JD Davison Moves On, Celtics Move Forward

The Boston Celtics waived JD Davison on Thursday

JD Davison is heading into unrestricted free agency. Just months after being crowned the G League MVP, he’s floating in the vast ocean of unattached professional ball players, waiting for a team to take a chance on him.

Davison’s release was unexpected, in terms of the timing, but in truth, it doesn’t come as much of a shock.

Since he was acquired with the 53rd pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, Davison has struggled to crack the Celtics’ rotation. He was swimming upstream from the moment his name was called. For the past two years, Jrue Holiday, Derrick White and Payton Pritchard were all roadblocks on the route to earning a legitimate role.

Davison, 22, still has plenty of upside. He’s an athletic guard who likes to play in transition, pressure the rim and punish collapsing defenses with timely passes. He’s improved on his ability to work out of the halfcourt, specifically when running the PnR. However, a limited perimeter shot means defenses can feel comfortable sagging off, thus limiting his overall effectiveness against a set unit.

During his three seasons with the Maine Celtics, Davison has played in 84 games, starting 59 of them. He ends his tenure having averaged 19.8 points, 4.9 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game, shooting 47.4% from the field and 30.3% from three-point range.

Clearly, Davison took his game to a new level during his three two-way contract spells with Boston. The problem is, that level has positioned him as a “tweener.” Now, he’s too good for the G League — as we all found out last season — but arguably a step or two below the required level to earn minutes in an NBA rotation.

What Davison needs is to land with a young and rebuilding roster. Somewhere that needs guard depth off the bench and can provide a consistent role, where he’ll get nightly minutes against NBA-level competition. Even as a retooling roster, that wasn’t something the Celtics could offer.

You do have to wonder whether Max Shulga’s addition to the roster has played a role in Davison’s exit. Sure, Shulga didn’t set the world alight in Las Vegas, but he looked like a steady hand with solid decision-making skills.

“The thing that I was most impressed with was him handling the pressure," Brad Stevens told Bobby Krivitsky after Boston’s opening win over the Memphis Grizzlies. "He doesn't get sped up. For a guy that's playing in his first Summer League game, we just talked about, you've got jitters, and you're playing in front of everybody, and you want to make a name. I don't even think he attempted a shot until the second half, right? So he's not even thinking about all the stuff that doesn't matter. He's just like, 'Okay, I'm gonna get us into offense. I'm gonna make the right read. I'm gonna make the right play, and then, things will open up.'"

Shulga will likely sign a two-way contract with Boston and fill the role Davison vacated after signing a full-scale deal with the Celtics toward the end of last season. Mazzulla can then call on Shulga when needed, without feeling obligated to slot him into the rotation on a permanent basis.

Like it or not, Shulga’s style of play fits the Celtics better, too. He’s a five-year collegiate product who enters the NBA with significant polish to his game. Furthermore, over 162 games for Utah State and VCU, Shulga shot 39.2% from deep on 3.7 attempts per game. He also dished out an average of 2.8 dimes per night. In essence, he can hit his shots, make his reads, and work without the ball.

So, when you factor in the addition of Shulga and the fact that Davison was ineligible for another two-way contract with Boston, having exhausted his three seasons with the team, the decision to cut him makes sense — even if you would have preferred to see him challenge for a role this year.

We could also argue that Baylor Scheierman had leapfrogged Davison in the pecking order. And while he’s not an out-and-out guard, he does everything the Celtics need from a ball-handler while also having three-level scoring potential and clear room for improvement — such as shooting off the dribble on self-created looks.

“Not worried at all about the shooting,” An anonymous Celtics coach told Keith Smith during Summer League. “He took more self-created shots out here (Las Vegas) than his entire rookie year. That won’t be his thing in the league…yet. We think he can get there. What was really exciting for us was his defense, his passing and his rebounding. That’s all the connective stuff we drafted him to do.”

Between Shulga and Scheierman, the Celtics have more than enough upside in terms of developmental ball-handlers, which likely made it far easier to cut ties with Davison heading into the depths of the offseason.

What Does Waiving Davison Mean For The Celtics?

By waiving Davison, the Celtics have ducked back under the second luxury tax apron — if only until they sign a replacement. They’ve also opened up a roster spot in the process.

The Celtics could now look to add a proven NBA talent to the roster via free agency, with Ben Simmons' name continuing to be floated around, or they can essentially hold a round of tryouts. To do that, Boston would need to extend some Exhibit 10 deals (training camp contracts) to players they want a closer look at.

An Exhibit 10 contract would keep players with the franchise throughout training camp and preseason, giving them a chance to earn a spot on Mazzulla’s roster for next season. The most logical name to receive one of those deals, as far as most Celtics fans are probably concerned, would be Charles Bassey, who impressed during his 3 games out in Las Vegas.

Or, and this is an important note, the Celtics could now take back multiple contracts in a trade, as they have the roster space to do so and are no longer bound by the second apron restrictions. They wouldn’t need to waive someone to make room, which could make those types of trade discussions more palatable.

Just as a reminder, here’s what comes with being a first apron luxury tax team, as opposed to being in the second apron…

What the Celtics can do now they’re under the 2nd apron

• Package multiple players in an outgoing deal — they can send out 2 to get 1, etc.

• Begin the process of retrieving their currently frozen 2032 first-round pick

• Send out cash in trades to help sweeten a deal

The new reality of the 1st Apron

• Boston still won’t have access to the Mid-Level Exception

• Can't use the Bi-Annual Exception

• Still can’t sign-and-trade players if the deal keeps them over the 1st apron — remember acquiring a player via a sign-and-trade hard caps you for that season

• Must keep outgoing salary to 100%, as opposed to the 125% of non-apron teams

• Still cannot sign players off waivers if they were earning more than the MLE before being waived.

• Are still unable to use Traded Player Exceptions from a previous season.

Looking Ahead

It’s fair to wonder whether Boston’s decision to waive Davison is the precursor to another move. I know that was one of the first questions that crossed my mind when the news broke. However, right now, the only *honest* answer any of us can give is “I don’t know.”

Brad Stevens moves in silence.

You never see his moves coming.

So, sure, a new addition or a potential trade could be right around the corner. It could happen today. Tomorrow. Over the weekend.

Or…

That 15th roster spot could sit untouched for the next 6 months or so. We’ve seen Stevens leave it open for flexibility purposes on multiple occasions.

So, for right now, there’s not much information to go on. Boston could add Ben Simmons. They could explore the free agent market in search of front-court additions. They could have a trade lined up to continue the current roster churn that comes with a retooling effort, or they could stand pat and see how things play out in the coming months.

For now, Davison's departure is another reminder of how ruthless roster construction can be - even for guys who put in the work and do everything right. His G League MVP trophy won't guarantee him an NBA future, but somewhere out there will be a rebuilding team that could use exactly what he offers — it’s just not guaranteed that team will be in the NBA…Europe could, potentially, beckon.

As for the Celtics, they've made a move for some additional flexibility, both in terms of the roster and the cap sheet.

All that’s left to do is repeat the mantra that helped bring the 2024 championship to the TD Garden: In Brad Stevens we trust.