How Celtics 2022 free agency options shift after trade deadline additions of Derrick White, Daniel Theis

by **bobheckler** Mon Feb 21, 2022 1:10 pm

https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2022/02/how-celtics-2022-free-agency-options-shift-after-trade-deadline-additions-of-derrick-white-daniel-theis.html

How Celtics 2022 free agency options shift after trade deadline additions of Derrick White, Daniel Theis

Updated: Feb. 21, 2022, 11:57 a.m. | Published: Feb. 21, 2022, 11:57 a.m.

By Brian Robb | brobb@masslive.com

The Celtics made some major moves for the present and the future this month by dealing away a total of seven players at the trade deadline. Derrick White and Daniel Theis have already proven to be valuable additions in the present but the team’s future outlook has shift a bit as well after being added to the team’s books. Let’s take a closer look at how Brad Stevens has set up his team building options for free agency this offseason with his maneuvering over the past few months.

2022-23 projected payroll

Jayson Tatum: $30.5 million

Jaylen Brown: $28.7 million

Al Horford: $26.5 million ($14.5 million guaranteed)

Marcus Smart: $17.2 million

Derrick White: $16.4 million

Robert Williams: $10.7 million

Daniel Theis: $8.7 million

Grant Williams: $4.3 million

Aaron Nesmith: $3.8 million

Payton Pritchard: $2.2 million

Sam Hauser: $1.6 million

Total salary: $150.6 million to 11 players

Total guaranteed money: $137.1 million to 9 players (if Horford/Hauser is waived)

Expected salary cap for 2022-23: $121 million

Expected luxury tax line for 2022-23: $147 million

Expected apron for 2022-23: $153 million

TRADED PLAYER EXCEPTIONS OF VALUE

Kemba Walker: ($5 million remaining)

Evan Fournier: ($17.1 million remaining)

Juancho Hernangomez: ($6.9 million remaining)

Dennis Schroder: ($5.9 million remaining)

POTENTIAL FREE AGENCY IMPACTS

Celtics added money to the payroll with their moves

Boston’s front office managed to avoid the luxury tax for this current season with their maneuverings around the trade deadline but the additions of Daniel Theis and Derrick White added about $25 million in guaranteed money for next year’s books. That’s about a $9 million increase over the money sent out for next year (Romeo Langford, Josh Richardson) in those deals, a substantial increase for a team that already had $141 million committed to next year with just 10 players.

With five roster spots to fill and no cheap first round rookie contract no longer on the way after the team’s selection was dealt to San Antonio, the odds are increasing that Boston will be a team firmly in luxury tax territory next season if this core is maintained.

Al Horford’s future will be a fascinating choice for Brad Stevens

The veteran big man is still one of the most overpaid players in the NBA at age 35 but he’s been a trusty anchor of Boston’s top-level defense during the current season. The Celtics can save $12 million against the cap by waiving him before next season but that would hurt the team’s defense and also limit some potential in-season moves by taking a $14.5 million dead cap hit and eliminating an expiring contract to deal. Adding Theis at the trade deadline gives Stevens a cheaper, more reliable backup option moving forward which likely increases the odds that Horford is either dealt or waived ahead of next season. Whether Horford could be willing to return on a cheaper deal if he is waived to avoid the massive cap shot will be an intriguing question for both sides to ponder this summer. Any blockbuster deal involving a big name this summer will likely involved his contract though for salary matching.

Celtics unlikely to use traded player exceptions to sign free agents without some other cost-cutting

By adding some significant salary for next season, the Celtics have already put themselves extremely close to the ‘apron’ or hard cap, which is projected to be at $153 million this year. That is noteworthy because that hard cap takes effect in the event that the Celtics land a player via a sign-and-trade in the offseason. Since Boston will enter the offseason with no cap room beyond their mid-level exception, using sizable TPEs the team has gathered over the past year is one clear path to adding a notable player. However, that player is unlikely to come via a sign-and-trade route with the team’s current payroll commitments since any significant money addition would put them over the hard cap. The more likely scenario is Boston adding a player via a TPE that is already under contract for next season since that type of move does not trigger the hard cap or apron from taking effect.

