After making an inquiry on Zydrunas Ilgauskas, the Celtics [team stats] now are looking into whether Michael Finley might be interested in joining the club.
According to league sources, the C’s are in the market to add to their roster and last night were awaiting the final list from the league of players bought out by the deadline.
In the case of Ilgauskas, the Celts found what has been expected all along: The big man will be returning to the Cavaliers.
Finley could be another story, though it is uncertain whether the Celtics can offer him much in the way of guaranteed playing time. But having a 6-foot-7 wing player who can hit 3-pointers is intriguing for a team that has traded away Eddie House and now has little reliable perimeter shooting off its bench.
The San Antonio Spurs waived Finley after nearly five seasons, giving the 15-year veteran a chance to finish the season with more playing time elsewhere.
The Spurs said they honored Finley’s request to be released from his contract, which was in its final year after he exercised a $2.5 million option this season.
“I was very surprised, but we granted his request,” Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich said before the Spurs faced the Hornets in New Orleans last night. “That’s for other teams to decide if they think he can be useful. But we did grant him his release before the deadline so he would have the opportunity to play some place in the playoffs if he so desired.”
Finley lost his starting job this season and missed several weeks with a sprained ankle. He appeared in only 25 games, averaging 3.7 points and 1.5 rebounds.
The former All-Star joined the Spurs in 2005 in search of an NBA championship, and he finally got one in 2007. He started all but five games last season but became a bench player after the Spurs signed Richard Jefferson last summer.
“On and off the court, he set a great example for everybody and he was a joy to have in the program the entire time he was here,” Popovich said.
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