JaVale McGee, Celtics Fail to Reach Contract Agreement: Latest Details, Comments
All signs pointed to JaVale McGee joining the Boston Celtics, but it turns out that nothing is official until it's official. The veteran center is reportedly not going to be signing with the team after being waived by the Philadelphia 76ers.
Continue for updates.
Boston Herald: McGee Not Signing With Celtics
Thursday, March 4
According to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald, McGee and the Celtics couldn't come to an agreement on a contract:
Per Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, the sticking point between McGee and Boston revolved around the contract's option year:
This is a dramatic turn of events for McGee and the Celtics. All reports for the last 24 hours basically had the ink drying on a contract.
Jeff Goodman of ESPN reported earlier Thursday that the two sides were nearing a deal, including comments from Celtics general manager Danny Ainge made during a radio interview on 98.5 The Sports Hub, in which he made it sound like a lock that a deal was going to happen:
"JaVale is a long, athletic guy, and we don't have that type of player -- an above-the-rim offensive and defensive player. He's been paid a lot of money in our league, had some injuries, hasn't lived up to his potential yet, and we're hoping that he can under [Celtics coach Brad Stevens'] tutelage.
I think he's in a good place, emotionally and mentally, and he really wants to get his career on the right path.
"
McGee has had a whirlwind season already, being traded from Denver to Philadelphia on Feb. 19. After appearing in six games for the 76ers, the 27-year-old was waived March 2 and free to sign with any team.
As it turns out, one of those teams doesn't appear to be the Celtics. It's not hard to see why both sides wanted their own say in the option year, as McGee has been injury-prone throughout his career, including playing in just 23 games this season.
McGee wanted to garner some semblance of security with his new contract, while the Celtics wanted to protect themselves if he was unable to make it through the year in one piece. Sometimes, that's enough to make a near-deal fall apart, which is what seems to have happened.
