Knicks sign former Celtics prospect to two-way deal

The Boston Celtics drafted forward Anton Watson in the second round, No. 54 overall, of the 2024 NBA Draft. He has spent the entirety of his professional career playing for the Maine Celtics (the Celtics' G League affiliate). However, Shams Charania reported on Tuesday evening that Watson was headed to New York after being claimed by the Knicks on a two-way deal off waivers.

The 24-year-old has played in 16 games with the Maine Celtics. He averages 29.8 minutes per game, 12.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.8 assists, so he has shown a bit of upside during his rookie season. Watson played in 151 collegiate games and scored over 1,400 points during his five years at Gonzaga University.

The departure of Watson comes on the heels of the Celtics bringing in G League forward Miles Norris on a two-way deal just a few days prior.

The Celtics may have even signed Norris with the expectation that Watson would be signed elsewhere, or maybe even the intention of replacing him. In fact, Norris' G League numbers are slightly better than Watson, averaging 17.1 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.

So, the loss of Watson should not have significant impact over the Boston Celtics in 2025. The addition of Norris allowed for the Maine Celtics to have a surplus of forwards, so one could argue waiving Watson is an addition-by-subtraction situation, creating room for a player with better numbers.

Luke Graham is a digital sports content co-op for 98.5 the Sports Hub. He is currently a sophomore at Northeastern University studying communications and media studies. Read all his articles here, and follow him on X @LukeGraham05.