Chris Boucher

Celtics Notes: Harper, Simons, Queta, Rotation

October 18th, 2025 at 8:45pm CST by Arthur Hill

Ron Harper Jr.‘s path to landing a two-way contract with the Celtics began at last year’s training camp, writes Souichi Terada of MassLive. After being waived last fall, Harper played for Boston’s G League affiliate in Maine until the Pistons offered him a two-way opportunity in January. He became a free agent again this summer and was happy to learn that the Celtics were interested in a reunion.

“As soon as my stint was over with Detroit, I was gathering options and my agent mentioned Boston really would love to have me back,” Harper said. “In the back of my mind it was just like, last training camp I was really grateful because I learned a lot of things. They were coming off an NBA championship, so just being in here, being around the program, just to being able to see and being able to learn things. So I feel like that was a big part of me getting a two-way in Detroit, of me getting that opportunity. And then when the opportunity came to come back, it was something I jumped on very quick.”

Harper signed a training camp deal in September and made a strong impression during the preseason. He’s expected to split his time between the NBA team and the G League club, and he hopes to prove he’s worthy of a long-term future in Boston.

“They emphasized to me that my decision-making, with the ball in my hands, being primary, secondary ball-handler and just being able to defend and hit threes,” Harper said. “So just being able to perfect all of those things, it’ll carve out my role perfectly.”

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Anfernee Simons was a proven scorer in Portland, but he understands that he needs to improve his defense and find ways to contribute to winning with the Celtics “no matter what that looks like,” per Jay King of The Athletic. Simons is encountering a different style of coaching with Joe Mazzulla, who has constantly challenged him since training camp began. “I knew that I was going to get pushed in ways I’ve never been pushed and maybe play a different way that I’ve never played in my career, where I was always the guy making every single play, and it was always dependent on me, especially the last couple years,” Simons said. “And, so, now we got a whole bunch of veteran players that know how to play and know how to move the ball and know how to just play basketball a little bit more. And, so, that’s what I was excited about — being a part of that.”
The loss of several frontcourt players for financial reasons opened the door for Neemias Queta to become the starting center, notes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. The Celtics want Queta to handle the basics of protecting the rim, rebounding and staying out of foul trouble, and he has filled that role during the preseason. “We’re going to be hard on Neemi and I’m really looking forward to coaching him throughout the year,” Mazzulla said. “But as I told him, this is what you worked your whole life for, a chance to start for the Celtics, and you see this with players when they step into different phases of their career. It’s easy to be the rookie, kind of easy to be the fourth-string big, and then it’s kind of easy to be the backup. And now you have to develop a mindset to deliver every night, and I think he has that.”
Mazzulla may use a 10- or 11-man rotation for most of the season, Brian Robb of MassLive states in a mailbag column. Robb believes Luka Garza, Xavier Tillman, Chris Boucher and Josh Minott have all shown they’re capable of playing, so Mazzulla may mix and match his big men to find the right combinations.

Celtics Notes: Boucher, Gonzalez, Simons, Scheierman

October 11th, 2025 at 5:10pm CST by Arthur Hill

Celtics forward Chris Boucher continued his bid for a starting spot with another strong performance Friday night, writes Brian Robb of MassLive. Boucher, who spent the past seven years in Toronto before signing with Boston as a free agent in August, posted 19 points and nine rebounds in 23 minutes against his former team. He made his second straight start at power forward and may keep that role when the season begins.

“He cares about winning, he cares about people, he takes pride in his work ethic,” coach Joe Mazzulla said. “There’s few guys who take no plays off whether it’s at shootaround, or a game, and that guy is one of them. It’s impressive, 32 years old, to have the energy that he does on and off the court.”

Boucher, who accepted a one-year, veteran’s minimum contract, has been a welcome addition for a team that had significant frontcourt losses from last season. Robb sees him as a natural fit for the up-tempo approach that Mazzulla wants to bring to the offense, and he’s willing to shoot from beyond the arc whenever he gets an open look. Boucher is probably most effective in a double-big lineup, Robb adds, but he can handle some minutes at center if the Celtics want to go smaller.

“I’m really excited,” Boucher told the Toronto media, including Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports, about his decision to sign with Boston (Twitter link). “I talked to them and had a great conversation about what my role could be and the opportunity I could get on this team. So, for me, it was an easy decision to make.”