Using the smaller mid-level exception ($6.3 million) is the expected path after deadline deals

Barring Horford being waived, the increased financial commitment for next year will take Boston’s odds of using the full mid-level exception ($10.3 million) out of play. Instead, the Celtics will likely try to maneuver in free agency with the taxpayer mid-level exception which begins with a starting salary of $6.3 million. More than half the teams in the NBA (16) will be limited to this exception as their main means of spending in free agency, so that should help Boston be in contention for some favorable second-tier names during free agency. With only five teams across the league expected to have significant cap space this summer, some appealing names could be available at bargain basement prices (similar to Dennis Schroder last offseason).

Bob

.

by **dboss** Mon Feb 21, 2022 3:02 pm

okay we are already into next season are we!

But before we go there, Brad still has some work to do to increase the number of players on the roster for this year. A trip over to the local junk yard should yield a few spare parts.

The author must have forgotten that we have 2 draft and stashes that can be signed on the cheap. I think at least one of them will make our active roster provided they show up in summer league. We have 3 PG's under contract now so I am not sure Brad would add a 4th guy (Yam Madar) unless he traded one of our current PG's. Juhann Begarin is playing in France on one of their top tier teams. He is over there trying to get better. He does not turn 20 until August, 2022.

I doubt Brad would waive AL or even Sam Hauser. The addition of Theis at least opens the door to maybe trade AH provided he is still locked into $14.5 million for next year. Keep your fingers crossed that Philly does not make it to the finals. That would make the last year of his contract pricey.

If all that Boston is willing to spend in the off season is non tax payer MLE money, we are not likely to add enough talent to go up another notch or two as a team.

The other question that has been floating around in my mind is if the Celtics will move either Smart or White during the off season. I just do not see the Celtics putting out around $33 million for the two of them.

The other possibility is that Boston uses the big $17.1 million TPE to add a high quality players. One scenario I could envision happening is that a team has a guy who refuses to sign an extension or the team is going into the last contract year and do not want to pay him. Maybe they are looking to dump some salary. Our TPE could help facilitate that type of transaction.

Anyways we would hope that Boston does well during the remainder of the season to improve their playoff seeding and then goes about the business of winning at least 2 series. I do not see how ownership will be able to justify not spending in the off season to improve the team.

by **cowens/oldschool** Tue Feb 22, 2022 9:28 am

What? White or Smart leaving makes no sense….

by **gyso** Tue Feb 22, 2022 10:16 am

cowens/oldschool wrote:What? White or Smart leaving makes no sense….

I agree. White and Smart are exactly what Coach Udoka wants. IMO, they are going nowhere.

We do not need a ball-centric PG, like Kemba or The Royal PITA. We should actually look for players where there is a need, like a wing shooter or a stretch 4/5.

Everyone rotation player plays defense or never gets off the bench. See: Jabari Parker, Enes Freedom, Hernangomez, etc.

Don’t let perfect be an enemy of the good.

by **atcross** Tue Feb 22, 2022 10:44 am

gyso wrote:
cowens/oldschool wrote:What? White or Smart leaving makes no sense….

I agree. White and Smart are exactly what Coach Udoka wants. IMO, they are going nowhere.

We do not need a ball-centric PG, like Kemba or The Royal PITA. We should actually look for players where there is a need, like a wing shooter or a stretch 4/5.

Everyone rotation player plays defense or never gets off the bench. See: Jabari Parker, Enes Freedom, Hernangomez, etc.

Don’t let perfect be an enemy of the good.

"Don't let perfect be an enemy of the good." One of my favorite admonitions. Since the big 3 (KG. PP, RA) players and GMs have got it in their heads they just need to get a group of guys with great stats together to win a championship. But the Nets and Lakers have shown it's about assembling a cohesive team, not stats. Smart, White and Pritchard is a pretty good combination of skills if you're building a team, not just a bunch of stars.

by **dboss** Tue Feb 22, 2022 11:23 am

cowens/oldschool wrote:What? White or Smart leaving makes no sense….

Before your head explodes hear me out. I never said they would be leaving. I said traded.

There are two reasons why I do not think both will remain on the team.

Firstly, they are both lead guards. They both can defend although Marcus is the better one at doing that. They can both run the offense but White has more pace to his game. Neither is a quality 2 guard. Playing them together will be problematic. They are both starting level PG's. Their strength lies in their play making ability and defense but not in their ability to space the floor. If you had to pick the better of the two for floor spacing it is probably White. For defense, it would be Marcus.

