Players That MAY Become Available This Offseason

I am not smart enough to answer this question, but is EF's O and D combined better than RL 's or AN's now? Already I think Romeo and Aaron are closing in on Evan .

cowens/oldschool wrote:Well thankfully we won’t play Kemba and Frenchy on defense at the same time ever. They play different positions, but I think Frenchy is one of the worst wing defenders in the league; overall his defense is probably worse than Kemba’s. AN and RL sure add to the defense as opposed to hurt it like Frenchy.

IMO, Fournier wasn't at 100% after he came down with covid. Before that, he was in and out of the lineup. I doubt that he ever had a chance to practice much with his new team.

If we sign him this summer, he will get that chance to practice with the Celtics during the preseason, plus he will have a no-nonsense coach to help him out.

I hope that you would give him a second chance and view him with open eyes once the new season starts.

Imho 2 year contract for Evan. After that Romeo and Aaron should have eclipsed him. With all 3 on the roster the next 2 years we have depth.

worcester wrote:Imho 2 year contract for Evan. After that Romeo and Aaron should have eclipsed him. With all 3 on the roster the next 2 years we have depth.

worcester,

A 2 year contract means Early Bird Rights. Same as full Bird Rights, except that Fournier would not be eligible for a 5 year, max contract at the end of the 2nd year. Since I sincerely doubt he's expecting that anyway, I think 2 years would be good.

A 3 year contract would get us full Bird Rights and give us an extra year for Romeo and Aaron's development (in case they're not as quick a learners as we'd like) and it would also keep him under contract for another year should he be traded after one-to-two years. The other GMs might like that salary predictability.


Bob


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gyso wrote:

cowens/oldschool wrote:Well thankfully we won’t play Kemba and Frenchy on defense at the same time ever. They play different positions, but I think Frenchy is one of the worst wing defenders in the league; overall his defense is probably worse than Kemba’s. AN and RL sure add to the defense as opposed to hurt it like Frenchy.

IMO, Fournier wasn't at 100% after he came down with covid.  Before that, he was in and out of the lineup.  I doubt that he ever had a chance to practice much with his new team.

If we sign him this summer, he will get that chance to practice with the Celtics during the preseason, plus he will have a no-nonsense coach to help him out.

I hope that you would give him a second chance and view him with open eyes once the new season starts.  

Good points, against certain teams he wouldn’t hurt us too bad, against the elite teams more so, he couldn’t keep up with any wing on the Suns. His offense could help us, would have to hide him on defense….

3 years makes sense then Bob, unless GYSO sees some negative salary cap implications down the road.

prakash wrote:So dboss, are you saying that there are potential trades where you will trade Marcus Smart to get a quality point guard?  I understood yes.

I like Smart and in the absence of a good move, there should be no hurry to trade him.  I also think that there will be a number of teams ready to do the trade dance this off season.  Warriors, Blazers, Wizards and Celts seem obvious to me.  Then there is the Kawhi unknown.  Will there be a deal that will make real good sense for the Celts?

Regarding EF, is he a better defender than Kemba?  If yes, then why not run a line up of Smart, EF, JT, JB and Al?  I can see the ball moving with this lineup and the scoring will be terrific.  Defense will not be shabby.  This seems to be a really good option.

Prakash

I think this could be a bridge year unless Boston adds a PG and a PF. and resigns EF. I am not anti EF but I do understand that Boston probably cannot keep EF and also resign MS and RW. Although I do not believe that MS is the right fit as a full time PG I prefer keeping him over EF because Marcus brings a lot of versatility on defense to this team. As far as RW is concerned, last year he proved that he is a great fit for the offense and defense. If he continues to play well AND stays relatively injury free, he too looks like a long term keeper but Boston can do a wait and see with him and it gives the team a year to get a better feel for Moses Brown.

At this point I just do not see ownership going above the tax line this year. I could be wrong totally but after the Kemba trade was made it just looks like Boston is going to create some CAP space to make a deal on a 3rd guy that gives us a big 3. I do not know if that is the right direction to go or not. I think that 3rd guy could be added next year.

The clock is ticking and we are 23 days from the start of free agency. No one should be surprised if the Celtics do not bring Fournier back. I expect a few roster building moves and maybe a TT trade.