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Rookie forward Hugo Gonzalez is already proving to be a strong wing defender and may challenge for rotation minutes, Robb states in a mailbag column. Robb points out that Jordan Walsh’s adductor strain might create an opportunity for Gonzalez to play right away, unless Mazzulla is hesitant to give a regular role to a 19-year-old with no NBA experience.
Mazzulla took issue with a report this week that Gonzalez has struggled to grasp some team concepts because of a limited understanding of English, according to Eurohoops. He said Gonzalez is fluent in several languages and is aware of everything that is being presented to him. “At this point, I only yell at him in Spanish — but we also have conversations,” Mazzulla said. “He can speak both languages and does a great job understanding what’s going on out there. Right now, we argue in Spanish, but we’ll get to the point where we’ll do other stuff too.”
Anfernee Simons made his preseason debut on Friday night, finishing with 18 points and three assists after committing three fouls in the first five minutes, per Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Simons, who was acquired from Portland in the Jrue Holiday trade, was concerned about making a good impression on his new coach. “I was a little nervous at first, but I think in the second half I calmed down and started to play my game a little bit more,” he said. “I was nervous about being back out there and a new team. (Mazzulla) didn’t say nothing about the fouls, but I knew I needed to chill out with the fouls.”
The preseason continues to be a learning process for Baylor Scheierman, who was pulled from Friday’s game early in the fourth quarter after committing two live-ball turnovers and missing three contested three-point shots, Washburn adds in the same piece. Mazzulla reacted angrily to the mistakes, but sent the second-year shooting guard back into the game 98 seconds later. “He’s a smart guy and he plays really hard,” Mazzulla said. “But that segment was an important segment for a young player to understand, especially at the start of the fourth quarter. Those momentum swings regardless of the game, you have to play really hard, but you also have to have situational awareness.”

Raptors Notes: Murray-Boyles, Boucher, Barrett, Hepburn, More

October 11th, 2025 at 9:34am CST by Rory Maher

Alongside Brandon Ingram, who has looked “healthy and free of rust” while averaging nearly a point per minute, No. 9 overall pick Collin Murray-Boyles has been one of the early standouts for the Raptors during preseason, writes Eric Koreen of The Athletic.

As Koreen details, Murray-Boyles has displayed an intriguing blend of defensive versatility and court vision, and has also been ready — and willing — to shoot open three-pointers, which will be important part of his development going forward.

“We did make a couple of tweaks on his shooting mechanics,” head coach Darko Rajakovic said of Murray-Boyles’ outside shot. “He’s put a lot of work in. I’m encouraging him to take those shots. And he feels that he’s very comfortable actually in games. He looks like a player that’s looking for those shots and not shying away.”

Unfortunately, the 6’7″ forward sustained a right elbow contusion in the first quarter of Friday’s loss to Boston, limiting him to just eight minutes of action. Rajakovic told reporters that X-rays on the elbow were negative (Twitter link via Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca), but Murray-Boyles was in “visible pain” in the locker room, according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca, who reports that the 20-year-old will likely undergo an MRI.

“I don’t know what happened, but when the adrenaline wore off, it really hurt,” Murray-Boyles told Grange.

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After spending the past seven seasons with the Raptors, veteran big man Chris Boucher signed with Boston in free agency. He had a big game on Friday against his former club, recording 19 points (on 7-of-10 shooting) and nine rebounds in 23 minutes. In an interesting story for The Players’ Tribune, the 32-year-old forward/center discussed his journey from being an unhoused teenager in Montreal to having a long NBA career. Boucher had nothing but good things to say about the Raptors and Canadians in general.
According to Grange, while Toronto explored trades involving RJ Barrett this summer, the team didn’t find much of a market for the former No. 3 overall pick. Barrett, a Toronto native, will earn $27.7MM this season and $29.6MM in 2026/27 before hitting unrestricted free agency.
With all five starters resting on Friday, undrafted rookie Chucky Hepburn had a solid outing, recording 13 points, eight assists and four steals in 27 minutes, Grange notes. The 22-year-old guard is on a two-way contract with the Raptors.
Both Koreen and Grange suggest the Raptors may opt to carry 14 players on standard contracts to open the season. According to Grange, A.J. Lawson has supporters in the organization, but he’s signed to a non-guaranteed contract, and the Raptors already have a surplus of “skinnier swingmen,” as Koreen writes.
For his part, Lawson said he’s focused on the present. “You just got to be yourself,” Lawson said, per Grange. “Don’t worry about all the other factors that could possibly happen. Just do what you can do, control what you can control, and for me, play hard every time I’m out there, show I can defend at a high level, show I can create and knock down the shot. If I keep doing that, I feel like I’ll be okay. I just can’t focus on the things that are out of my control.”

