Appearing at an introductory press conference on Tuesday more than two months after being traded from Philadelphia to Boston, veteran forward Paul George acknowledged that he’s aware of how unpopular the Jaylen Brown trade was among Celtics fans. While he’s not promising to replace the production of a player who finished sixth in MVP voting last season, George indicated he’s hoping to prove the Celtics’ front office didn’t make a huge mistake by acquiring him, per Kyle Hightower of The Associated Press.
“I understand my circumstances. I understand how huge JB was, not only for the organization, but here in the city. So, I didn’t take it personal,” George said. “To be honest, they should have a relationship, emotionally, to that trade. But my job is to kind of come into a great opportunity for me.
“Obviously, the last few years have been rough, just with injuries. But for myself, personally, I feel great again. I feel like I’ve turned that corner of dealing with injuries, and now, kind of re-establishing myself from a physical standpoint again. And with that, I can carry it over to the court.
“… It’s a new group, a new opportunity. I think they’re getting, someone that’s ready to, not fill the shoes or fill the void of JB, but I think from a personal standpoint myself, I think I can come in and kind of still keep us in that contention. Give us a chance to win.”
George is a nine-time All-Star who has also made an All-NBA team six times, but at age 36, he considers himself a complementary player alongside the Celtics’ true superstar, as Christian Clark of The Athletic relays.
“We have a superstar, and that’s J.T. (Jayson Tatum),” George said on Tuesday. “I’m not here to necessarily steal the shine or try to reinvent who I am. I’m here to help J.T., and he’s the guy. I have played alongside another superstar wing, and we coexisted beautifully. Myself, I see that with J.T.”
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While Tuesday’s press conference was originally intended to introduce George, Mike Conley, and Mitchell Robinson, only George and Conley were able to attend, with Robinson missing the event due to personal reasons, tweets Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. However, Himmelsbach notes that the new Celtics center has been participating in informal team workouts this month.
Before waiving him last week, the Hawks granted guard Devin Carter permission to audition for multiple teams, according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link). Carter ended up signing an Exhibit 10 contract with Boston, giving him to a path to a standard or two-way roster spot. Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston looks at what the 2024 lottery pick could bring to the team and considers whether or not Carter will open the season with the Celtics.
Although ESPN’s Zach Kram liked the Celtics’ four-year extension with Neemias Queta and the fact that they poached Robinson from the conference rival Knicks, he awards the team a grade of C-minus for its offseason work, largely due to the underwhelming return for Brown.