Brad Stevens’ review of the 2025-26 Celtics roster could be summed up in three words:
Not. Good. Enough.
“Though we did a lot of good things, we lost in the first round,” Stevens said earlier this month in his end-of-season news conference. “And we were also 3-11 against the top three seeds in the West and the other top two in the East. So we’ve got to get better.”
How can Boston do that? In Part 1 of our offseason targets series, here are five impending unrestricted free agents who could fit the Celtics’ needs this offseason.
C Mitchell Robinson
The Celtics have a glaring need for frontcourt help, and there aren’t many difference-making centers set to hit free agency. The best of the bunch is Robinson, whom Boston knows well from his eight seasons as a New York Knick.
The scope of Robinson’s skill set is limited — more than 90% of his career field-goal attempts have come inside three feet, per Basketball-Reference, and he’s a notoriously terrible free-throw shooter — but what he does well, he does very well. Listed at 7-foot-1, he’s a monster on the offensive glass and a top-tier interior defender. This season, Robinson ranked in the 87th percentile among big men in block percentage, the 95th percentile in steal percentage and the 100th percentile in offensive rebounding percentage, per Cleaning the Glass.
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla might not want two non-shooters at the top of his center depth chart — starter Neemias Queta has more range than Robinson but is far from a floor-stretcher — but bringing in Robinson would add some necessary heft to a position group that was outclassed in Boston’s first-round series against Philadelphia.
Queta has a team option for next season, Luka Garza — a solid shooter and offensive rebounder who struggles defensively — has one year left on his contract, and midseason pickup Nikola Vucevic is an impending free agent. The 35-year-old Vucevic was a healthy DNP in Game 7 against the 76ers, and Stevens’ postseason comments suggested he is unlikely to return.
C Robert Williams III
An ex-Celtic who once was considered one of the NBA’s best defenders, Williams has battled injuries throughout his NBA career, missing at least 21 games in each of his eight seasons. But the Time Lord was healthy by his standards this season — his 59 appearances for Portland were nearly as many as he logged in the previous three campaigns combined — and showed that he’s still a valuable player when he can stay on the floor.
Williams averaged 14.8 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per 36 minutes and shot 70.4% from the field while backing up Donovan Clingan. He turns 29 in October and likely would be a cheaper alternative to Robinson.
As a result of their salary-shedding over the last year, the Celtics now have access to the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception (roughly $15 million), though using all of it would hard-cap them at the first apron for 2026-27.
G Anfernee Simons
Speaking of reunions, would the Celtics consider bringing back Simons for a more substantial stint? The former Trail Blazers starter was an effective sixth man during his half-season in Boston. He scored in double figures in 37 of his 49 appearances, shot 39.5% from 3-point range and drew frequent praise from Mazzulla for his improved defense.
The Celtics shipped Simons to Chicago at the NBA trade deadline — a move that netted them Vucevic and helped them drop below the luxury tax line — and he played in just six games for the tanking Bulls before being shut down for the season. The 26-year-old likely will need to settle for less than the $27.7 million he earned in the final year of his current contract.
G Coby White
A starter in Chicago for most of his career, White thrived as a sixth man with Charlotte after being dealt at February’s trade deadline. In 21 games for the Hornets, the 6-foot-5 combo guard averaged 29.1 points, 5.7 assists and 7.7 free-throw attempts per 36 minutes while shooting 39.1% from three.
White would add scoring and playmaking ability to a Celtics backcourt that lacks depth behind Derrick White and Payton Pritchard.
G Ayo Dosunmu
Dosunmu’s 43-point masterclass in Game 4 against Denver made him one of the breakout stars of these NBA playoffs. The Timberwolves, who acquired the 26-year-old from Chicago in another of the Bulls’ many deadline deals, are hoping to re-sign him, but Dosunmu said he’s looking forward to testing free agency for the first time in his career.
If he hits the market, the Celtics could use a guard with Dosunmu’s athleticism and ability to get to the basket. More than a third of his field-goal attempts this season (36.7%) were from inside three feet, right in line with his career average. Boston’s top five scorers all took less than 20% of their shots from that area, and White and Pritchard both were below 10%. Stevens wants to change that, specifically mentioning the Celtics’ need to “have more of an impact at the rim.”
In a late-season loss to Minnesota, the Celtics had trouble coralling Dosunmu (17 points, eight rebounds, six assists) and fellow Wolves reserve Bones Hyland (23 points), who could be another name to watch if Boston goes bargain shopping for a veteran guard.
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