Boston Celtics: What could have been had they not signed Vincent Poirier

Before seeing what he would eventually amount to in the NBA, the Boston Celtics signed Vincent Poirier to a two-year contract right after the Summer League.

The Boston Celtics prematurely signed Vincent Poirier to a two-year, $5.13 million contract after the Summer League. Poirier has been a major disappointment this season and it makes you wonder what the Celtics could have been had they not signed Poirier before the regular season.

Prior to the start of the season, the Celtics were in limbo regarding their final roster spot. At that point they were juggling options between Javonte Green, Max Strus, their rookie draft picks, and even Tacko Fall for their final roster spot.

It ultimately led to the Celtics parting ways with Max Strus, giving Javonte Green a spot on the roster. It also made Tremont Waters and Tacko Fall the two players who received the two-way contracts each team can have this season. But considering the current state of the team, was signing Poirier the right decision?

Due to injuries and just not earning many minutes, Poirier has only played in 18 games throughout the entire first half of the season. He is averaging under two points and two rebounds, while playing in an unproductive six minutes per game this season.

Even with the unpopular opinion being the Celtics need a big man, head coach Brad Stevens has shown he would rather play the overworked Daniel Theis or Enes Kanter over Poirier this season. Poirier is too unpolished and hasn’t proved he can be a contributor for the Celtics this season.

He has spent the first half of the season either injured, on the bench, or in Maine with the Red Claws.

If the Celtics had cut ties with Poirier after Summer League, then the team could have had another roster spot to play with. With this logic, if the plan was to keep a center on the bench all season to not really do much, the Celtics could have done that with Fall and still have the option to assign him to play in Maine here or there.

More from Hoops Habit

• 7 Players the Miami Heat might replace Herro with by the trade deadline
• Meet Cooper Flagg: The best American prospect since LeBron James
• Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
• Sophomore Jump: 5 second-year NBA players bound to breakout
• NBA Trades: The Lakers bolster their frontcourt in this deal with the Pacers

The Boston Celtics were very high on Strus and seemed reluctant to even let him go in the first place. Standing at 6’5″ and 215 lbs, the two-guard who can play the 3. The argument could be made that if they didn’t sign Poirier so early, then Strus would still be in Boston. He is now averaging 18 points per game for the G-League affiliate of the Chicago Bulls; the Windy City Bulls.

Another possibility could have been to just completely cut ties with both Poirier and Strus in order to fill their final roster spot with an element the Celtics currently don’t have much of this season; a more experienced and versatile veteran player on the free agent market. Believe it or not, Poirier’s roster spot has impacted all of this.

If the Celtics feel like they need to make a move this season, they can still improve their team through the buyout market. Adding a consistent veteran scorer to the bench could prove to be worth it for the Celtics in the long run.

But at this point in the season, if they are still interested in making any additions to their team, then Poirier is most likely going to be the odd man out in Boston.