I personally think someone else is signed. As I keep saying, signings are a two-way street. They don’t want to sign Dwight Howard, as an example, because they’re concerned he wouldn’t be happy with the role. My guess is that they’ve actually talked and had that conversation. But it’s not like Howard, Whiteside, and the like have signed elsewhere, and as September rolls around and they’re still teamless, they might find they can accept the role more. And if they can’t, then it’s okay they aren’t signed by the Celtics. (Also, there will be some players that shake loose in training camp from other teams).
I would also point out there is no requirement for the Celtics to wait until the trade deadline/buyout market to add a guy. But here’s the thing — the budget, as it stands, probably only allows them to add one such player. Right now they know the top 10, when healthy. So if you add a guy, it should be to fill a hole if there’s a long-term injury. But who’s getting injured? It’s unclear. So rather than making a trade now for a guy who won’t get any minutes because they might not need him, and may grouse on the bench, they can use their trade exceptions to find a player when an injury occurs, and not in advance of that. Lose a wing in November for three months? Talk to Atlanta about Justin Holiday or Utah about Rudy Gay. Lose a PG? Cameron Payne and Cory Joseph are certainly on the block. Need a center? Boban is out there.