The Boston Celtics have waived former Pitt forward Justin Champagnie, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.
Champagnie spent the majority of last year in the G League before being signed to the Celtics’ active roster. He averaged 19.5 points and 8.7 rebounds for Sioux Falls and shot 52% from the floor.
He scored six points in 11 minutes (three appearances) for the Raptors before joining Boston. Champagnie scored five points in 23 total minutes. He scored 81 points in 281 minutes with Toronto during his first season.
If Champagnie remained on the roster past August 1, his deal would have guaranteed $50,000. According to Sportsnet Raptors analyst Blake Murphy, the move creates the opportunity for Champagnie to find a two-way deal and possibly earn more money with a different organization.
The 6-foot-6, 22-year-old former Panther averaged a double-double with 18 points and 11.1 rebounds per game during his sophomore campaign before declaring for the 2021 NBA Draft. After being undrafted, he signed a two-way deal with Toronto and joined the Celtics, one of the league’s best teams, for the stretch run and postseason.
In July, Champagnie scrimmaged with the Pitt ‘Zoo Crew’ TBT team in preparation for The Basketball Tournament. The Panthers fell to Marshall’s ‘Herd That’ squad in the opening round.
