The Celtics 2022 Offseason Thread

[gyso]

Celtics 2022 Offseason Primer

https://www.celticsblog.com/2022/6/20/23175655/boston-celtics-2022-offseason-primer

Boston is looking to add players this summer to push them over the top to Banner 18

By Keith P Smith  Jun 20, 2022, 11:20am EDT  315 Comments

The 2021-22 Boston Celtics season was a wild ride. From wondering if the Celtics would even make the Play-In Tournament late in 2021 to making it to Game 6 of the 2022 NBA Finals, it was quite the journey.

Now, it’s time to turn the page to the 2022-23 season. That starts with the 2022 offseason.

This guide isn’t meant to answer all the questions you might have about what the Celtics could do. It’s more about setting you up for what the Celtics are working with and what they can reasonably do this summer.

With all that covered, let’s dive in!

The Players



Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images

Guaranteed Contracts

· Jaylen Brown - $28.7 million

· Aaron Nesmith - $3.8 million

· Payton Pritchard - $2.2 million

· Marcus Smart - $17.2 million

· Jayson Tatum - $30.4 million

· Daniel Theis - $8.7 million

· Derrick White - $16.9 million

· Grant Williams - $4.3 million

· Robert Williams - $10.9 million

Partial and Non-Guaranteed Contracts

· Malik Fitts - $1.8 million – non-guaranteed

· Sam Hauser - $1.6 million - $300,000 guaranteed (if team option is exercised)

· Al Horford - $26.5 million - $19.5 million guaranteed

· Juwan Morgan - $1.8 million – non-guaranteed (if team option is exercised)

· Nik Stauskas - $2.2 million – non-guaranteed

Dead Money

· Demetrius Jackson - $92,857

Potential Free Agents

· Sam Hauser – restricted, Non-Bird rights (if team option is declined)

· Luke Kornet – unrestricted, Non-Bird rights

· Juwan Morgan – restricted, Non-Bird rights (if team option is declined)

· Matt Ryan – restricted – Two-Way, Non-Bird rights

· Brodric Thomas – restricted – Two-Way, Non-Bird rights

Summary

Boston already has nine roster spots spoken for with players on guaranteed contracts. We might as well add Al Horford and Sam Hauser to that list too. Horford isn’t going anywhere, and he’ll likely have his deal guaranteed before the season. Hauser has shown enough that he’s worth keeping around for another year and trying to develop. He’s sort of like a pseudo-draft pick in that sense.

So, that leaves four open roster spots on the standard 15-man roster. Some reminders:

· Teams can carry 15 players on standard contracts in the regular season

· Teams can carry two players on Two-Way deals in the regular season

· Teams can carry up to 20 players (standard and Two-Way contracts) in the offseason

There’s a good chance that at least a few from the group of Malik Fitts, Luke Kornet, Juwan Morgan, Matt Ryan, Nik Stauskas and Brodric Thomas are back next season. They can all fight it out in training camp for spots at the end of the bench. It’s also possible that Ryan returns to Boston/Maine on another Two-Way contract. Only Stauskas has a guarantee date worth monitoring (July 15) to determine if he’ll be back for camp or not.

As it stands, with counting in Horford and Hauser, Boston is at $151.3 million in salary for 11 players. That’s just about $2 million over the projected luxury tax line of $149 million for the 2022-23 season. Boston is also over the tax apron (where a team becomes hard capped) of $155.7 million when you factor in filling out the roster and incentives.

The Tools

Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images



The 2022 NBA Draft Pick

· #53 overall

By virtue of the Derrick White trade, Boston does not have a first-round pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.

Signing Exceptions

· Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception - $6,392,000

The Celtics have the Taxpayer MLE because they are over the luxury apron. Even if they were to dip briefly under the apron, they won’t be able to use the full Non-Taxpayer MLE anyway, as that would hard cap the team. The Celtics will also be unable to use the Bi-Annual Exception ($4,050,000) because they will be over or near the tax apron/hard cap.

Reminders on how teams become hard capped at the apron:

· Using a portion of the Non-Taxpayer MLE that is greater than the Taxpayer MLE to sign a player(s)

· Using the Bi-Annual Exception

· Acquiring a player via sign-and-trade

Traded Player Exceptions

· Evan Fournier - $17.1 million – expires July 18

· Juancho Hernangomez - $6.9 million – expires January 19

· Dennis Schroder - $5.9 million – expires February 10

· Bol Bol - $2.2 million – expires February 10

· P.J. Dozier - $1.9 million – expires February 10

· Bruno Fernando - $1.8 million – expires February 10

· Enes Freedom - $1.7 million – expires February 10

· Tristan Thompson - $1.4 million – expires July 7

Reminders on how TPEs work:

· Can be used to acquire a player(s) via trade or via a waiver claim. Cannot be used to sign a player(s).

