Tyler Zeller Reportedly Re-Signs with Celtics: Latest Contract Details, Reaction

The Boston Celtics reportedly re-signed free-agent center Tyler Zeller on Saturday after coming to terms on a two-year contract.

Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald first reported the details of the agreement. Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe confirmed the second season of the deal is not guaranteed. Bulpett also noted the contract is worth $8 million per year.

That the team is bringing back the restricted free agent comes as somewhat of a surprise. His role decreased significantly last season—he played just 11.8 minutes per game—and that was before the Celtics brought in Al Horford to become the new anchor of their frontcourt.

In turn, it seemed like Boston would probably let him walk if another team signed him to an offer sheet and focus its resources elsewhere. While the Celtics ultimately decided to re-sign the North Carolina product, he faces an uphill battle to consistent playing time.

Horford and Amir Johnson will start and play a vast majority of the minutes. That leaves Zeller to battle Kelly Olynyk, Jonas Jerebko and Jordan Mickey just to see the floor. It figures to result in sporadic chances to shine for a second straight year.

That said, the 26-year-old center told Jay King of MassLive in April that he wanted to stay in Boston despite his forgettable 2015-16 campaign.

"Hopefully it'll work out," Zeller said. "We'll kind of see where we end up, but they genuinely hope I'm back. I know it was a rough year this year, but overall it's a great organization, great place to be, and so we'll really just wait and see what happens."

Furthermore, Scott Souza of the Providence Journal noted a market for the reserve big man "never materialized." That likely played a role in his staying with Boston despite the uncertain usage outlook.

Zeller enjoyed some success during his first year with the Celtics, averaging 10.2 points and 5.7 rebounds while shooting 54.9 percent from the floor. He received 59 starts that season, however, and that's unlikely to happen again barring serious injury issues.

He'll be nothing more than veteran depth heading into the season, and he'd need to improve his efficiency to carve out a bigger niche. But he does understand the system, so keeping him around as insurance could end up proving worthwhile.