After falling short of their goal of winning back-to-back NBA Championships with a second-round loss to the New York Knicks, the Boston Celtics are looking to make changes to their roster this offseason.
Jayson Tatum's timetable to return after rupturing his Achilles is unclear at this point. Achilles tears are hard to overcome, as recent NBA players who have suffered the same fate have shown that it has had a damaging effect on their careers. Many believe Tatum won't be ready for the start of the season and beyond, putting the Celtics in a difficult spot.
Celtics could add EuroLeague Star from Turkey for next season
One offseason move that the Celtics are considering is the addition of EuroLeague star Nigel Hayes-Davis. Hayes-Davis plays for Fenerbahçe in Turkey and the Celtics have expressed interest in signing him in the past. Celtics head coach Joe Mazzula, was recently spotted in Turkey on a scouting trip for Hayes-Davis.
Joe Mazzulla está en Estambul viendo el Bahçesehir-Fernerbahçe. No es la primera vez que los Celtics han tenido interés en Nigel Hayes-Davis… pic.twitter.com/BtPPdNjtrd
— Chema de Lucas (@chemadelucas) June 9, 2025
Nigel Hayes-Davis has experience playing in the NBA. While it was very brief, Hayes-Davis played for three different NBA teams in the 2017-18 season, including the Los Angeles Lakers, Sacramento Kings and Toronto Raptors. He averaged 3 points per game and 2.4 rebounds during the nine NBA games he appeared in. Hayes-Davis went undrafted in the 2017 NBA Draft and spent the majority of his NBA career playing for the New York Knicks' G League team, the Westchester Knicks.
Hayes-Davis is most well-known for his college career with the Wisconsin Badgers from 2013 to 2017. In his career with the Badgers, Hayes-Davis led Wisconsin to a National Championship appearance in 2015, two Final Fours, a Big Ten regular season championship in 2015, and a conference tournament championship that same season.
Nigel Hayes-Davis has been impressive during his international career with Fenerbahçe in Turkey. Since joining Fenerbahçe in 2022, Hayes-Davis has averaged 10 points per game or more in three years with the team. His best season came during the 2024-25 EuroLeague season, where he averaged 16.8 points per game, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.5 assists. He also won the EuroLeague Final Four MVP and the 2025 EuroLeague Championship with Fenerbahçe.
Would adding Nigel Hayes-Davis be the best option for the Celtics?
Given the fact that Nigel Hayes-Davis has been out of the league since the 2017-18 NBA season and that his time was very brief, the Celtics would be better off looking elsewhere to shake up their roster for next season.
It wouldn't be surprising if the Celtics did offer Hayes-Davis a short-term contract, but it would be hard to imagine that his stay with the Celtics would be long-term.