2018 NBA free agency grades: Celtics signing Jabari Bird

Jabari Bird will re-sign with the Boston Celtics. Here’s a look at the grades for this signing.

Over the weekend, Yahoo! Sports‘ Shams Charania reported that Jabari Bird will sign with the Boston Celtics. The deal is reported to be a two-year, $3 million deal, with the first year being fully guaranteed.

Last season, Bird was a rookie and was under contract as a two-way player. The signing isn’t the biggest news or one that will grab headlines, but it was a move that was deserving and one that could become a sneaky grab.

Bird was one of the better players that played in the 2018 NBA Summer League this year. He played great on both sides of the floor and clearly looked like a frontrunner to land somewhere if it wasn’t for Boston re-signing the guard.

Expectations are not high for the former California Bearcat, but he could end up serving as a nice depth piece as the season rolls around. The former 2017 second round pick was never really given the chance last season, but that was understandable because of the players on Boston’s roster.

Sure they had a lot of injuries, but the guards were the Celtics’ biggest depth strength. Last season he averaged 3.0 points, 1.5 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game in 13 appearances. He even was able to start in one game.

He also shot 15-for-26 (57.7 percent) on the season and 3-for-7 from 3 (42.9 percent). It’s a small sample size, but one that shows that the Celtics can plug him in if they’re shorthanded one night. More than likely, he won’t get much time again because of the players ahead of him in the system, but if the Celtics can get ahead often, he will likely be seeing plenty of minutes.

Bird was one of the bigger storylines from Boston’s NBA Summer League team. He led the team with big plays, highlight dunks and a strong showing. There was never a doubt that he would find himself on a team soon thereafter.

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In the Summer League, he averaged 16.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.8 steals per game. Clearly his stats from Las Vegas and last season are night and day, but that’s going to happen when you consider the minutes he was given and the level of talent between the two leagues.

He also had a big showing in the G League this season. He averaged 19.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.5 blocks per game. He’s shown great success in both of these lower leagues, but it will be up to him to see if he can compete in the NBA as well.

Still, the two strong showings were a good sign to see from a player that fits the Celtics mold perfectly. He and Jaylen Brown both attended the University of California together, so the chemistry is there between the two.

Bird is a good two-way player as well. His offensive games needs more work than the defensive end of the floor, but he clearly shoots a good percentage. He does, however, take most of his shots inside the paint.

At least he knows that his biggest strength is his athleticism, which was clearly on display in Summer League.

Whether he gets playing time or not, Bird was definitely worth the deal. He could become a strong depth piece and someone the Celtics look to in the near future. It comes as a low-risk, high-reward because he is a low-cost player.

Let’s look to see if he can build off his Summer League play and scratch his way in for regular minutes.

Grade: B+