CBS sports article about Durant's free agency and other options.

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/heres-a-plan-b-for-teams-that-strike-out-on-kevin-durant-in-nba-free-agency/


Celtic stuff:

Boston Celtics

The Celtics have big plans this summer, and badly need a star. They are considered in some circles the favorite if Durant goes to the Eastern Conference. If they don't get him, they'll just move on to Al Horford and then on down the line, while trying to package their assets in trade.



If they were to clear all non-guaranteed, expiring, and restricted free agents they have, they could create room for two stars. The ideal is to land Durant and Horford, then trade for a third with their cadre of picks and assets.

If that doesn't work, they'll move to Horford, but if they can't land anyone in free agency, the question is whether they will be willing, or able, to create an offer to lure DeMarcus Cousins from Sacramento?

Let's say all those options flame out. They need points in a bad way. So...

Best free agent Plan B: Chandler Parsons

Parsons gives them a free agent recruiter who rebounds, passes, and can shoot. There are injury concerns, but Parsons might actually unlock something with this Celtics roster. You can play Jae Crowder at combo-forward with him. Add on a free agent center, and the Celtics take a big step forward.

my notes:

Parsons has to opt out on next years $16M plus deal to be a FA. Which mens he will be looking at a $20M plus deal. That's pretty rare air for a non all-star player, IMO.

on another note, Durant AND Horford.......ummm, now THAT would be fireworks for sure.


we all know form pervious discussions that to have the $50M in cap space for both players, Danny would have to not pick up the options on Amir and Jerebko AND renounce all three of our FA's( Turner, Sully and Zeller).

see the article Stickied at the top for details, if needed.

so it IS possible (though I still think un likely), what might that team look like? it would appear to have to be a very young team with all three rookies added to the current players left.

a quick back of the napkin roster:

C-Horford- near max FA deal
C-D. Jones- #23 pick
C/PF- K. Olynyk
PF- D. Bender- #3 pick
PF- J. Mickey
PF- D. Sabonis- #16 pick
SF/PF- K. Durant- Max deal FA
SF/PF- J. Crowder
SF/SG- P. McCaw- #31 pick ( replaces J. Young)
SG- A. Bradley
SG- RJ Hunter
SG/PG- M. Smart
PG- I. Thomas
PG- T. Rozier
PG- A. Barber- # 45 pick

kdp59 wrote:my notes:

Parsons has to opt out on next years $16M plus deal to be a FA. Which mens he will be looking at a $20M plus deal. That's pretty rare air for a non all-star player, IMO.

on another note, Durant AND Horford.......ummm, now THAT would be fireworks for sure.


we all know form pervious discussions  that to have the $50M in cap space for both players, Danny would have to not pick up the options on Amir and Jerebko AND renounce all three of our FA's( Turner, Sully and Zeller).

see the article Stickied at the top for details, if needed.

so it IS possible (though I still think un likely), what might that team look like? it would appear to have to be a very young team with all three rookies added to the current players left.

a quick back of the napkin roster:

C-Horford- near max FA deal
C-D. Jones- #23 pick
C/PF- K. Olynyk
PF- D. Bender- #3 pick
PF- J. Mickey
PF- D. Sabonis- #16 pick
SF/PF- K. Durant- Max deal FA
SF/PF- J. Crowder
SF/SG- P. McCaw- #31 pick ( replaces J. Young)
SG- A. Bradley
SG- RJ Hunter
SG/PG- M. Smart
PG- I. Thomas
PG- T. Rozier
PG- A. Barber- # 45 pick

You get us that roster, and I wash your car for a year.

Parsons is a nice 3rd or 4th piece on a contender, much like Thomas is. A 15p-5r-3a-1s combo-forward who seemingly misses 15 games a year due to injury and is just an average defender. 

The Celtics could use his playmaking from the SF position (just as good vision as Turner) and he's averaged between 37-41% on 3's the past 4 years, which is DESPERATELY needed. 

The starting yearly salary for Parsons would be 21.5 million. A jaw-dropping amount of money. A 4 year 90 or so million deal for a player of his standing makes your stomach turn a bit doesn't it?

http://bballbreakdown.com/2016/02/23/contextualizing-nba-contracts-90-plus-million-salary-cap/

However, he'd represent less than 20% of the projected cap in the 2017-2020 seasons. His deal would be up after his age 32 season. Compare that to Ray Allen, a guy the Celtics acquired at age 32 and provided the same 36-41% 3 point shooting as Parsons his first 3 years here while being paid 18 million a year when the cap was in the 54-58 million range. He was a 3rd wheel making 30-35% of the cap, KG was making 40-45% of it and Pierce 25-30% of it. 

