Apr 13, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Drew Peterson (13) dribbles down the court during the first half against the Charlotte Hornets at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images

Celtics NBA Champion Signs With East Rival in Free Agency

Originally posted on Boston Celtics on SI | By Ryan Stano | Last updated Jul 15, 2025 2:00 PM ET

The Boston Celtics have already lost a few members of the 2024 NBA championship team. Sending Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis away in a trade were the biggest moves this offseason.

Luke Kornet decided to sign a deal with the San Antonio Spurs, so he is gone as well. The Celtics are going to look much different next season than they did coming off their title run.

Another player has decided to leave the Celtics in order to pursue more playing time. Forward Drew Peterson has signed a deal with another team.

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Peterson has decided to leave the Celtics just a few weeks after saying he wanted to stay for as long as possible. He has signed a two-way deal with the Hornets.

Former Celtics forward Drew Peterson has agreed to a two-way NBA deal with the Charlotte Hornets, agents Mike Silverman and Troy Payne of Equity Sports tell ESPN. Hornets' Charles Lee coached Peterson in Boston two seasons ago.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 15, 2025

Instead of staying with the Celtics and trying to find playing time with them, Peterson decided that he had a better shot of playing in the NBA if he moved to Charlotte.

The Hornets have revamped their roster this offseason, making a ton of moves. They have brought in several veterans this offseason as they turn their attention to winning games instead of trying to tank for a high lottery pick.

Peterson's path to playing time won't be as easy with the Hornets as it was a few months ago. It seems more likely that he ends up playing in the G-League than in the NBA.

The Celtics likely weren't going to have much playing time for him, even without Jayson Tatum as part of the rotation next year. He was still going to be behind both Sam Hauser and Baylor Scheierman.

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Peterson has only played sparingly so far in his NBA career, appearing in only 28 games over the last two seasons with the Celtics. He hasn't gotten a chance to develop.

Boston isn't in a position to be developing young players, as they still view themselves as being in a championship window. They will likely just have a gap year next year as Tatum recovers from his injury.

This past season with the Celtics, Peterson averaged 2.2 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 0.5 assists per game.

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