The Boston Celtics have officially signed Justin Jackson, Jake Layman and Denzel Valentine. All three moves had been previously reported and are now official. It’s expected that all three players signed partial or non-guaranteed contracts for training camp and the preseason.
Layman is a Massachusetts native. The 6-foot-8 forward was born in Norwood and played at King Phillip Regional High School in Wrentham.
In six NBA seasons, three each with the Portland Trail Blazers and Minnesota Timberwolves, Layman has appeared in 243 games. He holds career averages of 4.8 points and 1.7 rebounds in 12.8 minutes per game.
Jackson appeared in one game for the Celtics as a hardship callup last season. He also played in six games for the Phoenix Suns during the 2021-22 season. In 28 G League games with the Texas Legends, Jackson averaged 22.2 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.
The 6-foot-8 forward was a former first round pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. Jackson has played in 255 games over five games with the Celtics, Suns, Sacramento Kings, Dallas Mavericks and Milwaukee Bucks. Jackson was a part of the Bucks 2021 NBA championship team.
Valentine played for both the Cleveland Cavaliers and Utah Jazz last season. He also appeared in 12 G League games for the Maine Celtics. While with Maine, Valentine averaged 14.6 points, 10.3 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 1.1 steals per game.
In 256 games with the Chicago Bulls, Cavaliers and Jazz, the 6-foot-5 wing has averaged 7.0 points in 18.8 minutes per game. Valentine missed the entire 2018-19 season due to an injury.
The Celtics roster now stands at 19 players. That’s one short of the offseason maximum of 20 players. Boston, like all NBA teams, must get down to the regular season maximums of 15 players on standard contracts and two players on Two-Way contracts by October 17.
The Celtics will open training camp at the end of September and will play their first preseason game on Sunday, October 2 against the Charlotte Hornets.
