Boston filled two camp spots on September 15, adding guards Caleb Grill and Devin Carter, while the payroll edged further past the tax threshold. The preseason schedule opens October 8, with Jayson Tatum's return timeline built to have him back before that first game.
Boston added two players to camp on the same day.
On September 15, the Celtics brought in guard Caleb Grill and guard Devin Carter, the latter on a deal worth $5.2M this season. Neither move touches the top of the rotation; both address depth after an offseason that reshaped the wing spot opposite Tatum.
The bill for that offseason keeps climbing.
Payroll sits at $201.4M, already over the $200.4M tax threshold, with Tatum's $58.5M and George's $54.1M the two largest deals on the books. Grill and Carter arrive at camp-level money, but it still counts against a number the front office is tracking.
The preseason schedule now doubles as a clock on Tatum's knee.
Boston opens preseason October 8 at Cleveland, then plays Philadelphia twice before the regular-season opener October 20 at Detroit. Tatum, working back from a left knee issue, has an estimated return of October 1, three days ahead of that first preseason tip if the timeline holds.
Last season's best lineup no longer exists.
Boston's top five-man unit from a year ago, Brown-White-Queta-Pritchard-Hauser, posted a net rating of +17.9 across 35 games, the strongest figure in the sample. Brown is gone, sent to Philadelphia for George, so that number describes a group that will not share the floor again.
Who did the Celtics sign on September 15?
Boston added guards Caleb Grill and Devin Carter, with Carter's deal worth $5.2M this season.
When is Jayson Tatum expected back?
Tatum is working back from a left knee issue with an estimated return of October 1, ahead of Boston's October 8 preseason opener at Cleveland.