· TPEs cannot be aggregated (combined) with outgoing player salary or another TPE to bring in more salary

· A player being acquired via a TPE must have their salary, plus applicable salary-matching trade rules, fit within the TPE

· TPEs expire upon close of business on the day listed and cannot have their expiration date extended

Tradable Players

The Celtics have no players with trade restrictions attached to them. All players currently signed are eligible to be traded at any point moving forward.

For partial/non-guaranteed players, they only count for the guaranteed amount of their upcoming salary in a trade. For example: Al Horford would count for $19.5 million in outgoing salary in a deal vs the full $26.5 million. On the acquiring side, Horford would count for $26.5 million in incoming salary.


Teams can, and often do, increase the guaranteed amount for a player to include them in a trade where it’s necessary to match salary.

Tradable Draft Rights

· Juhann Begarin

· Yam Madar

Boston holds the draft rights for Juhann Begarin (2021 NBA Draft) and Yam Madar (2020 NBA Draft). Both have continued to play overseas since being drafted.

Summary

Normally, being limited to just the Taxpayer MLE, TPEs and regular trades to acquire talent would be worrisome. Fortunately, Boston has a relatively full roster. They can reasonably expect their top 9-to-10 players from a season ago to return.

In addition, because the majority of the NBA is over the salary cap this summer, and roughly half the league is dancing around the luxury tax and hard cap, the Taxpayer MLE should have more spending power than usual.

As a readymade title contender, Boston is an attractive destination for veterans looking for both a shot at a Finals run and potential rotation spot.

Using the larger TPEs is more a question of how deep Celtics ownership is willing to go into the luxury tax than anything else. Adding a player via the MLE and via a TPE that makes $7-to-$17 million would push Boston into uncharted territory as far as their potential luxury tax bill.

The Needs

· Proven wing depth – ideally this would be a 3&D player that could spot Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum the rest they were sorely lacking throughout the playoffs. But the Celtics made need to settle for “3” or “D”, as the market is lacking in depth of players who fill both needs.

· Another big – The foursome of Rob Williams, Al Horford, Grant Williams and Daniel Theis is pretty solid. But one more big, ideally a 4/5 option, would be great. This is especially true considering the health concerns around Rob Williams.


· Another playmaker – Is this the mythical “pure point guard” or “floor general”? Maybe. But that’s hard to fill. Instead, this is about adding depth at a position where Marcus Smart regularly misses some time, and where Boston fell a bit short in the postseason. This ranges as a major need to a minor need, depending on who you talk to.

The Questions

· Will Celtics ownership spend? – This is a fair question, as recent seasons have seen Boston cut salary to avoid the tax in recent years. Boston just barely dodged the tax in 2022, which gives Celtics owners a nice bonus check from the taxpaying teams. Now, will they turn around and reinvest that into the team by using the MLE and TPEs?

· How much depth is needed? – Boston could use what we laid out above, but the team is set to bring back all of their rotation players. And that’s a rotation largely filled with younger players who just made a run to the NBA Finals. How much do you upset that balance by adding more players who need minutes, touches and shots?

· Is it time to make an all-in move? – Should the Celtics look at how close they were to Banner 18 and make the big trade to try and get closer? What would that trade even look like? Who would it be for? Who would be sent out?

Summary

In the next week or so, we’ll have some articles here on CelticsBlog that lay out some targets for each of the needs listed above. These will include players who can be acquired by the MLE, a TPE or via a standard trade.

We’ll also have some articles that attempt to answer the three questions posed above too. Maybe something happens to help answer those questions prior to the article posting, at which point we’ll pivot to analyzing what happened.

It’s offseason time and for the first time in a while, the Boston Celtics aren’t resetting. They aren’t rebuilding either. Instead, they’ll hopefully be adding to a team that is ready to take the next step towards Banner 18.

[bobheckler]

The smaller TPEs will likely expire unused.  I think they could, however, be used to close the $ gap on other teams' deals, deals that are a couple of million dollars out of balance, in exchange for a draft pick (maybe nothing more than a 2nd rounder, but better than nothing).  Not likely, but possible.

The draft is this Thursday, 2 days from now.  Funny how time flies by when your team is still playing...


Bob


.

[gyso]

Any time a TPE is used, something else must be included. Often that something is a second round pick.

Maybe watch for Brad to buy a couple future second round picks on draft day just for that purpose.

[bobheckler]

After falling just short, Celtics face a critical offseason in chase for the franchise’s 18th championship


By Gary Washburn Globe Staff,

Updated June 19, 2022, 8:37 p.m.


The most difficult advancement for a franchise is to reach that championship level, making this summer the most pivotal for the Celtics in nearly two decades.

The Celtics not only have to devise ways to upgrade their roster to overtake the champion Warriors but the rest of the title competitors, most of whom will make trades and signings and dive into the luxury tax to make improvements.

As much as the Celtics won the Eastern Conference championship and were probably six good minutes in Game 4 from winning the NBA Finals, their weaknesses were exposed by the more experienced Warriors in the final three games of the series.