Celtics Notes: Simons, Pritchard, Tatum, Boucher, Hauser

September 30th, 2025 at 11:56am CST by Luke Adams

Anfernee Simons was a member of some playoff teams in Portland early in his career, but the Trail Blazers finished at least 10 games below .500 in each of his four seasons as a regular starter. The 26-year-old guard is joining a Celtics team coming off back-to-back seasons of 60-plus wins, and while expectations are lower in 2025/26 with Jayson Tatum recovering from an Achilles tear, Simons is enthusiastic about “contributing to winning games” in Boston.

“I was super excited to come here and join a culture that’s already been set,” Simons said at media day on Monday, per Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. “It’s something that’s going to help my career out tremendously, playing at the highest level of winning basketball. That’s what I was excited about and being part of it.”

A talented offensive player who has averaged 20.7 points per game in 178 outings over the past three seasons, Simons has a reputation as a below-average defender. He’s aware of that label and is determined to do what he can to change it.

“It’s a matter of if I want to do it or not; it’s really that simple,” Simons said, according to Washburn. “Coming into a culture like this you really have to be able to adapt or you’re not going to be in the position you want to be. To me, it’s really that simple, and that’s the honest conversations [head coach Joe Mazzulla and I] had about it. He always says that you’re not as bad as people think you are. That’s good to hear, but also I’ve got to do the work of getting better at that end and get focused on exactly what we need to do on the defensive end. I’m pretty excited about being pushed to a new level, which I can reach.”

There has been a sense that either Simons or Payton Pritchard could start for the Celtics, with the other coming off the bench. However, as Washburn tweets, Mazzulla sought to dispel that notion on Monday, suggesting that it’s not an either/or proposition.

“I’ll nip that in the bud immediately,” the Celtics’ coach said, per Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. “Those two don’t go hand-in-hand. They’re completely different.”

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Tatum has made it clear that he isn’t ruling out the possibility of returning from his Achilles tear at some point before the end of the 2025/26 season, and he raised eyebrows on Sunday when he posted a video of his on-court workouts (Instagram link). Still, he stressed on Saturday that he’s being mindful of not rushing the recovery process. “There’s no pressure to return back any sooner than when I’m 100 percent healthy,” Tatum said, according to Himmelsbach. “No pressure from [president of operations Brad Stevens], [Mazzulla], the team, the organization. The most important thing is that I’m 100 percent healthy whenever I do come back.”
New Celtics big man Chris Boucher, who said on Monday that Stevens told him the team has had interest in him for a while, explained why he viewed Boston as an ideal fit for him in free agency, as Brian Robb of MassLive.com relays. “I’ve been in Toronto for seven years. Obviously we had a great year with a championship and all, but also years where we’re not winning at all and it impacted my time and playing and all that,” Boucher said. “I also feel like I still have a lot to give to the game, so I wanted to go somewhere where I felt like, there’s a winning culture, winning energy and also felt like I wanted to see something different. I wanna be able to show what what I’m capable of doing in multiple ways in the game.”
Although he didn’t end up going anywhere, Celtics wing Sam Hauser was at the center of trade speculation this offseason for several weeks. He admitted on Monday that it was hard to ignore that chatter. “You try to block it out but you really can’t, to be honest with you,” Hauser said, according to Souichi Terada of MassLive.com. “But I know it’s part of the business. I was prepared for whatever. If I was gonna get shipped, great. I stayed, thankfully. I’m glad to be here. But even if I were shipped, I had no hard feelings here. They gave me an opportunity when no one else did. They extended me. They had to do what they had to do and I understood it, but I’m glad I’m here, to say the least.”
According to Himmelsbach, Stevens said on Monday that the Celtics made offers to both Al Horford and Luke Kornet in free agency in the hopes of retaining them, but admitted that the contracts they got from the Warriors and Spurs respectively are more player-friendly than what Boston could realistically have offered.
With Horford, Jrue Holiday, and Kristaps Porzingis gone and Tatum recovering from his torn Achilles, Jay King of The Athletic explores the Celtics’ efforts to reestablish their culture with a new set of veteran leaders.

Celtics Notes: Simons, Queta, White, Scheierman

September 19th, 2025 at 6:00pm CST by Eli Cohen

The Celtics have taken care of much of the business they were expected to address this summer, including trading Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday in cost-saving moves, then re-routing Georges Niang to Utah for similar reasons. The one question mark left is Anfernee Simons, who was acquired in the Holiday trade with the Blazers, but Simons’ situation likely won’t have an imminent resolution, according to Brian Robb of Mass Live.

