Grading Celtics' Biggest Moves from 2022 NBA Offseason

The Boston Celtics were nearly crowned champions in the 2021-22 NBA season.

They hope to have spent the offseason closing that gap and positioning next year's group for a title run.

They entered the summer in need of more playmaking and perimeter shooting, and they potentially checked both boxes through a trade for Malcolm Brogdon and a free-agency signing of Danilo Gallinari. Tack on a new deal for substitute sniper Sam Hauser, and Boston arguably had one of the best offseasons in the entire Association.

Let's dive deeper into those moves and assign them with letter grades based on value and impact.

If you molded the perfect finishing piece to this roster, it might look a lot like Malcolm Brogdon.

Well, the healthy version of Brogdon, at least.

His injury issues are real—133 games missed over the past five seasons—but they were also baked into his trade cost. For essentially a protected first-rounder, Daniel Theis, Aaron Nesmith and filler, Boston nabbed a secondary playmaker who can create his shot, stripe it from distance and defend anywhere along the perimeter. Not bad, right?

The good version of Brogdon is very good. He has averaged more than 20 points before. More than seven assists, too. He won't post numbers like that in Boston, but efficient scoring, savvy playmaking and disruptive defending should all be on the menu.

Grade: A

The Celtics entered the summer needing to increase the stretch element of their frontcourt.

Danilo Gallinari checks that box with ease.

The 6'10", 233-pounder just splashed better than 38 percent of his long-range looks, and that was his lowest connection rate in four seasons. For his career, he's been good for 2.0 threes per night on 38.2 percent shooting. As a further testament to his shooting expertise, he cleared 90 percent from the charity stripe for the fifth time in six seasons.

At this stage of his career, the 34-year-old runs a bit one-dimensional, and he's never been the sturdiest defender, but Boston can live with his faults. If his typically elite shooting rates remain anywhere near elite, he'll earn every bit of his two-year, $13.3 million pact.

Grade: B+

It's tempting to copy and paste some of the Gallinari analysis here, since Sam Hauser should fill a similar niche. He's not a carbon copy, though.

While Hauser lacks Gallinari's track record, the 24-year-old doesn't have nearly as much mileage. He doesn't carry the same cost, either, as he inked a three-year, $5.7 million deal with a team option on the final season, per Spotrac.

It's best to temper expectations here, though, as Boston's rotation looks deeper than the one he couldn't crack last season. Still, the Celtics will take all the shooting they can get, and he looked comfortable providing that while connecting on 43.2 percent of his long-range looks.

Boston's contract indicates a bigger belief than perhaps the small sample size can justify (158 minutes across 26 contests), but if the Shamrocks get lucky, they'll have a bargain role player who keeps the offensive end properly spaced.

Grade: C+