The Boston Celtics expected Shane Larkin, their backup point guard, to move on for the upcoming season, and now it is official where he will be heading.Larkin has officially signed a one-year contract worth $1.8 million with Anadolu Efes, a team in the Turkish League, as confirmed by David Pick, an international basketball reporter.
Even before the NBA free agency began on July 1, Larkin’s future with the Celtics seemed uncertain. In June, the Celtics inked a deal with point guard Brad Wanamaker, who had been playing in the Turkish League. This deal was finalized just a few days later. With point guards Terry Rozier and Kyrie Irving on the team’s roster, there was hardly any room for Larkin, making his move to Europe inevitable.
The 25-year-old Larkin, originally drafted by the Dallas Mavericks as the 18th pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, played for the Celtics in the previous season, mostly serving as a backup point guard after Irving’s knee injury. Larkin averaged 7.2 points and 3.8 assists in 12 regular-season games.
Larkin has prior experience playing overseas, notably with Baskonia in the Spanish ACB League during the 2016-17 season, where he impressed with averages of 13.1 points, 5.7 assists, and 1.3 steals in 33 games. Baskonia also showed interest in re-signing Larkin, but he ultimately opted to join Anadolu Efes, a team that includes former NBA players Rodrigue Beaubois and James Anderson.
During his latest stint with the Celtics, Larkin averaged 4.2 points and 1.8 assists while shooting 36% from the 3-point range.
