2017 NBA free agency grades: Shane Larkin returns to NBA with Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics will sign point guard Shane Larkin, bringing him back to the NBA after a year in Spain.
The Boston Celtics have had an eventful summer. The team has made a flurry of moves retooling its roster, hoping to contend for a championship in 2018. The latest move sees them fortifying their point guard depth.
International basketball reporter David Pick tweeted on July 20 that Shane Larkin and the Celtics had agreed on a deal. HoopsHype writer Alex Kennedy confirmed with Larkin himself that it is a one-year deal. MassLive.com‘s Jay King added that it is a fully guaranteed contract.
The cost of the contract has not officially been disclosed. However, Boston is $6.6 million over the salary cap. They also used their cap exception money to sign Aron Baynes. Therefore, we see the Celtics signed Larkin to a veteran’s minimum contract. With his three years of NBA experience, Larkin will be owed just over $1.52 million this season.
Shane Larkin spent each of those three seasons with a different team. He was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks in 2013, but spent his rookie year with the Dallas Mavericks. He then moved on to the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets before falling out of the league. Larkin averages 5.8 points, 3.2 assists, 2.0 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game in his NBA career to date.
Larkin spent 2016-17 in Spain. He played for Saski Baskonia of the top-tier Liga ACB and the Euroleague. The team featured seven other players with NBA experience, including 2006 first overall pick Andrea Bargnani.
Larkin played 72 games for Baskonia between ACB, Euroleague and Spanish Cup play. He averaged 13.8 points, 5.3 assists, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game in those matchups. Larkin earned All-ACB Second Team honors for his domestic league play.
Larkin seemed very adamant about getting back to the NBA, even if he needed to make financial sacrifices. This is evidenced by another David Pick tweet stating that Larkin passed up a $6.3 million contract overseas in order to join the Celtics.
General manager Danny Ainge was equally enthusiastic about acquiring Larkin. A Boston Globe article quoted him saying many glowing things about the incoming point guard.
"“Shane, we felt like, was one of the best players in Europe this year,” Ainge said. “He’s really improved his playmaking abilities and we thought he had a terrific year. He has great speed and he’s a terrific shooter. We think he’s a better shooter than his numbers indicate. So we just really like his speed and his ability to get into the paint.”"
The Celtics now have 16 fully-guaranteed contracts on their roster. That may seem odd, considering you can only have a maximum of 15 players on a roster during the season. However, you can exceed that limit during the offseason. In Boston’s case, the move is par for the course.
The Globe points out that the team has held 16 fully-guaranteed contracts heading into training camp each of the last two seasons. Perry Jones was the odd man out in 2015. In 2016, the Celtics axed R.J. Hunter just before opening night.
Larkin is a decent signing. However, his presence adds to a roster that already has a number of point guards in Isaiah Thomas, Marcus Smart and Terry Rozier. It’s similar to the logjam that the team has at small forward. Time will tell how Ainge and head coach Brad Stevens sort this out. But Larkin has the talent as a playmaker to stay on the roster as a backup or third-string point.
Next: 2017 NBA free agency tracker - Grades for every deal so far
Shane Larkin returns to the NBA after a year overseas. We’ll see if he can offer the Boston Celtics some point guard depth. However, the bigger question is if he will remain in the NBA this time around?
Grade: C+