Which Boston Celtics free agents are likely to return – and who aren’t?

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Which Boston Celtics free agents are likely to return – and who aren’t?



Justin Quinn
Sun, July 18, 2021, 10:10 AM·3 min read



The Boston Celtics have five players whose contracts have officially ended, and it is not out of the question all five will be playing for another team in 2021-22. But at least some of them may interest new President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens in bringing back.

Still others — probably the majority — are at best a coinflip to return, pending what moves the team makes on the trade market and on draft night. Which free agents ought the Celtics write the check for, and which ones should they cut loose? With the stakes — and potential tax bill — starting to gain some real heft, the decisions Boston makes aren’t just about the player they bring back. They also need to consider the opportunity costs of those they don’t explore bringing on in their steads.

With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at the candidates.


Evan Fournier


AP Photo/Elise Amendola

Fournier seems to be a pretty divisive player, with some seeing him garnering a big paycheck in his looming free agency while others believe he'll be pretty affordable even as one of the offseason's better wing options. We think the truth is somewhere in the middle, but not so pricy as Celtics ownership won't bite the bullet and pay up. Having the St. Maurice native's Bird rights in hand certainly doesn't hurt, either. VERDICT: Stays


Luke Kornet


AP Photo/Michael Dwyer

Kornet could be a useful depth option for Boston's frontcourt, but with Al Horford rejoining the squad, his primary utility of stretching the floor is easily outclassed. Probably it will come down to one of him and Tacko Fall, and if it does we like Fall's history with the franchise as the deciding factor. VERDICT: Goes


Semi Ojeleye


David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Ojeleye is a much-loved veteran of the deep Celtics rotation, but given he still hasn't been able to graduate from it and did little to show he belongs on a competitive roster, it seems very unlikely he returns. It's not out of the question he could be brought back as depth insurance depending on how things break, but we don't expect the Ojeleye Factory to be up and running in Boston next season. VERDICT: Goes


Tremont Waters


David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Both Waters and Fall should have one more season of eligibility as two way players, and Waters has the more useful skillset and positionality for this team. He's also failed to separate himself from the glut of deep bench youth, but that's not entirely his fault with the paucity of opportunities last season presented. We expect Waters to latch on to a team with greater developmental opportunities than Boston. VERDICT: Goes


Tacko Fall


Nick Wosika-USA TODAY Sports

Fall could go either way after having shown slow but steady development despite little opportunity to get in reps in games that count. His ongoing relationship with the team as a public-facing player suggests they appreciate having him around, but he's also far from a lock to be brought back. VERDICT: Toss-up


Bob
MY NOTE, MY VERDICTS:

Fournier - Stays, or at least gets resigned.  Whether he is traded afterwards is something else.
Kornet - Goes, especially now that we have Moses.
Semi - Goes.  He looked better by the end but if we keep Grant we don't need Semi, and vice versa.
Waters - Goes.  Especially if Yam Madar looks anything at all like the real deal.  We can wait a year for Waters or we can wait a year for Madar.
Tacko - Stays.  He has made progress, he's no worse than Kornet (not that that's saying much) and he's a crowd favorite.  I don't think I'd sign him to the Celtics, but another year in the G-League would be ok.  Both he and Waters were cheated, a bit, due to COVID.  They would have gotten tons more minutes, and improved a lot more, if they had gotten 30mpg in Maine.  If push came to shove I'd give Tacko Kornet's spot on the roster before I'd bring back Kornet.  If there was one clear foul up by Danny it was trading away Theis for two players, one of which never even made it to the end of the season and the other who probably won't be back the next season.

Another player not mentioned here because, technically, he's not a free agent is Carsen Edwards.  His contract is relatively small, $1.8M, but guaranteed for this year.  I would trade him for a box of Krispy Kremes and donate them to a homeless shelter.  We have a couple of small TPEs, ones that are really too small to bring in any real talent.  I'd trade him, plus enough TPE to cover his salary, for almost anybody or anything.  If the league allows it, I'd do it.


