Heat and Rockets could beat Celtics on the wing: ‘It wouldn’t be a surprise’

The Boston Celtics were one of the teams reportedly interested in free agent wing Lamar Stevens, as Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported on September 13. The Miami Heat and Houston Rockets were also named by Scotto among the teams that have attracted interest in Stevens.

With the Heat and Rockets also among the suitors for Stevens, MassLive’s Brian Rupp explained in a September 14 mailbag why he thinks they’re more likely to add Stevens than the Celtics, though he didn’t rule out Stevens not getting the final roster spot. Celtics. .

“The Heat are an interesting spot for him as they need more depth on the wing and remain in a holding pattern in Damian Lillard trade talks. The Rockets could also use more help on the wing in the wake of Kevin Porter Jr.’s arrest, which will likely to be waived before the start of the season. “Ultimately, it wouldn’t be surprising to see either of these teams give Stevens a better offer than Boston in the coming weeks, but this will be a situation to watch heading into the start of training camp on October 2nd,” Rupp wrote.

The Celtics have added plenty of wings already, including Jordan Walsh, Oshae Brissett, Dalano Banton, and Svi Mykhailik, so it wouldn’t be surprising if the pursuit of Stevens falls through. However, if the Celtics believe adding a perimeter wing defender is the best use of their final position, Stevens is their best option.

Payton Pritchard is ready for a bigger role

Payton Pritchard is expected to have a more consistent role with the Celtics this season with the departure of Marcus Smart. Pritchard got honest about what he needs to do to earn his spot while speaking with Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe.

“If I get the opportunity to play, I have to show what I’m capable of and that I can help win at a high level,” Pritchard told Himmelsbach in a September 16 story. “So I’m just looking forward to the opportunity to showcase that. At the end of the day, I’m a winner and obviously I’m going to help Jaylen (Brown) and Jayson (Tatum) because those are the two guys that push us, but we all have to help them get over the hump and eventually win a championship.”

Pritchard also made it clear that he realizes his role is likely to change every game this season.

“I think it looks different every night,” Pritchard said. “Obviously I have the shooting ability and the distance on the floor, but also this year, being able to take the pressure off, and if I have to handle it and bring it up and showcase more of the passing side of things, I can do that.” . But I talked to Joe, and it’s going to be a lot of different things.

Celtics unlikely to add Cam Payne: Insider

While Rupp doesn’t see the Celtics adding Stevens, he also doesn’t see them using their final spot on free agent point guard Cam Payne because of what the Celtics need and who they already have.

“Given that Boston’s biggest depth weakness is in the frontcourt right now, it’s hard to envision going after Payne for a number of reasons,” Rupp wrote in a Sept. 12 story. “First, his opportunity as a free agent at least won’t be as present in Boston’s backcourt as it currently is. White, Brown, Brogdon, and Pritchard (who are highly regarded on the team during camp) will get the lion’s share of minutes in the backcourt. This makes it difficult to sell the path to regular playing time for Payne.

Knowing how injury-prone Malcolm Brogdon is, Payne could be a solid emergency point guard, but odds are he wants a bigger role than that.