As Robb writes, in addition to being a talented player capable of picking up some of the scoring load for the Celtics with Jayson Tatum out for the year, Simons also remains their one major trade chip outside of the core players of Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard.

Because of that, it’s unlikely the Celtics will rush into a deal involving Simons, in Robb’s view. If the time comes to move him, it will likely be in a trade that helps the team’s long-term plans of returning to title contention once Tatum recovers from his Achilles injury.

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Another lingering question for Boston is who will win the battle for the starting center role. The Celtics currently have Neemias Queta, Chris Boucher, Luka Garza, and Xavier Tillman Sr. on their roster, none of whom have an established track record as a starter. Robb speculates that Queta will have pole position due to his combination of rim protection and rebounding, though he says the window is open for someone like Boucher to beat him out in training camp. Robb also notes that health will likely play a big part in determining Tillman’s role, as the former Spartan big man has dealt with knee problems over the last two years that have limited his contributions.
With Tatum out, White will be counted on to carry a much larger offensive load than the role he’s become accustomed to in Boston. Chris Forsberg and the NBC Sports Boston Staff discuss what they hope to see from White this season, ranging from increasing the volume of his scoring output and achieving his first 20-point-per-game season to being named to his first All-Star team. Forsberg notes that in games without Tatum last season, White averaged 20.8 points, 5.8 assists, and 3.5 rebounds per contest, though he adds that the veteran guard has, at times, been prone to cold shooting streaks, which will be harder for the Celtics to weather now.
The Celtics’ backcourt rotation appears to be set with Pritchard, White, and Simons, but if any of them were to miss time, Robb thinks an under-the-radar player could pick up the slack: Baylor Scheierman. Scheierman impressed the team toward the end of last season with his ability to function as a play-maker in the pick-and-roll, Robb writes, adding that the Celtics will look for more of that from him this season if he’s able to carve out a role for himself off the bench.

Celtics Notes: Brown, Chisholm, Boucher, Hauser

September 13th, 2025 at 8:47pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics appear likely to take a step backward in 2025/26 due to Jayson Tatum‘s Achilles injury and the loss of Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, who were both shipped out in cost-cutting moves. However, Jaylen Brown expressed optimism about the upcoming season in an interview this week on V-103 FM in Atlanta, relays Conor Ryan of The Boston Globe.

“I know Boston, it looks gloomy right now, obviously with JT being out and us kind of ending the year, but it’s a lot to look forward to,” Brown said. “I want the city to feel excited about that. This is not the end, so I’m looking forward to what’s next.”

Being in his hometown, Brown received a question about possibly joining the Hawks someday. With four years left on his $304MM super-max extension, it’s not a realistic possibility anytime soon, but Brown left the door open. When host Darian Morgan said he’d like to see Brown in a Hawks uniform, the Celtics star replied, “I feel you. I think my grandma would too.”

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New majority owner William Chisholm shares Brown’s outlook about the team’s prospects, per Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. Chisholm believes other players will seize the opportunity to replace the stars who are no longer available. “I think they’re going to surprise some people,” Chisholm said. “I think this is a good team and I think we have a really good coach and a really good president of basketball operations. I think Payton Pritchard said it in an interview, that we’re going to surprise some people, and I think there’s real talent here that hasn’t been fully realized.”
Newly acquired Chris Boucher may be the favorite going into camp to win the starting job at power forward, Brian Robb of MassLive states in a mailbag column. Coach Joe Mazzulla’s handling of the four spot should provide an indication of how he plans to approach the season, Robb adds. Using the 6’9″ Boucher alongside Neemias Queta would give the team more size on defense and better rebounding. Another option is to start shooting specialist Sam Hauser, which would satisfy Mazzulla’s tactical reliance on a three-point barrage but would leave the Celtics vulnerable in other areas. Robb mentions Josh Minott as a potential wild card who could wind up earning regular minutes.
Second apron concerns mean Holiday and Porzingis would likely have been traded even if Tatum hadn’t gotten injured, but some other moves might have played out differently, Robb adds in the same piece. He believes Al Horford or Luke Kornet would have been re-signed if Tatum had been healthy, and the Celtics might have made a stronger effort to add low-cost veteran free agent depth.