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My take:

Fournier - Stays.

Easiest way to add his level of talent to the team. This doesn't require sending assets out to bring any back. There may not be many teams that have cap space available, so the asking price won't be too high. He gets a 4 year contract with the 4th year being a player option. Hopefully his contract is heavy up front, but reduces in salary year to year.

Kornet - Stays or Goes, depending on whether we keep Thompson.

If we keep Thompson, he goes. I've flip-flopped on this one. I can see the Celtics keeping Thompson, at least until the trading deadline (and maybe the entire season). Thompson has a different skill set than any of the other centers and the new coach may want to keep him in his pocket for now.

Semi - Goes.

Sadly, he never could hit from three consistently.

Waters - Goes.

Nothing to see here.

Tacko - Stays.

He gets his third (and last) year with a 2-way contract.

I agree with BobH on being done with Carsen Edwards.

However, it is $$$$$ that goes out with him to make him a no-cost option for the other team, not TPEs. KISS. Also, we must take something back in the trade. Donuts don't count. Another tiny TPE or a highly protected 2nd rounder will do the trick

Too Bad Grant Williams is not on the FA list.

Semi goes if they keep Parker and Grant.  Parker get 100K if he is still on the roster by July 31, 2021 and if he is on the roster on opening day another $1.41 million is guaranteed.  Then if he is still on the roster on 1/10/2022 all of his his salary is guaranteed.  It would be somewhere in the $2.2 million range.

All 3 of these so-called bigs are not that good but low salaries make good roster fillers.

Waters is gone

Kornet is gone

Fall will stay if Boston can keep him on a cheap 2- way deal

Last but not least the Celtics will shortly decide on Evan Fournier.  They will be making a decision on becoming a tax paying team this upcoming season or not.  They would have to feel real comfortable with the development of AN and RL and have a plan for MS and RW the following season to pass on EF.  He is a good fit for the offense because he can make the deep ball and is a very efficient scorer.  If they retain him will it be a short term deal like maybe 2 years or do they ink him to a longer 3-4 year deal?  The Celtics traded KW.  If EF goes as well how will they manufacture points?

I do not see him getting the same amount of money as his expiring contract.  The Celtics should not overpay him in either case because he will be easier to move on a lower salary.  His market value is unknown  but will likely be depressed with limited teams having CAP space.  

There are two things that bother me about Evan.  First and foremost is his defense.  I watched his inability to stay in front of guys during the playoffs.  But he did shoot the ball well from deep although his overall FG percentage was not great.  In the two previous seasons he had a drop off in his production during the playoffs.  2018-19 averaged 15.1 PPG regular season but only 12.4 PPG in the playoffs.  2019-20 averaged 18.5 PPG regular season but only 12.8 PPG during the playoff.  This year he was up 2 PPG in the playoffs at 15.4 over his 13.1 PPG regular season  (16 games with Boston)

The other free agents all seem pretty irrelevant.  Fournier on the other hand is the big roster decision.

If Boston has to make a decision on keeping MS and Robert Williams I just do not see them keeping Fournier unless they plan to trade him.  In either case it seems inevitable that Boston will be a tax paying team and a repeat offender for a few years.  If not, these owners are not really serious about keeping a competitive team together.

With the trading of Kemba, our offense is in definite need of a good shooter off the bench. If not Fournier, then a move for some other 3 pt shooter should be out there. We will certainly need a point guard, unless the decision is made to give the job to Marcus and let Pritchard back him up. I still think signing a ball handling guard is in the future.

All of the other players summarized about are right on the mark. Waters has made it clear he wants a shot with a team that will use him much more often than Boston did. There are GM's out there who have said they feel he is a good b/u point guard right now. I do not know if they were just blowing smoke are telling the truth. Personally, I feel we just do not need another undersized guard who loves to shoot . My opinion. I hope the kid gets the shot he wants, heck, He could become the next DJ Augustine, and really make me look bad!!!

Tacko, I believe, would love to stay, let's see what the powers that be decide