Second, if the Celtics are looking to add another piece it will likely be another wing or a big. If they want to do that and not substantially increase their salary they will have to make a trade. In other words, just because the Celtics have a big TPE it does not mean the owners will let Brad use it.

My preference would be to keep both of them but by now you know how I feel as it relates to how Boston responds to spending money. If the owners are willing to take a big bite of the luxury tax apple, the team can afford to have 2 quality well paid PG's. If not, then one of them will need to be moved so that you can address more pressing positional needs on the team.

by **NYCelt** Tue Feb 22, 2022 11:57 am

gyso wrote:
cowens/oldschool wrote:What? White or Smart leaving makes no sense….

I agree. White and Smart are exactly what Coach Udoka wants. IMO, they are going nowhere.

We do not need a ball-centric PG, like Kemba or The Royal PITA. We should actually look for players where there is a need, like a wing shooter or a stretch 4/5.

Everyone rotation player plays defense or never gets off the bench. See: Jabari Parker, Enes Freedom, Hernangomez, etc.

Don’t let perfect be an enemy of the good.

Quote of the day goes to gyso. Even at only noon EST.

I don't think we've ever given him quote of the day honors.

When gyso starts giving us something from Voltaire, how can we not hand it to him?

Therefore, quote of the day goes to gyso!

by **gyso** Tue Feb 22, 2022 12:08 pm

by **dboss** Tue Feb 22, 2022 5:08 pm

NYCelt wrote:
gyso wrote:
cowens/oldschool wrote:What? White or Smart leaving makes no sense….

I agree. White and Smart are exactly what Coach Udoka wants. IMO, they are going nowhere.

We do not need a ball-centric PG, like Kemba or The Royal PITA. We should actually look for players where there is a need, like a wing shooter or a stretch 4/5.

Everyone rotation player plays defense or never gets off the bench. See: Jabari Parker, Enes Freedom, Hernangomez, etc.

Don’t let perfect be an enemy of the good.

Quote of the day goes to gyso. Even at only noon EST.

I don't think we've ever given him quote of the day honors.

When gyso starts giving us something from Voltaire, how can we not hand it to him?

Therefore, quote of the day goes to gyso!

+2

by **cowens/oldschool** Wed Feb 23, 2022 1:04 am

Well we don’t need necessarily to trade one of them, White makes the 2 headed point position work. Smart is elite on the defensive end, and with White around, he is faster and also a tenacious heady defender; Smart doesn’t have to carry the position/offense and White can also help at the 2. The 2 we got covered with an all star wing, Jaylen Brown. I actually think Al is playing really well of late, getting Theis makes him better. Acquiring these guys makes Smart and Al fresher, more potent. I see us moving on from Al in a season or 2 for a younger 4-5 at some point. Al will go before either Smart or White.

by **gyso** Wed Feb 23, 2022 8:36 am

cowens/oldschool wrote:Well we don’t need necessarily to trade one of them, White makes the 2 headed point position work. Smart is elite on the defensive end, and with White around, he is faster and also a tenacious heady defender; Smart doesn’t have to carry the position/offense and White can also help at the 2. The 2 we got covered with an all star wing, Jaylen Brown. I actually think Al is playing really well of late, getting Theis makes him better. Acquiring these guys makes Smart and Al fresher, more potent. I see us moving on from Al in a season or 2 for a younger 4-5 at some point. Al will go before either Smart or White.

That is entirely possible, Al leaving first.

On the other hand, if Al resigned for less money and came off the bench for the next 2-3 seasons, that could be a good thing. Al will still have the ability to play strong defense against some of the bigs that the Timelord has trouble with.