As far as the suggested lineup, I have other ideas. I prefer a more up tempo lineup. So I will go with JB, JT, RW, AN and PP. MS, EF and AH are slow. Before anyone pulls their hair out this lineup is very much based on my bridge year theory where Boston goes all in on several young guys that should be able to compliment the j's.

JB, JT, RW, AN and PP. I'd be happy to see how that starting lineup does for the first 30 games of the season.

worcester wrote:JB, JT, RW, AN and PP.  I'd be happy to see how that starting lineup does for the first 30 games of the season.

Worcester

RW is a given based on what we saw last year when he started. AN finally started to play well after many many deer in the headlights moments. PP is a flat out baller and his developing PG skills and ability to knock down the deep ball bodes well. The thing I like about both AN and PP is the fact that they play with a lot of intensity and they actually get up and down PDQ. They run the court. So I am going with a younger and quicker lineup. I'll need to call coach IME and advise him to reintroduce fastbreak basketball to the Celtics.

Correct me if I am wrong, but didn't we trade for Fournier? With part of a TPE?

In that case, his bird rights came over with him in the trade. We don't have to wait for that. A new two year or three year contract does not enter into the conversation.

worcester wrote:JB, JT, RW, AN and PP.  I'd be happy to see how that starting lineup does for the first 30 games of the season.

Don't be surprised if it is:

MS, JB, JT, EF and AH/RW.

Just saying.

"As far as the suggested lineup, I have other ideas. I prefer a more up tempo lineup. So I will go with JB, JT, RW, AN and PP."

Interesting idea. I like it. Bridge year is another interesting term although I am neutral about the idea.

The Celts face two options:

1) Roll with the Js and the youngsters. That means PP, AN and RL get a good burn. Veterans like MS and AH provide the stability and Js the star power. Parker is the big gamble although Rudy Gay will be a better member.

This means that we are betting on player development as a priority and not winning. Also, this means that we could be player in the Bradley Beal sweepstakes.

The risk as I see it are the 1 & 5 positions. AH is on his last legs and RWill is too injury prone. Get Beal and we are OK. Otherwise we have just traded off a set of problems for another set.

Then there is the financial issue: the willingness of the ownership to pay luxury tax once these youngsters are coming up for contract renewal, while we are still not a contender.

2) Find the 3rd star. Sign veterans. Create a 3-years window to contest for a championship. Keep the player development option open.

Given all the uncertainties: contract renewal and player movement, injuries and roster consistency, the Celts have to target a 3-4 years window to contest for a championship. What will be that window?

Any move will be risky but if the Celts can pull off the following lineup: Lowry, EF, Js, Al, RWill, PP, AN, RL and Rudy Gay, I will be very excited. I will be very excited without EF as well.

I don't want to trade Smart for players other than Lowry or Draymond Green.

gyso wrote:Correct me if I am wrong, but didn't we trade for Fournier?  With part of a TPE?

In that case, his bird rights came over with him in the trade.  We don't have to wait for that.  A new two year or three year contract does not enter into the conversation.

As far as I know we do have Bird rights on EF. Having them and exercising them are two different things.

So, the Celtics may put forth a skinny offer and if EF does not like it they will tell him to go shopping, just like the MS situation a few years ago. EF will be looking for another good pay day and will want at or above his current salary, I would imagine.

I do not think he will get what he wants because there are not a lot of teams that will have the CAP space to sign him. However, more teams will add space when they renounced some of their CAP holds.

Who knows. Maybe the Celtics resign him on the cheap.

dboss wrote:

worcester wrote:JB, JT, RW, AN and PP.  I'd be happy to see how that starting lineup does for the first 30 games of the season.

Worcester

RW is a given based on what we saw last year when he started. AN finally started to play well after many many deer in the headlights moments.  PP is a flat out baller and his developing PG skills and ability to knock down the deep ball bodes well.  The thing I like about both AN and PP is the fact that they play with a lot of intensity and they actually get up and down PDQ.  They run the court.  So I am going with a younger and quicker lineup.  I'll need to call coach IME and advise him to reintroduce fastbreak basketball to the Celtics.  