Celtics Notes: White, Walsh, Tatum, Simons, Luis

September 7th, 2025 at 10:57am CST by Arthur Hill

After achieving his dream of playing for a championship team in 2024, Celtics guard Derrick White never expected it to be torn apart so quickly. Second apron limitations and luxury tax concerns, combined with Jayson Tatum‘s Achilles injury, caused the organization to make several cost-cutting moves this summer. Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday were both traded, while Luke Kornet left in free agency and Al Horford figures to do so too.

White talked about the changes this week in an interview with Liam McKeone of Sports Illustrated.

“That is the tough part about the business,” he said. “But it is a business at the end of the day. Jrue, KP, Luke, all of them, it was definitely tough to see them leave. You wish we could play with them forever, but this is kind of the way it is. I always wish them the best. There will be a lot of fun when we see them again. and I’m just excited to play with the people we do have.”

White is expected to take on a larger leadership role as he enters his fourth full season in Boston, and he may have to provide more scoring as well. He averaged a career-high 16.4 PPG last season while still earning votes for Defensive Player of the Year honors.

“I’m excited,” he said. “It’s obviously a different year than last year, but I think we have the same expectations and standards. So I’ve been attacking this offseason as, ‘I gotta get better.’ It’s been really fun trying to get in the gym and improve on things that I need to work on. When we get back to Boston, it’ll be a lot of fun.”

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Jordan Walsh is the latest person inside the organization to rave about the progress Tatum has made in his recovery, per Darren Hartwell of NBC Sports Boston. During a recent appearance on the Celtics Talk Podcast, the third-year forward indicated that Tatum is well ahead of expectations. “We’ve seen him so often,” Walsh said. “I’ve seen him from when he messed up his Achilles to now, and it’s a big difference. He’s moving around way better. So he’s progressing well. I’m definitely happy to see him getting back healthy.”
Anfernee Simons‘ $27.7MM contract provides the Celtics with their best chance to trade for a starting center, Brian Robb of MassLive states in a mailbag column. He notes that Boston has been accumulating traded player exceptions, but they won’t become useful until next offseason if the team plans to move below the tax threshold. Assuming the current roster remains intact, Robb expects Neemias Queta to get the first shot at the starting job, but adds that Chris Boucher and Luka Garza are both offensive threats who fit well into coach Joe Mazzulla‘s system.
RJ Luis was recently honored by Ecuador president Daniel Noboa for becoming the nation’s first NBA player, per Souichi Terada of MassLive. The rookie swingman, whose mother was born in Ecuador, was acquired from Utah in a trade last month after he signed a two-way contract with the Jazz.

Celtics Notes: Mazzulla, Pritchard, Queta, Luis

August 16th, 2025 at 7:17pm CST by Arthur Hill

Joe Mazzulla has the security of a new contract extension, but he’ll be facing the toughest coaching job of his career when the upcoming season tips off, writes Christopher L. Gasper of The Boston Globe.

Since taking over as head coach shortly before the start of the 2022/23 season, Mazzulla has been able to rely on one of the most talented rosters in the league. That’s changed due to an Achilles injury that might sideline Jayson Tatum for the entire season, along with cost-cutting trades that sent out Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis and the loss of Luke Kornet and probably Al Horford in free agency.

The current version of the Celtics isn’t nearly as well equipped for Mazzulla’s preferred approach to the game, which includes a heavy reliance on three-point shots. Gasper states that Mazzulla will have to be flexible and show a willingness to adapt the offense to get the most out of his players.

Former Celtics player and longtime radio analyst Cedric Maxwell tells Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe that Mazzulla’s natural competitiveness will be an asset for the depleted roster.

“Here’s the beauty about all that,” Maxwell said. “Joe Mazzulla’s not going to let them take a step back. Joe Mazzulla is going to use that as fuel to have these guys compete on a nightly basis. We’ve seen teams in the NBA, perhaps not as talented as other teams but at the end, because they played hard every single night, you get your opportunities to win.”

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Jaylen Brown and Derrick White are the only certain starters heading into training camp, but Brian Robb of MassLive believes Payton Pritchard should be in that category as well. Robb states in a mailbag column that Pritchard is most likely to join White as a backcourt starter because Anfernee Simons doesn’t appear to be in the team’s long-term plans. The frontcourt may be more flexible, Robb suggests, with Sam Hauser and Neemias Queta starting most of the time, but Chris Boucher being used when Mazzulla wants a double-big starting lineup.
Queta suffered a minor injury to his right hip area during an exhibition game this week in preparation for EuroBasket, relays Souichi Terada of MassLive. Queta is reportedly fine and will be ready to represent Portugal when the tournament begins.
RJ Luis got two-way offers from the Celtics and Jazz in June before deciding to sign with Utah, Jake Fischer of The Stein Line said in a recent Bleacher Report livestream (YouTube link; hat tip to Robb). Boston landed Luis as part of a trade involving Georges Niang and draft picks earlier this month. Luis wasn’t able to play for Utah’s Summer League team due to a leg injury.

