Celtics Sign Former Lottery Pick To Training Camp Deal

August 22, 2022 ,


He's a former Chicago Bulls lottery pick whose effectiveness has dipped over the last few seasons; now 28-year-old guard/forward Denzel Valentine will get a chance to stick with the Boston Celtics this season.

The Celts have signed Valentine to an Exhibit 10 training camp contract, and he'll compete for one of the team's open roster spots in September/October.

Valentine played for Boston's G League affiliate, the Maine Celtics last season, posting an impressive line of 14.6 points, 10.3 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 1.1 steals in about 31 minutes per game. He also shot 35.2% on three-pointers.

The Michigan State alum was chosen by the Bulls with the 14th pick overall in the 2016 draft, and had his best year in his second season with the Bulls in 2017-18, when he averaged 10.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game, in about 27 minutes per game. He also shot a robust 38.6% from beyond the arc.

But Valentine has struggled to retain a spot in an NBA rotation since then, with his minutes, and production waning significantly. In addition to his time in the G League last year, he spent 22 games with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and another pair of contests with the Utah Jazz. He only averaged 2.9 points in less than 10 minutes per game. 

He'll compete with the likes of Bruno Caboclo, Noah Vonleh and Brodric Thomas for one of the two open spots on the Celtics roster for this season.

Photos: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports, David Richard-USA TODAY Sports 




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