Abdel Nader to sign with Maine, good news for Celtics; plus updated depth chart and roster projection
On Monday, news broke that Abdel Nader has agreed to sign directly with the D-League Maine Red Claws, which was the original plan when the Celtics drafted him:
Sources: After rejecting lucrative offer in Europe, Boston second-rounder Abdel Nader has committed to signing D-League contract with Maine.— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 22, 2016
Abdel Nader's agent Cervando Tejeda confirms the 2nd-rd pick will play for the Maine Red Claws. "He wants to stay committed to the Celtics."— Adam Himmelsbach (@AdamHimmelsbach) August 22, 2016
After excelling in summer league play, there were rumblings that Nader would no longer be satisfied with a D-League contract and might instead attempt to land a spot on Boston's 15-man roster in training camp--bad news for the C's.
The simple explanation is that draft picks must either be offered NBA contracts or released. If the players choose to sign elsewhere (often at the team's urging, like Ante Zizic and Guerschon Yabusele did), as Nader will do with Maine, the club can then retain their draft rights. However, if they instead opt for an NBA deal and don't make the team (Ben Bentil is a likely example of this), they become free agents.
By inking a D-League contract, Nader will now remain under the Celtics' control. He may also be betting on someday making the team. Chances are Nader could've earned significantly more money by going to camp, getting cut, then signing elsewhere (or, as Shams Charania's tweet mentions, going to Europe).
With Nader headed to the Red Claws and Marcus Georges-Hunt on board for training camp, here's a current depth chart and roster projection:
1-5
Isaiah Thomas
Avery Bradley
Jae Crowder
Amir Johnson
Al Horford
6-10
Terry Rozier
Marcus Smart
Jaylen Brown
Jonas Jerebko
Kelly Olynyk
11-12
Gerald Green
Tyler Zeller
13-15/D-League
Jordan Mickey
RJ Hunter
Demetrius Jackson
Training camp casualties?
James Young
Ben Bentil
John Holland
Marcus Georges-Hunt
1 more body to fill 20-man limit
Stashed in Europe/Maine
Guerschon Yabusele
Ante Zizic
Abdel Nader
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