some big men who are Free agents or could be traded

NBA bigs who "may" be traded this off-season.

Clint Capela (Atl)- Hawks have Collins With Dedmon in reserve, which means Capela could be moved for the right deal. He is 26 YO, and has three years left on his deal. Next season's salary is at $16M which makes any chance of the Celtics getting him fairly slim, IMO.


Myles Turner (Ind)- there has been rumors that Indiana would move him for the right deal. Only 24YO, with 3 years left on his deal. Next seasons Salary is at $18M. I think to get him it would take one of Tatum, Brown, Smart or Kemba. I think it is un likely Ainge would move any of them.

Steven Adams (Okl)- Thunder seem to be looking to tear it down completely which means both C. Paul and Adams could be on the move. Adams has an expiring deal, but its at a whopping $27M! at age 27 he would seem to have a few quality years left. Again his salary makes it difficult to see Ainge being able to work out a deal. Unless he could talk the Thunder into taking back Haywards expiring deal ( would likely require sending multiple first roundpicks to Okl as well).

Jonas Valanciunus (Mem)- a $15M salary , with one more season after next again makes any deal hard to do. he is 28 YO and has some value on th e trade market.

the following are players who also may be on the trade market , but would seem to have little interest to the Celtics at their age or salary's.

A. Horford- Phi
L. Aldridge- SA
K. Love- Clev
A. Drummond-Clev
B. Griffin- Det


now for Free agents

T. Thompson (Clev)- Will likely move on from Cleveland and try to get a job with a contender at age 29. made over $18M last year, so likely won't play for peanuts or the MLE. The only way I can see Ainge snagging him is in a sign and trade. Where Cleveland re-signs him to a deal in the $8M range and then Ainge trades some combo of draft picks and vet players back to Cleveland. For instance R. Langford an the #14 pick would equal around $7M in salaries going back. Add Grant or Robert Williams and we'd be sending more like $9M back which would allow Thompson a first years salary in the $11M or slightly more range. This is a player to keep an eye on if Ainge wants to bring in a vet big man


P. Millsap (Den)- I have read his name being out there on some Celtics sites. At 35YO he has really slowed down from his prime, as we could see in the playoffs this year. I guess I could see him as a MLE signing here next season, but I really don't think he'd be much of an upgrade over what we have now.

A. Baynes- (Pho)- would be an upgrade over Kanter next year for the MLE and certainly knows the system here. an Option if Ainge can talk Kanter to opt out or trades him.

N. Noel (Okl)- Another guy who always gets brought up as a Celtic option almost every year. Likely to his local connections. I wouldn't waste a contract on him at this point and would rather play younger players.

W. Cauley-Stein ( Dal)- He has a player option at only $2.2M which he should opt out of, making him an UFA. He should be able to get a MLE deal somewhere and could be an option as a 27YO who does some the same things as Robert Williams.

Other FA's who are likely out of the MLE price point and would require a sign and trade (Like I showed with Thompson above):

M. Plumlee (Den)- A second option after Thompson for me.
S. Ibake (Tor)
D. Favors (NO)
M. Harrell (LAC)

OK, that's all I have, anyone else have any suggestions?

kdp59

Great post. very informative

I always thought Clint Capela would be good fit in Boston. He was hurt with a heal injury and did not play last year. The Hawks need better defensive players on the perimeter. They have some nice young wings but their biggest issue is at the Guard position as Young is a poor defender.

He will make $16 mill next season. Not ready to part with Marcus Smart, I think the Hawks would want him and he is our only middle class salary.

I also found Christian Wood (Det) who is a UFA next season. He seemed to take some steps last year, after being a marginal NBA player for a few. But he was playing for the Pistons too. SO I'm not sure he's a guy to look at with the MLE.

Remember dboss, we CAN add salaries to get a higher price player (Like I suggested on the T. Thompson line above).

though finding players to package UP to $16M is still hard without Smart.

You could also move GH in a bigger move for Capela but a 3rd team may need to be involved unless it was a 2 for 1 deal.  Finding a quality center is difficult so you have to give to get.  

Moving GH would be easier if you could project RL to become a starting 2.  Sorry I cannot do that yet.

For Boston to get a big man, here is a trade proposal. Who says no?
Boston gets: Drummond, Exum.
Cleveland gets: Hayward, Poirer, 2nd round pick.
All 4 players will be free agents after next season.

Drummond is a dinosaur in todays NBA, i had him on the list of players I would stay away from.

I doubt Ainge can get much better than a Plumlee or Thompson type at best.

but I wanted to get a list started since we are in the off-season.

an early congrats on the Lakers newest title!!

Hi,
Please, whoever you trade a big for, leave Smart alone. And 2 J's, for that matter.
My top "big" targets would be Capela, Thompson and Turner.

AK

kdp59 wrote:Drummond is a dinosaur in todays NBA, i had him on the list of players I would stay away from.

I doubt Ainge can get much better than a Plumlee or Thompson type at best.

but I wanted to get a list started since we are in the off-season.

an early congrats on the Lakers newest title!!