President of basketball operations Brad Stevens will assess the roster and determine what areas need enhancements, but it became apparent toward the end of the series that: 1.) coach Ime Udoka didn’t trust his bench; 2.) the Celtics had issues running a cohesive offense against an elite defense; and 3.) Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum handled the ball far too much and hence made turnovers trying to create their own shot.


The Celtics are over the salary cap, and ownership will have to determine whether it wants to delve into the luxury tax to improve the team. Golden State owner Joe Lacob, a former Celtics minority owner, said he would spend his final dollar to win a championship and the club is $89 million over the salary cap because of the star power on its roster.

Stevens has some ways to improve the roster without a major free agent signing. Firstly, he needs to upgrade the bench. One way Stevens strayed away from the Danny Ainge administration is he cleared the unplayable or ineffective players on the bench.

He sent out Carsen Edwards, Semi Ojeleye, Tristan Thompson, Tremont Waters and Tacko Fall to clear roster space. But he filled the bench with players, some of whom are worth developing but not ready to contribute to any type of playoff run.


Derrick White shot 31.3 percent on 3-pointers during the playoffs.Derrick White shot 31.3 percent on 3-pointers during the playoffs.MATTHEW J LEE/GLOBE STAFF


It’s time for Stevens to supplement the bench with veterans who know roles and can contribute in short stints. The Warriors were greatly helped by players such as Otto Porter, Andre Iguodala, Gary Payton II and Nemanja Bjelica during the postseason. The Celtics countered with Grant Williams, Payton Pritchard, and Derrick White.

The return of Daniel Theis was a feel-good story in February but Udoka obviously doesn’t think enough of his skill set for him to serve as a productive third big man, which is going to be necessary with Al Horford starting next season at age 36.

Upgrading the bench does not have to be expensive, especially with the Celtics having that $6.6 million mid-level exception to use and trade exceptions of $9.7 million (expiring on July 7) and $17.1 million (expiring on July 18).

That allows Stevens to trade — perhaps future draft picks — for players to fit that exception without salary cap constraints. (Although it would add to the luxury tax.)

Stevens has to assess the point guard position. It may be time to lighten the responsibility from Marcus Smart, sign a quality backup point guard that could shift Smart to shooting guard in a small lineup and jumpstart the offense in the fourth quarter. The Celtics offense was stagnant all season late in games and that has to be addressed because that stagnation likely cost them a championship.

The quality of inexpensive point guards to back up Smart is mediocre. Players such as Detroit’s Cory Joseph or Washington’s Raul Neto could be available at a cheaper price. There are graybeards available such as Goran Dragic or DJ Augustin, players who may have lost athleticism but can get teams into an offense.


The Celtics could use some help at point guard to back up Marcus Smart.The Celtics could use some help at point guard to back up Marcus Smart.MATTHEW J LEE/GLOBE STAFF


Stevens has to assess the expectation of White after this postseason. He came to Boston as a career 34.4 percent 3-point shooter and Udoka said that number would improve with the increase of open threes he would get with Tatum and Brown on the floor. White shot 30.6 percent on threes during his regular-season stint with the Celtics and 31.3 percent during the playoffs.

After his 5-for-8 3-point performance in Game 1 against Golden State, White shot 5 for 17 for the rest of the series and he totaled 3 points on 1-for-10 shooting in the final two games of the series. This trade was praised by observers because of White’s potential, but Stevens gave up Josh Richardson (productive in his Boston stint), former first-round pick Romeo Langford (not a big loss) and a first-round pick and pick swap for White.

That’s a major commitment, considering Richardson may have been more effective in the Celtics offense had they retained him (Richardson shot 39.7 percent from three).

“Just trying to stay confident, being consistent with my form, try to have every shot be the same,” White said of his shooting. “I’ve got a lot of room where I need to continue to get better and just continue to get more and more comfortable with everything that’s going on.”

The hope for the Celtics is White improves over the summer and is benefited by a full training camp. But his struggles punctuate the Celtics’ need for a knockdown shooter off the bench. Stevens filled the roster with defenders, turning the Celtics into the league’s No. 1 defense.

But what happens when those defenders can’t score? That was their primary issue. White, Pritchard and Williams totaled 100 points in the Finals on 35 percent shooting, placing more pressure on Tatum and Brown.


Jayson Tatum (left) and Jaylen Brown were forced to shoulder a heavy load with limited help from the bench.Jayson Tatum (left) and Jaylen Brown were forced to shoulder a heavy load with limited help from the bench.MATTHEW J LEE/GLOBE STAFF


The Celtics need a knockdown shooter off the bench, similar to Golden State’s Jordan Poole, who turned around Games 5 and 6 with his shot making. They will likely have to sacrifice defensive prowess, but the Celtics need a shooter.
A player such as Sam Hauser could serve that role, but the lack of development of Aaron Nesmith, another former first-round pick, hindered the bench this season.