So you like PP is a starter and you feel he’s quick. I have a stop watch that I lifted from Coach Massimino’s office back when I too could get and down the court. It still works. Would you like to borrow it?

Ktron wrote:

dboss wrote:

worcester wrote:JB, JT, RW, AN and PP.  I'd be happy to see how that starting lineup does for the first 30 games of the season.

Worcester

RW is a given based on what we saw last year when he started. AN finally started to play well after many many deer in the headlights moments.  PP is a flat out baller and his developing PG skills and ability to knock down the deep ball bodes well.  The thing I like about both AN and PP is the fact that they play with a lot of intensity and they actually get up and down PDQ.  They run the court.  So I am going with a younger and quicker lineup.  I'll need to call coach IME and advise him to reintroduce fastbreak basketball to the Celtics.  

So you like PP is a starter and you feel he’s quick. I have a stop watch that I lifted from Coach Massimino’s office back when I too could get and down the court. It still works. Would you like to borrow it?

I think he is quick enough to get up and down. I know for certain that he is much faster then Marcus Smart and I do not need a stop watch to prove it.

In absence of the Celtics adding a starter level PG they have to choose from guys already on the roster and I am choosing PP. I like how PP pushes the ball and I like his ability to knock down shots from the outside. My thinking is that with a year of experience under his belt, his playmaking skills should be a lot better. The Celtics still need to add depth at the PG spot regardless. And we need a BU power forward not named Grant or Semi.

dboss wrote:

Ktron wrote:

dboss wrote:

worcester wrote:JB, JT, RW, AN and PP.  I'd be happy to see how that starting lineup does for the first 30 games of the season.

Worcester

RW is a given based on what we saw last year when he started. AN finally started to play well after many many deer in the headlights moments.  PP is a flat out baller and his developing PG skills and ability to knock down the deep ball bodes well.  The thing I like about both AN and PP is the fact that they play with a lot of intensity and they actually get up and down PDQ.  They run the court.  So I am going with a younger and quicker lineup.  I'll need to call coach IME and advise him to reintroduce fastbreak basketball to the Celtics.  

So you like PP is a starter and you feel he’s quick. I have a stop watch that I lifted from Coach Massimino’s office back when I too could get and down the court. It still works. Would you like to borrow it?

I think he is quick enough to get up and down.  I know for certain that he is much faster then Marcus Smart and I do not need a stop watch to prove it.  

In absence of the Celtics adding a starter level PG they have to choose from guys already on the roster and I am choosing PP.   I like how PP pushes the ball and I like his ability to knock down shots from the outside.  My thinking is that with a year of experience under his belt, his playmaking skills should be a lot better.  The Celtics still need to add depth at the PG spot regardless.    And we need a BU power forward not named Grant or Semi.

Ok. I give. :>)

Moving TT has to be on the top half of the Things To Do List.

The Celtics need to find a team that needs a center and has a PF that they would be willing to trade. The salaries need to match up to avoid any sign and trade scenarios.

I think Portland could be a candidate for TT. How about TT and CE for Robert Covington?

https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2021/07/what-will-barton-opting-out-means-for-celtics-and-evan-fourniers-free-agency-market.html



What Will Barton opting out means for Celtics and Evan Fournier’s free agency market


Updated Jul 17, 2021; Posted Jul 17, 2021


By Brian Robb | brobb@masslive.com



The free agent swingman market this summer just added another name to the mix on Saturday when Denver Nuggets guard Will Barton opted out of his $14.7 million player option according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.

The Nuggets will retain Bird Rights on Barton who has played for Denver since 2015. According to Charania, both Denver and Barton have interest in a new deal but the 30-year-old will hit the unrestricted free agent market next month. He played in 56 regular seasons games last season, averaging 12.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists.


What could this move signal for Evan Fournier’s market?

The decision by Barton is a bit of a surprising move given his injury woes to end the year. There are only a handful of teams with significant cap room this offseason so it’s unlikely that Barton’s agent will be able to leverage his departure and still get a raise on the player option he turned down.

However, since the Nuggets are an over-the-cap team, they will have no way of replacing Barton and his production if he walks away beyond using their mid-level exception ($9.7 million). With Jamal Murray expected to miss a significant chunk of next season while recovering from a torn ACL, the Nuggets can’t afford to lose a dynamic scorer in Barton if they want to keep pace with other Western Conference contenders during the regular season. Barton’s agent knows that and will likely try to use it to leverage a long-term deal for his client from Denver or another potential suitor.