Food for thought:

https://www.celticsblog.com/2022/2/22/22926409/boston-celtics-assess-al-horford-future-nba-boston-robert-williams-brad-stevens-ime-udoka-defense

by **cowens/oldschool** Wed Feb 23, 2022 9:34 am

Good point gyso, Al is definitely overpaid, but agreed he could still be effective in a part time role going forward, let’s see how he and the team do in the playoffs.

by **dboss** Wed Feb 23, 2022 9:49 am

cowens/oldschool wrote:Well we don’t need necessarily to trade one of them, White makes the 2 headed point position work. Smart is elite on the defensive end, and with White around, he is faster and also a tenacious heady defender; Smart doesn’t have to carry the position/offense and White can also help at the 2. The 2 we got covered with an all star wing, Jaylen Brown. I actually think Al is playing really well of late, getting Theis makes him better. Acquiring these guys makes Smart and Al fresher, more potent. I see us moving on from Al in a season or 2 for a younger 4-5 at some point. Al will go before either Smart or White.

Cow

The elephant in the room is AH. I doubt it will be a season or 2. He has 1 year remaining. He is the most likely player to be moved in the off season. Would a team look to take on an expiring contract? That is the main obstacle.

I still think you need valuable guys to make trades. So while AH may be the one you want to move, that will not be easy.

My gut tells me Marcus will be on the block. It makes no sense to me that the Celtics would go after White, overpay for him and still keep Marcus. If they played different positions, it would greatly alter my take on this.

Use one or more of the TPE's to address the depth issues and we don't have to move anyone of substance.

Please keep in my that my thoughts on this only reflects uncertainty about what will happen.

by **cowens/oldschool** Wed Feb 23, 2022 9:59 am

dboss wrote:
cowens/oldschool wrote:Well we don’t need necessarily to trade one of them, White makes the 2 headed point position work. Smart is elite on the defensive end, and with White around, he is faster and also a tenacious heady defender; Smart doesn’t have to carry the position/offense and White can also help at the 2. The 2 we got covered with an all star wing, Jaylen Brown. I actually think Al is playing really well of late, getting Theis makes him better. Acquiring these guys makes Smart and Al fresher, more potent. I see us moving on from Al in a season or 2 for a younger 4-5 at some point. Al will go before either Smart or White.
Cow

The elephant in the room is AH. I doubt it will be a season or 2. He has 1 year remaining. He is the most likely player to be moved in the off season. Would a team look to take on an expiring contract? That is the main obstacle.

I still think you need valuable guys to make trades. So while AH may be the one you want to move, that will not be easy.

My gut tells me Marcus will be on the block. It makes no sense to me that the Celtics would go after White, overpay for him and still keep Marcus. If they played different positions, it would greatly alter my take on this.

Use one or more of the TPE's to address the depth issues and we don't have to move anyone of substance.

Please keep in my that my thoughts on this only reflects uncertainty about what will happen.

That’s totally fair, I actually wanted him traded earlier in the season, because he was still taking too many bad shots and he obviously was our most valuable trade chip; because I don’t see us getting equal value if we move either J. Smart has altered his game finally as the whole team has gelled on offense, he has his limitations, but no team can have a superstar at every position.

by **cowens/oldschool** Wed Feb 23, 2022 10:08 am

But again no need to trade him either, getting wishy washy here, but the way the defense has picked it up, love having 2 great defensive players sharing the point. If your the opposing point and you get past that, here comes Tatum or Brown right in your air space….good luck with that…..

by **gyso** Wed Feb 23, 2022 10:43 am

Al Horford has become an important cog in our league leading defense. He covers the pick and roll and Timelord is allowed to roam and create havoc elsewhere. Kind of like how KG was allowed to roam and Perk guarded the paint.

GWill can play the Horford role in the defense, to a lesser extent. I've seen GWill described as a "Mini-Al" elsewhere. LOL

by **dboss** Wed Feb 23, 2022 10:44 am

Maybe my appreciation for White will increase with a bigger sample size. Maybe not.

by **cowens/oldschool** Wed Feb 23, 2022 11:11 am

dboss wrote:Maybe my appreciation for White will increase with a bigger sample size. Maybe not.

We match up really well against Milwaukee and the Heat

by **dboss** Wed Feb 23, 2022 2:57 pm

cowens/oldschool wrote:
dboss wrote:Maybe my appreciation for White will increase with a bigger sample size. Maybe not.

We match up really well against Milwaukee and the Heat

No doubt about that. There really is not a lot of separation.

The Bucks recently added Serge Ibaka and he looked like the sunset when Fall is ready to turn into Winter.