The remedy has to be more than hoping Nesmith and Hauser are ready for larger roles next season. Title-contending teams pad their bench with veterans who can help. They create intense competition for playing time. Stevens needs to help Udoka with a better bench and owners Wyc Grousbeck and Steve Pagliuca need to help Stevens by sparing little expense in chasing title No. 18.

The Celtics came close this season, but they cannot remain content or hope a flawed roster will collectively improve without reinforcements and additions. That’s an inadequate strategy.


Bob
MY NOTE:  I'm not sure it's fair to compare Nesmith and Hauser.  Nesmith's numbers look worse but so might Hauser's if he got as many minutes as Nesmith.  And I have more confidence in Nesmith's defense than Hauser's.  Nesmith makes mistakes, although not as many as a year ago, but he plays hard.  Nevertheless, buy low/sell high.  Nesmith's reputation for being the best shooter in his draft still carries some weight because he's so young and untested.  This summer league is HUGE for both of these players, but especially for Nesmith.  He didn't have a rookie SL, which is a BIG loss for a rook, but this will be his 2nd SL and his 3rd year in the league.  He is expected to dominate the SL players coming straight out of college.  If he doesn't...


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[gyso]

If we keep Nesmith and Hauser (or someone else similar) next season, I hope they both get some meaningful minutes during the regular season. Coach Ime needs to gently set them into the fire, a little at first but with increasing time as the season goes on.

I don't want to repeat the failed Max Strus experiment again. There's a player we could have used in the playoffs.

[bobheckler]

Bob


.

[NYCelt]

Good job by CelticsBlog on this summary.

As mentioned, the biggest plus for the team is their ready-to-contend status. With arguably the biggest need being bench building, that can't hurt.

It will be interesting to see how the front office handles this one. Unless something surprising happens, I could see all those TPEs expiring. That includes the big one for 17 mil on Fournier. Draft day activity might see some movement that could open some opportunities for that big one, but that seems to be a reach to me.

Perhaps combining the big TPE with one or two of our somewhat stronger current bench players might bring something back. I could see swapping out G Williams, Pritchard, White, or any combination if you could find a more complete 6th or 7th option. The best shots might be finding a late career veteran bench player for spots 8 - 15. That is unless we get totally surprised by what seems like a very unlikely big deal for a starter.

I think the point guard situation is acceptable, but the need for a couple of bigs looks more critical. Unless you find another guard/wing to alter the lineup and send Tatum back to PF, the front-court is troubling. RWIII has to stay healthy and I can't imagine Al not declining. After those two you have nobody, with G Williams being too small and Theis being adequate for a quick few minutes at best.

Brad will be a busy guy, that's for sure.

[bobheckler]

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/could-celtics-acquire-bradley-beal-130500267.html



How could Celtics acquire Bradley Beal? Former NBA GM lays out path


Darren Hartwell
Tue, June 21, 2022, 6:05 AM


The Boston Celtics came within two wins of an NBA championship, but because they fell just short, there will be plenty of offseason discussion about how they can get over the hump.

Should Bradley Beal be mentioned in that discussion?

The Washington Wizards star has been a rumored Celtics target for several years, in part due to his very close relationship with childhood friend Jayson Tatum. Beal can become a free agent this offseason if he declines his $36.4 million player option, and as former Phoenix Suns general manager and ex-Celtics executive Ryan McDonough explained Monday, the best financial move for Beal is to decline that player option and sign a new deal with the Wizards.


"Bradley Beal makes $64 more million if he opts out of his contract and then re-signs in Washington," McDonough said on NBC Sports Boston's Early Edition, as seen in the video above. "He can do a five-year extension with the Wizards. That's the only team in the league he can sign for that length with."

Beal said recently he has already made up his mind about his playing future but declined to reveal his decision. Since players technically can't negotiate with other teams until free agency begins on June 30, that likely means Beal has decided to re-up with Washington.

Even if Beal opts out and becomes a free agent, Boston's best path to acquire Beal would be via a sign-and-trade, since taking on his $36.4 million salary for 2022-23 would force the C's to part with several core players.

"If Beal wanted to force his way to Boston and the Wizards were willing to cooperate, a sign-and-trade is the clear path," McDonough noted. "Other than that, Boston would have to gut its entire roster other than Tatum and maybe (Jaylen) Brown."

What might a sign-and-trade deal for Beal look like?

"Al Horford's contract would probably be in there -- $26.5 million on an expiring deal," McDonough added. "And then what does Washington want? Do they want Robert Williams, Grant Williams, draft picks? Those are Boston's most valuable assets outside of Tatum and Brown."

The possibility of a Tatum-Brown-Beal trio is very enticing. Beal led the Eastern Conference in scoring two seasons ago (31.3 points per game) and would give the Celtics three high-level scorers.

But the Wizards could demand either Brown or Marcus Smart in a return package for their franchise player, who turns 29 later this month and underwent season-ending wrist surgery in February. That might be too steep a price for Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens, who has a talented young core that just lifted the team to its first NBA Finals berth since 2010.

