It was finally a slow week for the NBA’s lottery teams in terms of signing free agents.
Boston Celtics
Despite Turner’s torrential tumble after being dealt to the Indiana Pacers on trade-deadline-day 2014, and Indy’s undeniable decline once they acquired him to play in a reserve role (Pacers went 14-13 to close the regular season), the Celtics were willing to commit a portion of their mid-level exception to him.
Turner hasn’t come close to living up to the expectations that emanate from being a former No. 2 pick and College Player of the Year award winner. But for the Celtics, it’s a low-risk move, even though they’ve now spent over $80 million, are above the luxury tax line, and just added a player who has yet to show an ability to be effective off the ball or the bench—two things he’ll likely be asked to do in 2014-15.
Prior to being dealt in 2013-14, Turner was having a decent season if you forget the fact that the 76ers, along with the Bucks, were the proverbial punching bags of the league. While his 3.7 assists to 2.9 turnovers and 28.8 3-point percentage were both eyesores, he was scoring 17.4 points on 15.4 shots per game, and he helped lead the team to a surprisingly hot start. Turner never developed the consistency or confidence to knock down his shots from deep, and he is best with the ball in his hands, but he’s not a very efficient playmaker.
Turner turns 26 just days before the 2014-15 regular season begins, and while that isn’t exactly young, it’s certainly not old either. Despite using him as a negative example for the team on several occasions, 76ers coach Brett Brown expressed optimism regarding Turner’s potential to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald following the Celtics’ acquisition of his former player. Brown also told Bulpett that Turner is a hard-worker who’s extremely tough on himself, and that he believes Boston is a great landing spot for ET.
If the Celtics were to trade Rondo in the near future, signing Turner would make a lot more sense (as he’d likely assume more ball-handling duties and playing time). Both Rondo and Turner boast high basketball IQ’s, but they’re both inept outside shooters, and the idea of the two of them sharing the court together would enable opponents to clog the crap out of the lane and focus entirely on preventing penetration.
Milwaukee Bucks
While the Lakers reportedly wanted to re-sign Marshall had he cleared waivers, the Bucks had other plans and snatched up the former Tar Heel. Of the 280 players who saw action in as many games as Marshall last season (54), he posted the second-highest assist percentage (behind Chris Paul), and the Bucks did well to get their hands on such a pure-passing point guard (who also shot 40 percent from 3). It’s unclear exactly how much time he’ll see with Brandon Knight and Nate Wolters already around, and given the team’s recent experimenting with Giannis Antetokounmpo at the one, he could be set to see a decrease in minutes this year. Regardless, Marshall is a hungry hooper continuing to improve his game, and Milwaukee was smart to claim him.
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