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The Athletic’s Shams Charania is reporting that the Celtics have added another big man to their roster after the departures of Al Horford and Aron Baynes:
The Boston Celtics and French center Vincent Poirier have agreed to a two-year deal, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. Poirier is a 6-foot-11 center who will provide additional front court depth in Boston.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 2, 2019
CelticsBlog’s Keith Smith reported the team’s interest in Vincent Poirier over a week ago:
Starting to hear some buzz that Vincent Poirier from France may make a jump to the NBA for the upcoming season. He's been playing for Baskonia in the Spanish ACB league. The 6'11'' center does his work around the rim. One of the teams with interest is the Boston Celtics.
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) June 22, 2019
Poirier is a rugged, rim running big out of France. As Keith notes, his defense and rebounding should pair well with the recently signed Enes Kanter. He is expected to sign a two-year contract for the minimum exception.
Poirier has spent the last two years with Baskonia in the Spainish Liga ACB and EuroLeague. Last season, he lead the EuroLeague in rebounding at 8.3 per game and averaged 11.9 points on 61.7% shooting. The 25-year-old comes to Boston as a polished five-year professional and should provide needed depth with Kanter and Robert Williams. Daniel Theis is still a restricted free agent.