Beal might make sense for the C's at some point, but McDonough doesn't see the three-time All-Star coming to Boston anytime soon.

"I think the Celtics could acquire Beal, but I think the way that would happen would be a trade either at the trade deadline or next offseason," McDonough said. "I think it's very unlikely that Beal ends up in a Celtics uniform to start this season."


Bob
MY NOTE: So the gist of this article is "don't count on it". Yep, sounds about right. Still, we're in the "Silly Season" (there are two, now and pre-trade deadline) and landing Bradley Beal without losing our core is Celtic crack cocaine.


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[gyso]

BTW, Beal is 29 years old in a week. July 28.

Sign and Trades hard cap the Celtics. I cannot see that happening.

We can just trade for him after he opts in. Then we inherit his Bird Rights and extend him after next season. I have seen trades that involve Horford and White straight up for Beal. Yeah, right.

Beal can opt out, become a free agent and sign here for our Taxpayer's MLE or Vet min. Yeah, right.

Silly Season indeed!

[dboss]

Having any withdrawal symptoms?

The off-season is here and I am quite certain that everyone has a few cents to add to the conversation pot.

For myself, the starting point is a reflection of a terrific season where our team kicked down a lot of doors to make it into the championship round of a very grueling playoffs.  Our regular season was littered with injuries, covid limitations, mid-season trades and adjustments to a new regime and most notably, a new head coach.  

We had a great regular season when you take into account how far back we were before landing the #2 seed.  What a run!  In the end we came up 2 games short of the goal of winning the title but nothing happened this past season that should give all of us anything but  a strong feeling of optimism.

So now it is time for a few healthy rounds of prognostications.   How do we get better as a team?

I think I will begin with what we do not need.

I have been more than impressed with our head coach and his staff.  First year out and one helluva  job by Ime Udoka.  We had our share of soft tissue injuries and also rob went under the knife.  Overall, I think our medical team and training staff did a great job.  We were able to get through the playoff even though several of our players were nursing injuries that would have normally kept them out of games during the regular season.  We still felt the impact of having our 2 best defensive players less than 100%.

This offseason can set the stage for what I hope will be an extended presence at or near the top of the NBA.
 
Brad Stevens has his work cut out for him.  I think that his hands were tied this past season because of money limitations.  If the rumors I heard are true, the ownership group is now ready to spend into the luxury tax pool so  that the team can add talent to this roster.

Free Agency

We got our roster fillers in Stauskas, Morgan, Fitts, Hauser plus cap holds on Kornet, Ryan, Thomas and Grant Williams.

7 of 8 of those guys do little to nothing in making your team better.  You could just as easily fill your roster out using veteran minimum deals and in the process upgrade some of that talent.

Grant Williams is eligible for a rookie extension.  Next year the Celtics can match any FA offer provided they  give him a qualifying offer next summer.  The risk of waiting another year has to be based on the probability that you would end up spending more to keep him instead of locking him in now.  While Williams has developed into a pretty reliable rotation guy I do not see a much higher ceiling for him.  His limitation were exposed in the GS series and he became unplayable at times but not at the level that DT experienced.  I think the Celtics should not offer him an extension unless it is in the $7/$28 million 4 year range.  I seriously doubt there will be a bidding a war for his services.

Due to CAP limitations, Boston will have the Tax Payer MLE for around $6.3 million.

They also have several TPE's.   2 large ones have a July, 2022 drop dead date.  One is for $9.7 million and the big one is for $17.1 million.

You can bet your bottom dollar that Brad is on the phone right now exploring a few deals.  I have no players in mind but I do think there are a couple of positions and/or improvements that could make us a better team.

If there was one area that stood out as a position of need it has to be at our wing position.  Aaron Nesmith had a disappointing year 2.  Even after Romeo and Josh were moved he still could not make much out of his  opportunity to play.  He goes into this summer in what I think will be preparation for a make it or break it year.  It is also very possible that he could be traded now in conjunction with using one of our TPE's.

Some of the moves that Brad made are looking a bit like head scratchers.  The move to bring Theis back on a salary that does not align with his 3rd string center role may motivate the team to move him.  Theis was unplayable unless Rob was not going to play.

With respect to Derrick White, he did some good things this year but the glaring weakness that he brings to the table is his lack of offensive production.   I said it when the trade went down and I will say it again now.  Brad Stevens got fleeced by coach Pop..  What he gave up to get him is one thing but White also has a pretty hefty salary moving forward ($16.3, $17.6 and $18.2 million remaining)  That is a awful lot of money for a back up combo guard that cannot knock down WIDE open looks.

Our 2 big lineup worked well during the season and the playoffs but as we witnessed, sometimes you have to go with a single big.  Do we need to add another big to the mix?  Center, PF or combo C/PF?  With AH pushing towards his x-date there certainly is a long term need to add another center.  

The Celtics have a strong core but they need to upgrade the 6th  7th and 8th guy on this team.  We do not have a real quality 6th man on this team.  You cannot have quality depth unless you're tight 6-8.  