If the Celtics got Jimmy Butler and his reasonable deal paying 17-19 million a year (15% of the future caps) and had him and Parsons as their #2-3 guys, they'd be taking up less % of the cap at ages 27-32 in 2017-2020 than Allen and Pierce were at ages 30-35.   

Still need Durant or Cousins to be the #1 guy though

I think Parsons is a good player but....

seems a bit weak and injury prone.  

Tell me who are the top 5 free agent SF's that should be targeted?

Dboss

here's one list of the top FA's this year.

http://hoopshype.com/2016/05/03/nba-free-agency-2016-the-top-players/

SF's form that list

1. Durant
2. Lebron ( or is he a PF now?)
11. H. Barnes( RFA)
13. C. Parsons
16. N. Batum
20. L. Deng - if you count Lebron as a PF.

Yeah, have to agree Durant/Horford would be Plan A1. That would leave a mark. Then again, if Danny doesn't feel it this year, he can sit on the sidelines again and grow 1 more year internally.

I think the chances of Danny swinging for the fence this year in the next few weeks are 55-60% and getting something like the above. Anything else or sitting pat, 40-45%.

db

Perhaps because he has been part of the success of the Warriors, but I like Barnes much better than Parsons.

Both are going to be overpaid, but I think (figuring that James is not leaving Cleveland to come to Boston) that unless Durant will sign with us that Barnes may be the next best small forward on the free agent market.  Barnes seems much more likely to burst out and become a full fledged star in the league when he gets starter's minutes. I also like adding players that will only cost money and not players and draft picks.

I'm not sure we need a high end ($$) small forward here with Crowder around.

unless you figure Crowder playing most of his minutes at PF next year, we can either

1) keep Turner and hope for better outside shooting form both he and Crowder
2) sign a 3 point shooter at SF like Jared Dudley to a moderate deal and use the max contract dollars elsewhere.

wideclyde wrote:Perhaps because he has been part of the success of the Warriors, but I like Barnes much better than Parsons.

Both are going to be overpaid, but I think (figuring that James is not leaving Cleveland to come to Boston) that unless Durant will sign with us that Barnes may be the next best small forward on the free agent market.  Barnes seems much more likely to burst out and become a full fledged star in the league when he gets starter's minutes.  I also like adding players that will only cost money and not players and draft picks.

clyde,

Barnes averaged 30.9mpg last season, the most of his career.  So, he is getting starter minutes already (not surprising since he is a starter).

It's hard to determine just how much more productive he could be.  On GSW his shot allocation will be smaller than on another team, like the Celtics.  Curry and Thompson suck up a lot of the team's fgas.

On the other hand, Curry and Thompson have shown no problem, no unwillingness to wait at the 3pt arc for a pass.  Maybe if Barnes was a better ballhandler, a better passer, a better creator of his own opportunities he might get more fgas because the ball would be in his hands more and the unselfish Warriors would be just fine with that.

Parsons is 3 years older, but we're talking about the difference between 27 and 24.  Not a big deal since they are still both on their front 9 and getting older would be good for us.  Barnes, however, is a Champion and is enroute to being a 2x Champion, and that experience has serious value.  Parson's 49% fg% is better than Barnes' 46% and Parson's 41% 3pt fg% is better than Barnes' 37%.  Who is the better defender?  Hmm.  Maybe Barnes, he's deceptively strong, but he isn't Draymond Green.  Parsons also has 3.4 assists/36 vs 2.0 for Barnes.  So, who would you rather have the ball, helping to run an offense?  Parsons.  Their assist-to-turnover ratios are close, so Parsons isn't creating more assists but A LOT more turnovers to get them.

I would tend to come down on the same page as dboss on this, what are our needs?  Do we need depth at SF?  Yeah.  We have Crowder, James Young (ugh) and maybe Evan Turner.  But is that a top need?  No.  Dboss said our needs, in order, are 5/4/3.  I would say it is at 5, a SHOOTER (I don't care if he is a 1 or a 2) and BEEF.  I favor drafting AJ Hammons because I think Sully might be toast and we have to have SOME beef on the roster.  Maker and Murray (or Hield) might be all well and good, and I favor them too, but we need beef and length more than anything and Parsons/Barnes doesn't hit my sweet spot.


bob


.

Unfortunately I have to disagree that A1 is Durant and Harford.

Dboss

I feel length might be more need than beef.