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LAS VEGAS — Joe Mazzulla sits back in his chair at the corner of practice as music blasts. It’s Celtics Summer League, and a new crop of players are beginning their journey to the pros.
Some, like first-round draft picks Hugo Gonzalez and Chris Cenac Jr, come in with plenty of expectations and fanfare. Others are hoping to break through, to make some sort of name for themselves, to get their dream opportunity.
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As the 16-player Summer League squad wraps up practice, Neemias Queta is partaking in a rigorous workout with the Celtics assistant coaches. The Portuguese center is just a few days removed from signing a life-changing contract, a 4-year, $56 million extension that is the result of years of tireless work.
Fittingly, as he walks into the gymnasium, he shakes nearly every reporter’s hand. We each shower him with congratulations. After all, it’s not every day that a player who jumped around from two-way contract to two-way contract gets that kind of long-term payout. Just two years ago, Queta was a Summer League player himself, hoping to one day become an impactful rotation player.
Outside of Queta’s entrance, it feels like a normal day of practice: Mazzulla is in the background, chatting with some staff members. Queta is working on his post moves with assistant coach Tony Dobbins. A smattering of assistants work with players on their skill development.
But the reality is that it’s been anything but a normal couple of weeks for the NBA’s most storied franchise.
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Just over a week ago, the front office made the difficult and highly-scrutinized decision to trade Jaylen Brown, the team’s longest-tenured player, the Finals MVP who over the years became a staple in the Boston community. It’s a decision that Brad Stevens fielded dozens of questions about in a 40-minute press conference earlier in the week.
“This is the decision we came to,” Stevens said, “and obviously, in many circles that’s not popular, and we understood that coming into it.”
But lost in the shuffle of the Brown trade was everything else that took place over the last few weeks — the Celtics signed…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/sat-down-joe-mazzulla-talk-141044037.html
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Publish date : 2026-07-10 14:10:00
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