Jeff Green looks forward to more time with Celtics

Green showed flashes of the talent that C’s general manager Danny Ainge promoted in the aftermath of the Feb. 24 trade, but the four-year veteran was maddeningly inconsistent.

In the Celtics swan song, Wednesday’s 97-87 loss to the Miami Heat in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, Green had nine points and was on the court in the final minutes of a tight game.

On consecutive possessions, Green missed a driving layup and had a Paul Pierce  pass slip through his hands out of bounds, which was followed by LeBron James’ game-sealing 3-pointer.

The up-and-down Game 5 was a microcosm of Green’s stint with the Celtics.

“I could have helped out a little bit more,” Green said. “I made some mistakes at the end. I could have done some things differently, but I just have to live with it now.”

Green averaged 9.8 points in 23.5 minutes per game for the C’s, after averaging 15.2 points in 37 minutes in Oklahoma City. When he played starter minutes in the final two games of the regular season, Green’s impressive talent was on display.

But those opportunities weren’t available with Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett ahead of Green on the depth chart. With those veterans returning, the question is if Green, a restricted free agent, is willing to spend another season as an understudy.

“Hopefully you’ll see more,” Green said. “All I’m going to do is just get better. There’s a lot to my game a lot of people haven’t seen, a lot of dimensions that I can bring to this team or wherever I’m at.”

The Celtics have the right to match any offer for Green this summer. Ainge made the trade with an eye to the future, so the C’s figure to try to retain Green, who said no talks about a contract had taken place yet.

Green rejected a contract extension offer in Oklahoma City earlier this season, so there’s no reason to expect the former No. 5 pick to come cheap. If the finances work out, he is open to returning to the Celtics.

“Look at the guys they’ve got on this roster, it’s a dream to play with guys I looked up to growing up,” Green said. “Just to have this opportunity was fun and hopefully I’ll have it again.”