Free agent center JaVale McGee reportedly is close to signing with the Boston Celtics. The deal, according to ESPN's Jeff Goodman, would run through next season.
McGee cleared waivers on Wednesday, but it looks like he won't be a free agent for long. Goodman reported on Thursday the 7-footer was close to signing a deal with the Celtics, something team president Danny Ainge didn't deny.
"JaVale is a long, athletic guy, and we don't have that type of player -- an above-the-rim offensive and defensive player," Ainge said during his weekly appearance on Boston sports radio 98.5 The Sports Hub, via ESPN. "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's] 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, who's also been linked to the Chicago Bulls and the Toronto Raptors, has played in only 23 games this season because of either illness or injury. The Denver Nuggets traded him, along with a protected first-round pick, to the Philadelphia 76ers on Feb. 19. Philadelphia subsequently bought out the rest of McGee's contract - the remainder of his $11.25 million salary for this season and his $12 million for next season - on Sunday, before the March 1 deadline expired.
Boston still has a chance to sneak into the Eastern Conference playoffs, and if they did earn a berth, McGee would be eligible to play in the postseason for them.