Miami is a well coached team that relies heavily on their zone defense. That's because they do not have enough quality defender to play man on man defense. Beat their zones and you can beat them.

The Sixers will take a step back on defense because Fat Boy James Harden is a poor defender. They are going for broke and in the end they will be broke.

The ban to prevent Kyrie from playing at home is still in place. Ben Simmons will be out for a while and they will need more than KD to get them over the hump.

The Bulls sitting at #2 are 11-15 vs .500 and above teams and have a real tough schedule the rest of the way. I expect them to slip a bit.

All and all, there is not a single team that the Celtics should fear.

by **cowens/oldschool** Wed Feb 23, 2022 9:26 pm

dboss wrote:
cowens/oldschool wrote:
dboss wrote:Maybe my appreciation for White will increase with a bigger sample size. Maybe not.

We match up really well against Milwaukee and the Heat

No doubt about that. There really is not a lot of separation.

The Bucks recently added Serge Ibaka and he looked like the sunset when Fall is ready to turn into Winter.

Miami is a well coached team that relies heavily on their zone defense. That's because they do not have enough quality defender to play man on man defense. Beat their zones and you can beat them.

The Sixers will take a step back on defense because Fat Boy James Harden is a poor defender. They are going for broke and in the end they will be broke.

The ban to prevent Kyrie from playing at home is still in place. Ben Simmons will be out for a while and they will need more than KD to get them over the hump.

The Bulls sitting at #2 are 11-15 vs .500 and above teams and have a real tough schedule the rest of the way. I expect them to slip a bit.

All and all, there is not a single team that the Celtics should fear.

Exactly, we match up great vs Miami, agreed they can’t handle us man to man, especially our wings, only one of Jimmy Butler, Robinson and Hero will get eaten up by the other J and RWill has more athleticism than Bam. Our defense is much better than last 2 times we beat them. Bucks also don’t match up well defensively on J’s, Middleton and Pat C are overmatched defensively and now we got 2 points to pressure Holiday.

by Sponsored content

How Celtics 2022 free agency options shift after trade deadline additions of Derrick White, Daniel Theis

How Celtics 2022 free agency options shift after trade deadline additions of Derrick White, Daniel Theis

Re: How Celtics 2022 free agency options shift after trade deadline additions of Derrick White, Daniel Theis

Re: How Celtics 2022 free agency options shift after trade deadline additions of Derrick White, Daniel Theis

Re: How Celtics 2022 free agency options shift after trade deadline additions of Derrick White, Daniel Theis

Re: How Celtics 2022 free agency options shift after trade deadline additions of Derrick White, Daniel Theis

Re: How Celtics 2022 free agency options shift after trade deadline additions of Derrick White, Daniel Theis

Re: How Celtics 2022 free agency options shift after trade deadline additions of Derrick White, Daniel Theis

Re: How Celtics 2022 free agency options shift after trade deadline additions of Derrick White, Daniel Theis

Re: How Celtics 2022 free agency options shift after trade deadline additions of Derrick White, Daniel Theis

Re: How Celtics 2022 free agency options shift after trade deadline additions of Derrick White, Daniel Theis

Re: How Celtics 2022 free agency options shift after trade deadline additions of Derrick White, Daniel Theis

Re: How Celtics 2022 free agency options shift after trade deadline additions of Derrick White, Daniel Theis

Re: How Celtics 2022 free agency options shift after trade deadline additions of Derrick White, Daniel Theis

Re: How Celtics 2022 free agency options shift after trade deadline additions of Derrick White, Daniel Theis

Re: How Celtics 2022 free agency options shift after trade deadline additions of Derrick White, Daniel Theis

Re: How Celtics 2022 free agency options shift after trade deadline additions of Derrick White, Daniel Theis

Re: How Celtics 2022 free agency options shift after trade deadline additions of Derrick White, Daniel Theis

Re: How Celtics 2022 free agency options shift after trade deadline additions of Derrick White, Daniel Theis

Re: How Celtics 2022 free agency options shift after trade deadline additions of Derrick White, Daniel Theis

Re: How Celtics 2022 free agency options shift after trade deadline additions of Derrick White, Daniel Theis

Re: How Celtics 2022 free agency options shift after trade deadline additions of Derrick White, Daniel Theis