With money restrictions lifted, look for Brad to perform a mini makeover. I hope that he will be more mindful of what he will be getting in return. Guys have to at least play at a level that justifies their salary.

[NYCelt]

Some of the moves that Brad made are looking a bit like head scratchers.  The move to bring Theis back on a salary that does not align with his 3rd string center role may motivate the team to move him.  Theis was unplayable unless Rob was not going to play.

With respect to Derrick White, he did some good things this year but the glaring weakness that he brings to the table is his lack of offensive production.   I said it when the trade went down and I will say it again now.  Brad Stevens got fleeced by coach Pop..  What he gave up to get him is one thing but White also has a pretty hefty salary moving forward ($16.3, $17.6 and $18.2 million remaining)  That is a awful lot of money for a back up combo guard that cannot knock down WIDE open looks.

Our 2 big lineup worked well during the season and the playoffs but as we witnessed, sometimes you have to go with a single big.  Do we need to add another big to the mix?  Center, PF or combo C/PF?  With AH pushing towards his x-date there certainly is a long term need to add another center.  

The Celtics have a strong core but they need to upgrade the 6th  7th and 8th guy on this team.  We do not have a real quality 6th man on this team.  You cannot have quality depth unless you're tight 6-8. 

dboss,

I wholeheartedly agree with all of your above points.

Regards

[prakash]

I am in a better place getting over the finals loss and looking forward now. So a few thoughts.

1) Al is going to get older fast. We HAVE to save him during the regular season. He had a great year because he had rested most of the previous year. That means a redistribution of the GWill and Theis combination. Can we combine the two players and their salaries to get a better player at 4/5? Then the other position gets filled with weaker options.

2) We are beyond the luxury tax apron so we can't acquire any player with sign-and-trade. So lets forget Bradley Beal or any other expensive free agent/RFA.

3) Now this a TRUE pipe dream. I am thinking that Danny will start a reset in Utah. Can we get Donovan Mitchell? Derek White/Smart + Theis makes up the salary. Can we put together the resources? Two future firsts + two swaps? Danny fleeces us like he fleeced the Nets? We will run into future luxury tax problems and not aging/health problems with this team, but we are likely in a better place than Brooklyn was.

4) Trading a player into the Fournier TPE right now is not a luxury tax issue. It becomes an issue if we can't get rid of that salary at trade deadline. Last time, Brad acquired Josh Richardson into the TPE only to flip him later for a better player. Duncan Robinson? Kevin Huerter? (Gasp) Markelle Fultz (only because of a shorter contract duration)? This acquisition has to be done with the belief that there are resources available to be able to include this contract into a trade for a better player.

5) Finally, for our Tax Payer MLE, can we target TJ Warren (recovering from injuries) or Thaddeus Young?

Clearly, I am not advocating that all of these get done. Just listing some possibilities.

[prakash]

Some of the moves that Brad made are looking a bit like head scratchers.  The move to bring Theis back on a salary that does not align with his 3rd string center role may motivate the team to move him.  Theis was unplayable unless Rob was not going to play.

With respect to Derrick White, he did some good things this year but the glaring weakness that he brings to the table is his lack of offensive production.   I said it when the trade went down and I will say it again now.  Brad Stevens got fleeced by coach Pop..  What he gave up to get him is one thing but White also has a pretty hefty salary moving forward ($16.3, $17.6 and $18.2 million remaining)  That is a awful lot of money for a back up combo guard that cannot knock down WIDE open looks.

Our 2 big lineup worked well during the season and the playoffs but as we witnessed, sometimes you have to go with a single big.  Do we need to add another big to the mix?  Center, PF or combo C/PF?  With AH pushing towards his x-date there certainly is a long term need to add another center.  

The Celtics have a strong core but they need to upgrade the 6th  7th and 8th guy on this team.  We do not have a real quality 6th man on this team.  You cannot have quality depth unless you're tight 6-8. 

dboss,

I wholeheartedly agree with all of your above points.

Regards

Only responding to the highlighted.

Theis deal was a really good deal in those circumstances. Brad consolidated multiple inferior players into one backup insurance and a bigger salary to include in a future trade. When RWill went down, Theis' presence helped up continue the run and secure home court advantage through the first two rounds.

I expect Theis to be moved this year. I don't know when, whether now or at trade deadline. Likely at trade deadline as we need to save Al in the 1H of the season. He should get a lot of rest games.

[bobheckler]

Latest rumors du jour are that Celtics are talking to Orlando about acquiring Terrence Ross for 2 second rounders.  They want a first.  That won't happen.

Another rumor,  less specific and therefore less credible,  has the Celtics acquiring old friend Marcus Morris from the Clippers.   If this happens I would caution everybody to take at least several quick steps away from Cowens so as not to get sprayed with shards of bone and small globs of gray matter.   I can offer no advice on likely blast radius, so better safe than sorry.


Bob


.

