Boston Celtics: 5 best free agent signings in team history
By Drew Taylor
4. Xavier McDaniels
The Seattle SuperSonics drafted Xavier McDaniels with the fourth overall pick in the 1985 NBA Draft. Following one of the more impressive college seasons to date, McDaniels came out of the gates hot.
By his second and third seasons, McDaniels was an All-Star averaging 20-plus points per game and leading his squad to the Western Conference Finals. In 1988-89, McDaniels took on the sixth man role yet continued to average 20-plus points per game off the bench.
As a member of the New York Knicks, McDaniels transformed into a tougher, defensive player under Pat Riley’s physical style. Despite his falling averages, McDaniels was a solid, everyday starter on a 51-win team led by Patrick Ewing and Charles Oakley. McDaniels gained himself his greatest notoriety in the grueling 1992 Eastern Conference Semifinals series versus the Chicago Bulls by guarding Scottie Pippen.
Following the Knicks’ heartbreaking 1992 Eastern Conference Semifinals loss to the eventual NBA champion Bulls, McDaniels shockingly signed a three-year, $6.4 million deal with the rival Boston Celtics. Signed just 23 days after Larry Bird’s retirement, McDaniels was a quick, reliable replacement for a team that badly needed another forward.
He played in Boston similar to how he played in New York. Though he now served as the sixth man instead of a starter, McDaniels was a reliable, tough player that could still go out every night and score double-digit points in limited minutes.
Though the Celtics expected a little more out of McDaniels when they signed him to a three-year deal, his 11.3 points, 5.1 rebounds per game and veteran presence composed a solid tenure during the Cs’ rebuilding period.