When Daniel Theis was seeking for his next NBA home earlier this season, he told MassLive that he spoke with certain Celtics players about a possible reunion. Theis was playing limited minutes with the Pacers during the first month of the season, so he agreed to a buyout in November to pursue more playing time elsewhere.
While Theis signed with the Clippers shortly after leaving Indiana, he admitted that he discussed a possible return to Boston with some of the Celtics’ stars before finalizing his decision.
“Obviously, I had a couple of conversations (with Boston),” Theis told MassLive following the Clippers’ 115-96 victory Saturday. “I spoke briefly with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.” But, as I previously stated, the Clippers were quick and provided me with an opportunity at the perfect time.
“So, for me, it was simply about getting back on the court. Indiana just wasn’t right for me; it didn’t fit. For me, it was simply getting back on the court as soon as possible, competing and enjoying basketball.”
A return for Theis would have marked his third tenure with the Celtics, having signed before the 2017-18 season. He was also with the Celtics during their 2022 playoff run to the Finals, which followed a trade deadline move. But minutes would have been difficult to come by for the current Celtics, given their front court depth with players like Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford. Los Angeles, on the other hand, required a big man after Mason Plumlee suffered an injury, creating an opportunity for Theis.
At the time, Theis was likewise hoping to jumpstart his NBA career after barely playing in Indiana. He had a tremendous summer, guiding Germany to the FIBA World Cup title. But he was getting little to no playing time with the Pacers, so he looked for the greatest fit and somewhere he could earn immediate minutes, such as the Clippers.
This is now a rotation big for a resurgent Clippers team that is playing excellent basketball with a 30-14 record. Los Angeles easily defeated the Celtics 115-96 on Saturday at TD Garden. Theis had a good night, scoring 18 points and seven rebounds on 8-of-9 shooting in 26 minutes.
Theis has settled in well with the Clippers, appearing in 33 games (one start). He came into Saturday’s game averaging 6.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 17.2 minutes per game.
“It’s pretty easy,” Theis said of his Clippers matchup. “Obviously, with all of the men we have, I can easily find a space to play off-ball. Sometimes it’s the dunker position, and sometimes it’s corner spacing. I believe it is just for us, in the beginning, just figuring out how to play with each other, like all of them on the floor, finding the spots, finding the correct locations, and then our defense in the half court is really excellent too.”
With the trade deadline looming next week, Boston will likely look for extra big man depth to supplement Porzingis and Horford in the postseason. Theis would have been an excellent match in that place for Boston, but Luke Kornet and Neemias Queta have offered solid assistance in that spot during the first half of the regular season, mitigating the disappointment of missing out on Theis.
