This has been the first quiet week for the Boston Celtics since they won the NBA Finals just under two months ago on June 17.

After hosting the championship parade, the Celtics quickly shifted their focus into the next season by having pre-draft workouts the very day after the parade.

The first team Anton Watson worked out for was the Celtics, who went on to draft him 54th overall in the 2024 NBA Draft. He admits that he got hurt at the G League combine and knew then that Celtics liked him.

That said, Watson and the Celtics still haven’t agreed on a contract. Boston has one more roster spot available on their 15-man roster, which GM Brad Stevens has expressed interest in leaving it open, and there’s still one more two-way contract available to issue.

Watson really performed well in the Summer League. He averaged 11.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.0 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 51.1 percent from the field and 35.0 percent from behind the arc this summer.

It’s quite surprising to see Watson isn’t signed yet. It’s possible the Celtics want to see more of him in training camp before making a decision on where he should be signed- Boston or Maine.

Perhaps Watson impressed Stevens enough to reconsider the final roster spot in Boston. Maybe he thinks Watson could possibly help the team now and have him assigned to Maine rather than signed on a two-way.

After Summer League concluded, Watson told the media that he was planning to talk to the Celtics about contracts during that next week.

Well keep an eye on Watson’s status, but here are other notes and takeaways from the Celtics this week.

• Jayson Tatum didn’t play in the first game for Team USA against Serbia and it was a coaching decision, likely the first DNP-CD of his entire basketball career. After the game, head coach Steve Kerr said he felt “like an idiot” for not playing Tatum, but with Kevin Durant returning and playing perfectly, there wasn’t much opportunity for Tatum to get on the court, according to Kerr. In the next game, Kerr promised that Tatum would play, which he started against South Sudan. He finished with four points, five rebounds, two assists, and one block.
• Jaylen Brown kept true to his word when he said he wanted to bring a Black Wall Street to the city of Boston when he signed the largest contract in NBA history last summer. Brown is launching the Boston XChange, a nonprofit created with his teammate Jrue Holiday and his wife’s JLH Social Impact Fund. The goal is to create $5 billion in generational wealth in Black communities throughout Boston. Along with Holiday and his wife Lauren, the XChange is also partnered with MIT and Harvard business schools.
• Derrick White is becoming a household name, not only in Boston, but throughout the entire world by playing so well in the Olympics. He’s made a huge impact for Team USA in every game, just like he does for the Celtics.
• Gordon Hayward officially announced his retirement after 14-years.
• Malik Fitts signed with SIG Stratsbourg.
• Jaylen Brown playing in an unknown shoe at The Sanctuary.

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Photo Credit: David Dow, NBAE Getty Images