I don’t like Plumblee’s game at all.
Drummond lead the league in rebounding for the 4th time in the last 5 years.
Yes, Drummond has some challenges but I think he’s more valuable to Boston than Hayward.

It’s a little early for Congrats but I do think the Lakers close out the series tomorrow night.
Normally the draft is about two weeks after the Finals is over, but this year we have to wait for 5-6 weeks. Ugh.
Then free agency usually starts within 1 week. They haven’t even announced when free agency starts this year.
This Lakers team is not the team they wanted. They waited for Kawhi and missed out on much of free agency and trades.
This offseason LA will be better able to build a team and most importantly acquire a 3rd star.
If I’m the Lakers I would go all in on trying to acquire Zach LaVine.

sinus007 wrote:Hi,
Please, whoever you trade a big for, leave Smart alone. And 2 J's, for that matter.
My top "big" targets would be Capela, Thompson and Turner.

AK

I agree on Tatum, Brown and Smart. I also see Hayward as not having any real trade value now.

that means getting Capela or Turner is almost impossible unless Atlanta or Indiana wants Kemba back in return. Both teams have solid PG's right now.

Thompson would have to be a sign and trade and while we can combine player salary's and draft pick salary's , Thompson would likely have to be willing to play on something like a 2 year/ $25M deal to get it done.

I think Thompson or Mason Plumlee  are guys to look at , IF Ainge wants to bring in a vet NBA big man in a trade.

Baynes might be the best option for the MLE as a free agent we can hope for.

kdp59 wrote:

sinus007 wrote:Hi,
Please, whoever you trade a big for, leave Smart alone. And 2 J's, for that matter.
My top "big" targets would be Capela, Thompson and Turner.

AK

I agree on Tatum, Brown and Smart. I also see Hayward as not having any real trade value now.

that means getting Capela or Turner is almost impossible unless Atlanta or Indiana wants Kemba back in return. Both teams have solid PG's right now.

Thompson would have to be a sign and trade and while we can combine player salary's and draft pick salary's , Thompson would likely have to be willing to play on something like a 2 year/ $25M deal to get it done.

I think Thompson or Mason Plumlee  are guys to look at , IF Ainge wants to bring in a vet NBA big man in a trade.

Baynes might be the best option for the MLE as a free agent we can hope for.

The Celtics need not nibble around the edges.  I do not see Thompson being willing to take $12 mill and he is an UFA.  Plumlee is an over-priced BU center ($14 million)

Turner does not dominate the glass so I do not like him.

Bringing Baynes back would be nice but again that just gives you a team overstocked with backup centers.

To get a quality center you are going to have to dip into your core to make the numbers work.  I really do not see anyway around it.  The Celtics are going to have to move one of 3 players (Smart, Hayward or Walker)  Jayson and Jaylen are special and still young and have upside.  

I do not see any team looking for an undersized PG with 3 years remaining on a max deal so Walker is not going anywhere.  That leaves GH and MS.  GH has options but Marcus Smart does not.  Danny has not divulged plans moving forward with Hayward.  Marcus Smart has a contract that would be easier to move more so than either Walker or Hayward.  A deal for Capela with Smart being the main piece could work financially.  The Celtics would have to find a replacement for Smart but his style of play is so unique that it would not be easy to do.  But in my opinion the J's are the only untouchables on this team.  

GH could net us a center and a rotation guy and that is pretty much all that we need.  

The draft is coming up on November the 18th followed by free agency.  We do not know what GH will decide and we do not know what Danny wants to do with his free agents.  We will find out soon enough.

RosalieTCeltics wrote:I think taking on Aldridge now would be the Al Horford mistake of 2021 for the Celtics. He is 34, moving slower, I know he is still good, but, a year later and who knows. I really do not see him as a fit, and certainly would not give up Smart to get him. If Pop is still coaching next year in San Antonio, I know he would love to get Smart down there, I just do not see Danny making a move like that. Big mistake

I guess I hate any of these moves except maybe Baynes or Turner. This is going to be an interesting off season

Agreed.

GH could net us a center and a rotation guy and that is pretty much all that we need.  



dboss,

I wish that were true, I don't think so myself. But I would be interesting in seeing what trade you would pursue to get that Center and a rotation guy for Hayward.

I cannot come up with any team that would be willing to give anything close to value back for Haywards expiring deal.



I proposed a trade in another thread of

Kemba, Theis, #14 and #30 to Indiana

for

Turner and Oladipo

I think Ainge would be LUCKY if the Pacers would take that deal. I don't think you can replace Kemba with Hayward and even get a call back from the Pacers to be honest.

I think Kemba has much more value right now then Hayward.

kdp59 wrote:

GH could net us a center and a rotation guy and that is pretty much all that we need.  



dboss,

I wish that were true, I don't think so myself. But I would be interesting in seeing what trade you would pursue to get that Center and a rotation guy for Hayward.

I cannot come up with any team that would be willing to give anything close to value back for Haywards expiring deal.

I proposed a trade in another thread of

Kemba, Theis, #14 and #30 to Indiana

for

Turner and Oladipo

I think Ainge would be LUCKY if the Pacers would take that deal. I don't think you can replace Kemba with Hayward and even get a call back from the Pacers to be honest.