[prakash]

Latest rumors du jour are that Celtics are talking to Orlando about acquiring Terrence Ross for 2 second rounders.  They want a first.  That won't happen.

Another rumor,  less specific and therefore less credible,  has the Celtics acquiring old friend Marcus Morris from the Clippers.   If this happens I would caution everybody to take at least several quick steps away from Cowens so as not to get sprayed with shards of bone and small globs of gray matter.   I can offer no advice on likely blast radius, so better safe than sorry.


Bob


.

Ross will be a really exciting get. I am not at all excited about any of the short arms Morris twins.

[gyso]

[gyso]

What does Terrance Ross give us?



I like his nickname:

[gyso]

TR's salary.  That is a big bite out of the TPE.  Wait for someone better?

[prakash]

In the TPE range, who is get able better? Duncan Robinson is a major defensive liability. So is Kevin Huerter. Robinson may be available but not sure of Huerter.

[112288]

My wish in the off season is to get Rob Williams to begin practicing beyond the 3 point arc.  It limits our offense if Rob just hangs around the net.  If he can develop a half way decent shot form the outside, it opens up a whole new approach to our offensive attack.

He is a good free throw shooter so why can he not extend his touch further out to the arc.

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[bobheckler]

TR's salary.  That is a big bite out of the TPE.  Wait for someone better?

gyso,

1.  Better?  And reasonably priced for our salary cap situation and not one foot in the grave?  Who?  
2.  We're only a bench finishing piece, maybe two, away.  We don't need major upgrades.
3.  He's an expiring contract.
4.  We have 8 TPEs.  Five of them are small but the big one, the $17.1M Fournier one, expires July 18th.


Here's an article by Darren Hartwell that discusses our TPEs and his thoughts on how to use them.


https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/celtics/celtics-trade-exceptions-who-could-boston-acquire-three-tpes#:~:text=They%20usually%20expire%20one%20year,used%20to%20acquire%20multiple%20players.


Celtics trade targets: Who could C's acquire with three TPEs?


17H AGO

BY DARREN HARTWELL
CELTICS


Can the Boston Celtics become the first team in five years to appear in consecutive NBA Finals? That may depend on the work Brad Stevens does over the next few weeks.

The Celtics' president of basketball operations identified a desire Tuesday to add more consistent bench scoring and playmaking this offseason. Among the tools at Stevens' disposal are a host of traded player exceptions (aka TPEs), which can allow Boston to add players via trade without having to match salaries.

What are the specifics of the Celtics' TPEs, and which players might they target with each exception? Here's all you need to know about TPEs and the C's.


What is a traded player exception?
TPEs are created when a team trades a player away without receiving any salary in return. They're often generated after sign-and-trades.

For example, when the Celtics dealt Gordon Hayward to the Charlotte Hornets in November and received only a draft pick in return, they generated a $28.5 million TPE, which was the equivalent of Hayward's salary on the first year of his contract.


How can traded player exceptions be used?
Think of the Hayward trade in reverse order: If the Celtics had a $28.5 million TPE, they could acquire Hayward (or any player making up to $28.5 million on the upcoming year of their contract) in a trade without having to "match salaries," or send back players whose salaries add up to that $28.5 million figure.


A couple important notes about TPEs:

They usually expire one year after they're created.
They can't be combined with other TPEs. So, the Celtics couldn't acquire a $20 million player using a $15 million TPE and a $5 million TPE.
They can be used to acquire multiple players. So, if the Celtics had a $20 million TPE, they could acquire two players making $10 million each next season.


How many traded player exceptions do the Celtics have?
The short answer: A lot. Boston currently has eight TPEs at its disposal. Five are worth less than $2.2 million, however, so we'll just focus on the three big ones: $17.1 million, $6.9 million and $5.9 million.

Here's a breakdown of each TPE and which players the Celtics may look to acquire with those assets.

Traded player exception No. 1: $17.1 million
How acquired: Evan Fournier trade with New York Knicks (Aug. 2021)

Expires: July 18, 2022

Players the Celtics could target:

Duncan Robinson, Miami Heat ($16.9 million salary in 2022-23)  (MY NOTE:  NFW.  He's under contract until 2025-2026)
Norman Powell, Los Angeles Clippers ($16.8 million)  (MY NOTE:  Under contract until 2025-2026, but better than above)
Dejounte Murray, San Antonio Spurs ($16.6 million)  (MY NOTE:  Under contract for 2 more years, but why would SAS do it?)
Kevin Huerter, Atlanta Hawks ($14.5 million)  (MY NOTE:  Under contract until 2025-2026, but why would Atl do it?)
Terrence Ross, Orlando Magic ($11.5 million)  (MY NOTE:  Only 1 more year of contract.  Orlando is in rebuild mode so...)