Barton’s decision to test the market waters should help the Celtics’ hopes of retaining free agent wing Evan Fournier for a reasonable salary. The Celtics won’t have a chance to sign Barton since they won’t be able to offer him more than the mid-level exception but his presence will create a more crowded market for wings.


Outside of top-tier talent like Kawhi Leonard and DeMar DeRozan, Barton becomes one of the top shooters on the market with Fournier. His presence along with other veteran talented scorers such as Tim Hardaway Jr., Kelly Oubre Jr., Duncan Robinson, Nic Batum, Reggie Bullock, Norm Powell, Doug McDermott, Andre Iguodala, Trevor Ariza, Gary Trent Jr., and Josh Richardson.

With such a limited number of teams (only 5-10 depending on what happens at NBA Draft) with salary cap room beyond $10 million to spend, the addition of guys like Barton to the market should help Boston. His availability raises the possibility that there will be one fewer team in play to go after Fournier aggressively with a big contract since Barton could be a cheaper appealing alternative.


There are still plenty of other dominoes left to fall to help shape the 2021 free agency market but more good players hitting the market is good news for Boston. Brad Stevens has no meaningful cap room to spend beyond the mid-level so he wants a crowded market to help keep Fournier’s eventual price down. Barton’s availability as a veteran wing may help in doing just that.


Bob


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2 weeks out from the start of free agency.

https://lakersdaily.com/nba-insider-says-kyle-kuzma-sees-himself-on-the-same-level-as-jayson-tatum/



NBA insider says Kyle Kuzma sees himself on the same level as Jayson Tatum



By Sam Leweck



According to a recent report, Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma sees himself on the same level as Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum.


“I think that Kyle Kuzma perceives himself as someone like Jayson Tatum,” said Eric Pincus on a recent episode of the Lakerside Chats podcast. “I think that’s how he views himself. And that’s great. You should view yourself as one of the best young players in the league.”

Truthfully, Kuzma’s opinion may be a bit farfetched. The 25-year-old has gotten less productive as his career has gone on, and the same cannot be said about Tatum.

In the 2020-21 campaign, Kuzma averaged just 12.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game while shooting 44.3 percent from the field 36.1 percent from deep.

Tatum, meanwhile, averaged 26.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.3 points per game this past season. He shot the ball at a 45.9 percent clip from the field and a 38.6 percent clip from 3-point land. Tatum is a two-time All-Star.


Most NBA fans would agree that Tatum is one of the best young players in the league.

Kuzma’s future is in question with the Lakers, and it was reported earlier today that he is ready to move on from the team. It will be interesting to monitor the situation.


Bob
MY NOTE:  I think the bleach Kuzma used to dye his hair seeped into his brain.  I like Kuzma but he isn't Jayson Tatum.  Similar bodies, but that's about it.  Kuzma has two years left on his contract and another one with a player option.  He's making $13M/year.  If he thinks he's Tatum he will almost certainly opt out of his option.

I don't see him coming to Boston, for a couple of reasons, but if he goes somewhere else then that receiving team will have to consider moving a player on their roster and that's where the opportunities lie.

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https://basketnews.com/news-154201-nigel-hayes-has-impressed-boston-celtics-in-workout.html

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/spurs-former-all-star-demar-derozan-willing-to-take-a-pay-cut-to-join-lakers-per-report/



Spurs' former All-Star DeMar DeRozan willing to take a pay cut to join Lakers, per report



DeRozan is from Southern California and made $27.7 million last season


By Sam Quinn
16 hrs ago
2 min read


The Los Angeles Lakers have been flirting with DeMar DeRozan for years now. They pursued him when he was a free agent in 2016, but at that point, Kobe Bryant had just retired and the team was not ready to compete, so he ultimately decided to re-sign with the Toronto Raptors. He was linked to the Lakers in trade rumors last offseason as well before they ultimately landed on Dennis Schroder, but afterward, he admitted that he was flattered by their interest.