Celtics Sign Chris Boucher On One-Year Deal

August 10th, 2025 at 7:24pm CST by Dana Gauruder

August 10: Boucher has officially signed with the Celtics, according to a press release from the team.

August 5: The Celtics are signing free agent forward Chris Boucher on a one-year, minimum-salary contract, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports (via Twitter).

Boston opened up a frontcourt spot for Boucher by agreeing to trade Georges Niang to Utah on Tuesday. Boucher will compete for minutes at both the power forward and center spots for the Celtics, who have been busy shedding salary and revamping their roster throughout the offseason.

Save for one cameo appearance with Golden State in 2017/18, Boucher has spent his entire career with the Raptors. Boucher has played in Toronto for the past seven seasons, winning a title in 2019 and appearing in 406 games, primarily off the bench (23 total starts).

He has averaged 8.9 points and 5.1 rebounds in 17.7 minutes during his NBA career while shooting 48.8 percent overall and 33.9 percent beyond the three-point arc.

Boucher, 32, saw action in 50 games last season, averaging 10.0 points and 4.5 rebounds in 17.2 minutes. He didn’t appear in a game after Feb. 26 as the Raptors decided to essentially shut down the veteran big man and take a long look at their younger players.

Boucher was the last remaining player from the Raptors’ championship club. He holds the all-time franchise records as a reserve for points, rebounds, blocks, minutes and games played.

Toronto held Boucher’s Bird rights and reportedly was interested in re-signing him but that didn’t come to fruition. He’ll now join an Atlantic Division rival.

As an eight-year veteran, Boucher will earn $3,287,409 on his minimum-salary deal while the Celtics carry a cap hit of $2,296,274.

Free Agency Notes: Rockets, Ty. Jones, Heat, Raptors, More

June 30th, 2025 at 1:07pm CST by Rory Maher

The Rockets are diligently working secure meetings with Dorian Finney-Smith, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard when free agency gets underway at 5:00 pm CT, according to Kelly Iko of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Houston is viewed as the frontrunner to land Finney-Smith after the veteran forward declined his $15.4MM player option and didn’t immediately work out a new deal with the Lakers. Marc Stein has reported multiple times that the Rockets are prepared to offer the 32-year-old a four-year deal worth most of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception.

Alexander-Walker, meanwhile, is expected to leave Minnesota after the Timberwolves agreed to lucrative new contracts with Naz Reid and Julius Randle. The Hawks have been rumored as the favorite to acquire the versatile guard, but several teams are said to be interested in his services.

Atlanta is also rumored to have interest in Kennard, who is the third-most accurate three-point shooter in NBA history at 43.8%. He has spent the past two-plus seasons in Memphis, but is expected to leave the Grizzlies in free agency.

Here are a few more free agency-related notes and rumors:

The Knicks could be a suitor for point guard Tyus Jones, per Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter video link). “Tyus Jones is a name that I’m keeping an eye on,” Begley said. “Last summer, there was mutual interest…Jones was even willing to take a pay cut to come to New York. He ended up choosing Phoenix thinking it would be a very good situation for him — didn’t work out, so he’s back on the market.” New York can likely only offer the taxpayer mid-level exception or the veteran’s minimum, Begley notes.
The Magic also expressed prior interest in Tyus Jones and he could be a good fit with Orlando depending on how much money he’s seeking in free agency, according to Josh Robbins of The Athletic. If it’s not Jones, the Magic will likely look to add a different veteran point guard to improve their shooting and offense, Robbins writes.
Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald released a guide for some of the options the Heat could explore in free agency. According to Chiang, guard Dru Smith is expected to return to Miami on a two-way deal after he was issued a two-way qualifying offer, but he has yet to accept that QO. Smith was on the verge of being promoted to a standard contract last season before suffering a torn Achilles tendon in late December.
As of now, Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca expects the Raptors to be “fairly quiet” in free agency (Twitter link). Toronto will likely fill out the end of its roster with minimum-salary deals. A veteran extension for starting center Jakob Poeltl remains a possibility as well, Grange adds.
Zach Kram of ESPN.com lists seven “underrated players” who are about to hit the open market, including Chris Boucher, De’Anthony Melton and Gary Trent Jr.

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