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2025 Free Agents - Torrey Craig

After being in the playoff rotation during his days in Denver, Craig contributed to the Suns' 2021 NBA Finals Run, and after signing with the Pacers in the 2021 offseason, he was eventually traded back to Phoenix. He only played in seven of the Suns' 13 playoff games in 2022, and at less than eight minutes per game of non-garbage time, according to Cleaning the Glass. He played a more prominent role in the 2023 playoffs, but still wasn't fully trusted as his minutes decreased compared to the regular season. In Chicago, he was in the regular rotation off the bench, but didn't get any real playoff minutes for the Celtics in 2025. Craig's offensive game is surely his biggest question. He doesn't have a tight handle, which hurts his ability to make plays off the catch. He has also never shot above average from three until the past two seasons, where he hit 39%. His finishing at the rim has historically been solid (although below average the past few years), making him a fairly efficient player. Craig is a good defensive player. He has good size and strength, and works hard on that end. He can be disruptive, as his block rate has consistently been well above-average for his position, according to Cleaning the Glass. It seemed like the Suns traded for Craig for the primary purpose of having another big defender to throw on the elite wings in the playoffs, which he did at times in 2023. I think Craig is a solid rotational player on a good team, even if he's not someone you want to give a ton of minutes to, and potentially will be out of the rotation when the games matter the most. Craig will be 34 years old as a free agent in 2025, so I don't expect him to get any significant offers, especially since he hasn't made a big impact on winning in recent seasons.

Summary

Craig will be an unrestricted free agent with a $2.3 million cap hold and Non-Bird Rights. Since the Celtics will only have his Non-Bird Rights, the most they could offer him using the Non-Bird Exception is a contract starting at $4 million. Alternatively, the Celtics could re-sign Craig using their MLE or BAE (if available) if he demands more than $4 million. Other teams will have multiple ways to sign Craig as even teams without cap space could likely use any of the Non-Taxpayer MLE, Room MLE, or possibly even the Taxpayer MLE or Bi-Annual Exception to sign him. Since he signed a minimum contract in 2025 after being bought out by the Bulls, teams will hope to get him at the minimum in the 2025 offseason too.

Cap Considerations

Anthony Gill (2-1 year minimum, 2024) Jalen McDaniels (2 years, $9 million, 2023) Keita Bates-Diop (1+1 year minimum, 2023)

Player/Contract Comparison

Potential Teams: Celtics, 76ers, Kings, Grizzlies, Clippers

Predicted Contract: 1-year, $3.3 million ($2.3 million cap hit) with the Celtics

Last updated: 5/26/2025

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