DeRozan grew up in Southern California. He played collegiately at USC. He is a stylistic disciple of Bryant's in the mid-range. The mutual interest between the two has always made sense, and now, a union appears likelier than ever. According to Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times, DeRozan is willing to take a pay cut to join the Lakers.

Now, the real question here is how big a pay cut he would be willing to take. DeRozan made $27.7 million last season. The Lakers are far above the salary cap. Their likeliest path to signing DeRozan would be through the taxpayer mid-level exception worth roughly $5.9 million. In the event that DeRozan is not willing to accept a 75 percent pay cut, the Lakers could also engineer a sign-and-trade for him from San Antonio, but that could be costly. Aside from the value of the actual contract, acquiring any player through a sign-and-trade triggers a hard cap at the apron. That figure is projected to come in at around $143 million, and teams that trigger that hard cap cannot exceed it for any reason. The Lakers did so last season by using the non-taxpayer mid-level exception on Montrezl Harrell.

Harrell was a sixth man, though. DeRozan is a former All-Star. His fit with the Lakers isn't simple. He is a poor 3-point shooter and defender, arguably the two most important traits any player can have alongside LeBron James. But they sorely need another ball-handler after the Schroder experiment failed. The Laker offense has struggled mightily in the minutes that James hasn't played over the past three seasons, and DeRozan could change that. His mid-range shooting would provide a valuable alternative to the James-Anthony Davis pick-and-roll as a source of late-game offense. For the right price, he would be an extremely valuable addition.


It's ultimately going to fall on DeRozan to determine what that price will be. If he's willing to take the mid-level exception, adding him would be a no-brainer for the Lakers. If he wants a contract closer to the one he just finished, things get substantially harder for a Laker team with several needs. This is a conundrum that veteran players routinely face. They can maximize their earning power or select an ideal destination. Rarely are both available, and it will be up to DeRozan to decide what is most important to him moving forward.


Bob


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https://sports.yahoo.com/boston-jayson-tatum-hints-planned-110014897.html



Boston’s Jayson Tatum hints at a planned Javonte Green reunion with Celtics?



Justin Quinn
Sat, July 24, 2021, 4:00 AM·1 min read






All-Star Boston Celtics swingman Jayson Tatum may have let the Celtics’ offseason plans slip while wishing former teammate and good friend Javonte Green a happy birthday on his Instagram stories Friday.

Tatum wished Green “Happy Birthday my dawg!,” adding that they were “Real strangers turned into brothers” who would be “running it bcsk [sic] this year.” Green, who was dealt to the Chicago Bulls at the 2021 NBA trade deadline, will be a free agent this offseason, and eligible to return to the Celtics if a contract amenable to all parties could be offered.

Given the closeness of the Virginia native to Tatum and the franchise’s likely desire to keep their franchise player happy, such a move would not be a terrible idea.




With a number of roster spots likely to be in need of filling on the cheap and Green’s solid if not stellar performance with the Celtics over the last two seasons as a depth piece, it would not at all surprise to see such an outcome materialize.


Bob
MY NOTE:  Javonte is a RFA.  Chicago can extend the qualifying offer of $1.9M and match any offer.  I believe the deadline for Chicago to make the qualifying offer is either August 1st or 2nd (the same time period they have for extending a qualifying offer for Lauri Markannen.  Markannen's QO is for $9M.  They also have a decision coming up for Satoransky, who is in his last contract year for $10M.  Do they extend him?  Theis, also, is a UFA.  I don't know if he can resign with us (or if that's even something he'd want to do, considering) but it creates another salary cap issue for Chicago).

Would you want Javonte Green back in green?  I liked him.  He wasn't/isn't a needle-mover but he was solid and if he were to embrace the Tony Allen lockdown defender role he could become valuable.  Do we need a 6'4" defender when we have Jaylen Brown and 6'5" Nesmith up-and-coming?  Nesmith lacks Green's athleticism, so maybe he'll never be as good a defender as Green could be but his offense could far any eclipse reasonable expectation for Green.


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Nesmith looks closer to 6’6” to me and has great arm length, he also has shown very good hustle and can rebound and mix it up, with more work he can be as good a defender as Green IMHO.

Rumor is that LAL and Sacto are discussing a trade: Kyle Kuzma for Buddy Hield. No specifics yet.


Bob


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