I think Kemba has much more value right now then Hayward.

kdp59

Well I did say could but not would so that gets me off the hook

Your trade proposal with Indy could work.

But there are a lot of balls in the air. Who will be coaching the Pacers? One thing seems obvious. the Pacers are looking to move away from the slow down defensive style that Nate embraced. So if they are going for a more offensive minded team, Hayward would be a good fit. The risk factor is there but considering that Hayward had a bounce back year and had excellent numbers across the board, he still has a lot more value than we may think. Again go take a look at the umbers and try to find something wrong. I just do not see it. While the injury risk is there, his severe ankle sprain was unrelated to his foot injury. I see no reason why he cannot be a productive player. Also with him being an Indiana guy it is the most logical place for him to be. He built a home there and his wife and family are Indiana folks.

Olidipo wants out and as good as Turner has been he has pretty much flat lined and since Sabonis is on the rise Indy may be ready to upgrade their wings. The Celtics would have to include another player. Hayward would have to agree to the trade. All in all this would work for both teams.

Turner is not the guy I would go after but I really do not think that Hayward would be willing to go anywhere. Hayward to Indy is the most logical destination for him.

I do not agree that Kemba has more value than Hayward. I think Hayward is a much better all around player than Walker and he provides more flexibility from a positional standpoint. They both have risk of injury.

Everything we say here is speculative and there is no right or wrong answer.

True dboss,

I throw lots of stuff on the wall and nothing ever sticks, so it's probably worst than speculation.

I always see the off-season as a time of endless possibilities ...though it rarely is in the real world.

I also just read a piece on the NBA cap that may limit Ainge more on what he can due, due to our cap situation next season..

https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2019/03/hoops-rumors-glossary-sign-and-trades.html

this part could be a problem in any potential sign and trade:

A team acquiring a player via sign-and-trade cannot be over the tax apron after the deal, and can’t have used the taxpayer mid-level exception.

kdp59 wrote:True dboss,

I  throw lots of stuff on the wall and nothing ever sticks, so it's probably worst than speculation.

I always see the off-season as a time of endless possibilities ...though it rarely is in the real world.

I also just read a piece on the NBA cap that may limit Ainge more on what he can due, due to our cap situation next season..

https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2019/03/hoops-rumors-glossary-sign-and-trades.html

this part could be a problem in any potential sign and trade:

A team acquiring a player via sign-and-trade cannot be over the tax apron after the deal, and can’t have used the taxpayer mid-level exception.

kdp59

I do not know how many times I have mentioned the issue of how the luxury tax can affect what Boston can do. The standard response has been, the owners said they are willing to pay the tax.

This does not mean that GH cannot be traded.

I think the Celtics options are limited.

GH holds all the cards. If he opts in Boston could trade him up until the end of the trade deadline. he could opt out and sign with any team that has the CAP space. He could opt out and resign with Boston.

I just think he opts in and at that point it will be up to Danny to navigate the potential that he leaves the following year. I actually think that is the best option. Basically he will be gone after next season. And if that is the most likely scenario Danny should look to trade him. Danny and the Celtics got burned on his last deal because of the devastating injury and subsequent games missed due to other ailments. It would take an idiot to say okay, how about a $20M/3-4 Yr deal to stay.

It is time to put the GH saga behind us. So much has changed since we signed him including the addition of two high quality wings. It is time to move on and hopefully in the process the Celtics can extract some measure of compensation.

bobheckler wrote:How about Harry Giles?  6'10", 240#, 7'3" wingspan.  Doesn't shoot 3s, but neither does Capela.  Better ft%.  Has a positive assist-to-turnover ratio, which Capela does not have.

Unrestricted free agent.  Maybe throw a sign-and-trade at Sacto so they get something for him instead of him just walking away for nothing, also relieves us of some salary.


Bob


.

Bob,

I'm not sure what Giles value as a UFA is this season. He's been a marginal player on the Kings for a coupe years now. I would be very surprised if he gets anything close to the MLE from any team. But one never knows, time will tell.

I see him as a et minimum guy, who would sit behind Theis and Both Williams brothers here.

as for those sign and trade deals I brought up...well gyso clarified for me that they are un likely to be an option for the Celtics this off-season.

bobheckler wrote:How about Harry Giles?  6'10", 240#, 7'3" wingspan.  Doesn't shoot 3s, but neither does Capela.  Better ft%.  Has a positive assist-to-turnover ratio, which Capela does not have.

Unrestricted free agent.  Maybe throw a sign-and-trade at Sacto so they get something for him instead of him just walking away for nothing, also relieves us of some salary.


Bob


.

Bob one guy was an over-hyped kid who still has the potential tag and the other is an actual center with proven center skills.

There is no comparison between them. They are totally different players. I think we have enough kids on this team without adding another 22 year old guy. How about Bjelica? He's a UFA coming off of a $7 million deal.

Also I think, but I could be wrong, that there are some restrictions on executing a sign and trade if a team is over the apron. He could fill the scorer/shooter role off the bench.