Report: Celtics sign free-agent forward Torrey Craig
The Celtics added a veteran wing who is a career 35.5 percent 3-point shooter
The Celtics have signed forward Torrey Craig, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Craig, 34, most recently played for the Bulls, who waived him earlier this week. He had played in just nine games this season while dealing with lower leg injuries including an ankle sprain.
Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens said before Thursday’s game against the Mavericks that Boston would look to move quickly to fill one of the two open roster spots it had following the Jaden Springer trade.
Stevens also said the Celtics were targeting a wing. ESPN had reported the deal with Craig by halftime. The veteran small forward has a decade of experience in the league and has played with five different franchises.
According to Jared Weiss of The Athletic, Craig is scheduled to join the Celtics in New York for a physical ahead of their matchup with the Knicks this weekend.
The Celtics had a need for additional wing depth behind Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Sam Hauser has been dealing with a lingering back injury. Jordan Walsh’s minutes are up slightly from last year, but the lengthy second-year forward is not much of a perimeter scoring threat at this point in his career.
Craig has been limited by injuries, but he can shoot the ball. He’s a career 35.5 percent 3-point shooter and his percentages have gotten better as his career has gone along. He has shot at least 39 percent from deep the last two seasons, and was shooting 42.9 percent from beyond the arc in his nine games with the Bulls this season.
The 6-foot-7, 221-pound small forward is averaging 6.9 points, and 2.8 rebounds this season.
Craig, who went underrated after his college career at USC Upstate, played overseas in Australia and New Zealand for a few years before signing with the Nuggets in 2017. He has since carved out a lengthy career as a role player in the NBA.
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