Jared Sullinger signs with the Toronto Raptors, Danny Ainge wishes him well


Jared Sullinger has officially moved on and signed with the Toronto Raptors getting a one year deal with the Atlantic Division rivals. Earlier this week, the Celts rescinded their qualifying offer for Sullinger and allowed him to become an unrestricted free agent:







Danny Ainge and Brad Stevens both had some nice words for Sullinger and appreciated what he did in a Celtics uniform in the four years he was here. Via Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe:

“Jared’s a good kid and I’m grateful for what he gave us and I wish him well,” Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said by telephone Sunday. “I hope he gets a good opportunity. We just feel this is the best thing for our team.”

Coach Brad Stevens said that when the Celtics signed Horford, it forced them to make difficult decisions such as this one.

“The thing that stinks about that is having to move on and move forward, both for him and us,” Stevens said. “But he’ll do great. Jared’s one of the more talented guys being able to get the ball off the glass, and he’s got beautiful touch and he’s a good guy, and so I think he’ll do well. I’m hopeful this move will benefit him as well, and I think it will. We’ll see where he lands, but I know there’s a lot of interest in him based on how my phone’s been ringing.”

The writing was on the wall for Jared Sullinger. For the past three seasons, his weight and his health have been at the forefront of concern for the Celtics. After multiple offseason, Sullinger showed up to training camp having gained weight and his conditioning held him back on the court. While he did provide the Celtics with a nice interior presence, especially on the boards, he left a lot to be desired.

As a guy who dropped in the first round of the draft after being medically red-flagged, the Celts grabbed Sully at number 21 and for being a late draft pick, he provided some good value in his four years here. Unfortunately, his weight and conditioning held his potential back and that's why the Cs cut bait and decided to let Sullinger go find a new path. Obviously while many green teamers were frustrated with Sullinger in his tenure here, we do wish him all the best on his new team in Toronto. Sometimes a change of scenery is needed to reinvigorate your career and for Sully, hopefully he can do that in Toronto.

Image Credit: AP Photo/Michael Dwyer
Follow Kevin Yazhari on Twitter @KevKevYazhari
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