Greene carries that could see him battle for a spot in the 15-man roster. So who is Donte Greene and is there any chance he could actually suit up in Boston green this season?

Greene is a 6’11″ combo forward, originally selected 28th overall in the 2008 NBA draft by the Memphis Grizzlies. He played just a single year at Syracuse, where as a freshman he scored 17.7 points and pulled down 7.2 rebounds per game. Before he had played a game in the NBA he was traded to the Houston Rockets as part of a three-team deal and was subsequently traded to the Sacramento Kings, where he stayed for four seasons.

Over the course of his four-year career with the Kings, Greene played in 252 games and started in 82 of them while averaging 6.1 points and 2.4 rebounds in 16.8 minutes per game. He has the ability to play either the small or power forward positions and has tremendous size and length for a perimeter big man. Greene has great range on his jump shot, extending to the 3-point line. In the 2009-10 season he made 69 3-pointers at a .377 clip and around 20 percent of his career field goals have come from outside the arc.

At just 25 years old, there is still some room to grow as a player for Greene, who did not see an NBA court in the 2012-13 season. He was signed by the Grizzlies in April but failed to appear in a game before the season ended. Greene has great athletic ability for a man his size. He can run the open floor, finish above the rim and can be a useful weak-side shot blocker. While he struggles at times defensively and is a poor rebounder for his height, his skill set seems to fit with the young and seemingly up-tempo feel of this new Celtics team.

Greene was highly touted coming out of college for his versatile offensive ability. As well as his 3-point shooting, he showed a tremendous face-up game, displaying the ability to take bigger men off the dribble or shoot over smaller defenders. He has nice form on his jump shot and despite average shooting numbers in recent times he is a natural shooter, especially considering his near 7-foot frame. Greene’s athletic ability and shooting touch would make him a prime candidate to shine alongside All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo, who is among the best in the league at setting up his big men and outside shooters.

The problem for Greene is that his $1 million salary is non-guaranteed and he can be waived, saving the team the remainder of his salary for 2013-14. Boston shed around $300,000 in the trade as they removed their commitment from Melo’s guaranteed rookie contract; however, they are still around $700,000 over the luxury tax as the roster stands today. Without any additional moves, it would seem likely that the Celtics will simply waive Greene and save themselves from reaching the luxury tax and incurring the repeater penalty, as they were over it in 2012-13. Again though, if Ainge is not yet done dealing and can shed some more money in additional deals this offseason, the athletic, sweet-shooting Greene could find himself with an unexpected opportunity alongside a cast of youngsters on a rebuilding Celtics’ roster.