Boston Celtics: Potential landing spots for 3 likely Cs preseason cuts

The Boston Celtics tasted defeat in their third exhibition after a 2-0 start to the preseason on Wednesday night.

Jeff Dowtin’s game-winning turnaround jumper sealed the deal for the Orlando Magic, who had dropped the preseason opener to the Cs by the same margin: a single point.

103-102 was the final, but stress not Celtics fans. A handful of veterans that includes the ‘Jays’, Marcus Smart, Al Horford, Dennis Schroder, and Josh Richardson were all DNPs.

Horford may not be back opening night against the New York Knicks due to a stint in the NBA’s Health and Safety protocols, but the rest should be.

Potentially joining Horford as absent, though for an entirely different reason, are these 3 likely Cs preseason cuts. Here’s where the Houdini has each potentially landing:

Boston Celtics preseason cut Garrison Mathews adds a shooter to LAL lineup

Sam Hauser has always been the biggest obstacle to Garrison Mathews sticking with the Cs, and he hasn’t shown any indication that he can’t handle a small role–think fellow UVA basketball alum Joe Harris on the Cleveland Cavaliers–at the pro level.

Mathews could flourish on a Los Angeles Lakers team that is potentially missing a ton of pieces at the start of the season. We know it’ll be a while before prospective starting small forward Trevor Ariza suits up again, but Kendrick Nunn, Malik Monk, and Talen Horton-Tucker now all join him in street clothes on opening night and through the first weeks of the season.

The 3-point shooter could be a nice partial-guarantee add that could be cut with little consequence if a better free agent option surfaces for the Lakers.