Dionte

Christmas

The two sides have come to terms, but the Rockets will only sign him if he gets FIBA clearance in time for the rest of the regular season.

Christmas has been trying to get a shot in the NBA ever since going undrafted out of Temple in 2009. His contract with the Rockets is likely non-guaranteed for the 2012-13 season.

Christmas, playing with the Celtics in summer league, has been impressive and Ainge said that the team has been “talking” to Christmas about coming to training camp with the team. The trade of E’Twaun Moore to the Rockets will “likely” open a spot on the roster for Christmas, according to the Boston Herald.

Christmas was offered a partially-guaranteed deal on the strength of his play at Summer League, where he averaged 14.2 points and made 45 percent of his 3-pointers. Even if the 6'5" SG manages to make Boston’s regular season roster, he won’t be worth owning in fantasyland.

“If [the Celtics] guaranteed me for a year, that would be a dream come true,” said Christmas, who added that teams overseas expect his decision “within a week or so.” Working against Christmas is that he’s a 6'5" shooting guard, which is already a position of depth for Boston.

Christmas was a standout at summer league, and he had previously said that it would be a “dream come true” if the Celtics guaranteed his contract for the season. The two sides settled in the middle, and Christmas’ deal comes with a partial guarantee and an invite to training camp. He shot 45 percent from behind the arc during summer league while averaging 14.2 points.

Forsberg makes it clear that it’s only his prediction, but the choice is going to come down to keeping either Christmas or Jamar Smith. Forsberg notes Christmas’ versatility as well as a “well-rounded game,” but also believes that he’ll have to continue to impress during training camp to convince the Celtics to carry 15 players.

Smith is competing with Dionte Christmas and Kris Joseph for a roster spot, and it would be considered an upset if Smith made it over either player.

Christmas was signed as a free agent after a strong showing at summer league, and he’s looking to carve out a niche for himself in the league at the end of Boston’s bench. He’ll offer no fantasy value if he makes the team.

Joseph was the second-round pick of the team in 2012 while the other two were undrafted free-agent signings. The real battle is between Joseph and Christmas, as Smith is highly unlikely to make the final cut.