Oshae Brissett declines player option, will hit free agency

A bench contributor on the Celtics’ championship roster might be looking for a new team in the coming days. 

According to Spotrac’s Keith Smith, Celtics forward Oshae Brissett declined his $2.5 million player option with Boston for the 2024-25 season, allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. 

Even though the 2024-25 Celtics are once again poised to contend, the 26-year-old Brissett could carve out a more significant role on another team that isn’t as loaded with All-Star talent. 

The 6-foot-7 Brissett played in 55 regular-season games with the Celtics, averaging 3.7 points and 2.9 rebounds in 11.5 minutes per contest. This marked the fewest minutes that Brissett recorded per game since his rookie season with the Raptors in 2019-20. 

Brissett saw limited reps during the postseason, but did provide a spark during the Eastern Conference Finals against the Pacers. With Boston’s frontcourt limited due to injuries to Kristaps Porzingis and Luke Kornet, Brissett came off the bench in Game 2 against Indy and recorded three steals and three assists over 12 minutes. 

While Brissett’s ability to inject energy into Boston’s lineup would be missed if he signs elsewhere, the Toronto native could end up on a team where he’d be able to carve out 18-20 minutes a night. Boston could also allocate those limited reps that went to Brissett and hand them to a younger player like Jordan Walsh.