The Celtics' biggest TPE also expires the soonest. Robinson isn't the best defender but would fill Boston's need for shooting and has a connection with C's assistant coach Will Hardy, as both attended Division III Williams College in Massachusetts. (Robinson transferred to Michigan after his freshman year.) Powell also is a strong 3-point shooter (38.4 percent for his career) and was linked to the Celtics prior to the 2021 NBA trade deadline.

While Murray seems like an unlikely target if Boston keeps Marcus Smart at point guard, he did overlap with Celtics head coach Ime Udoka for three seasons in San Antonio.

Huerter and Ross are both enticing targets. The Celtics and Hawks reportedly discussed a trade involving Huerter and Smart back in February, and the 23-year-old wing could provide a scoring boost off the bench. The same goes for Ross, who turned 31 in February but would add some much-needed scoring depth.  (MY NOTE:  Smart for Huerter?  IS BRAD OUT OF HIS EVERLOVING MIND?!!!)


Traded player exception No. 2: $6.9 million
How acquired: Juancho Hernangomez trade with Memphis Grizzlies (Aug. 2021)

Expires: Jan. 19, 2023

Players the Celtics could target:

Justin Holiday, Sacramento Kings ($6.3 million)
Rui Hachimura, Washington Wizards ($6.3 million)
Patty Mills, Brooklyn Nets ($6.2 million; player option)   (MY NOTE:  A killa, to be sure, but almost 34 years old)

Our Chris Forsberg tabbed Holiday as a potential trade deadline target in January, and the 33-year-old would give the C's some veteran leadership. Mills is another Udoka disciple from their San Antonio days and could be a steadying backcourt presence behind Smart.

Boston reportedly plans to bring Al Horford back next season, but he may not be able to log heavy regular-season minutes at age 36, so the 24-year-old Hachimura would be an intriguing depth option in the frontcourt.


Traded player exception No. 3: $5.9 million
How acquired: Dennis Schroder trade with Houston Rockets (Aug. 2021)

Expires: Feb. 10, 2023

Players the Celtics could target:

Cam Reddish, New York Knicks ($5.9 million)
Pat Connaughton, Milwaukee Bucks ($5.7 million; player option)
Ish Smith, Washington Wizards ($4.7 million)

Reddish also was involved in that hypothetical Smart trade and would fit well in Boston as a rangy wing behind Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

Connaughton, the pride of Arlington, Mass., is an excellent outside shooter with an NBA title on his résumé, while Smith is a Celtics killer who'd fit a mold similar to Mills as a playmaking backup point guard.  (MY NOTE:  Ish Smith is a bona fide Celtic killa, but that's not a good reason to get him.  You get a player because he's expected to kill everybody else except Celtics.  When you get a player just so they don't play against you anymore you might end up with what Philly got by signing Al Horford)

All of these potential trades would require the C's giving up some sort of capital (likely draft picks), and the above players only would be available if their teams wanted to free up cap space. Stevens suggested Boston may take a conservative approach this offseason and only add players who mesh well with the Celtics' current core.  (MY NOTE:  Unless Brad can hit a home run, say, by landing Beal, I think he isn't going to do much more than work around the edges.  My opinion, and this is just my opinion, is that nobody on the regular roster more valuable than Nesmith will be on the block)

But if the C's want to improve their roster, the TPE is a valuable tool, and there's no shortage of options available.


Bob


.

[bobheckler]

https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2022/06/what-bradley-beal-opting-out-would-signal-for-celtics-potential-pursuit-of-wizards-guard-brian-robb.html



What Bradley Beal opting out would signal for Celtics potential pursuit of Wizards guard


Published: Jun. 22, 2022, 10:45 a.m.


By Brian Robb | brobb@masslive.com


One of the biggest subplots surrounding the start of 2022 NBA Free Agency will be the future of Bradley Beal. The long-time Wizards guard has a $36.4 million player option for the 2022-23 season that he has to make a decision on by June 29th, the day before the official start of free agency. A new report from Michael Scotto of Hoopshype indicated that Beal plans to decline that player option and become a free agent but a cryptic tweet from Beal on Tuesday night created uncertainty around that report.


Either way, decision time will come soon for Beal as he decides upon his future. Will he opt in for one more year with Washington? Will he opt out of his deal in order to re-sign with the Wizards for a more lucrative five-year contract that could be worth over $245 million if general manager Tommy Shephard gives him a max offer? The other alternative, of course, would be Beal opting out and testing the free agency waters with the possibility of signing elsewhere or moving as a part of a sign-and-trade to a new destination.

There was plenty of buzz around a potential Celtics pursuit of Beal last year but those rumblings understandably faded amid the team’s run to the NBA Finals. However, the question remains whether the Celtics would consider trying to bring in the high-volume scorer who also doubles as one of Jayson Tatum’s best friends.


The Celtics do not have any cap room this offseason due to their current contracts on the books so any potential pursuit of Beal would have to come via a trade or a sign-and-trade. However, it’s important to note the limitations Boston would be dealing with when it comes to a sign-and-trade.

Accepting any player in a sign-and-trade would trigger the NBA’s hard cap or apron, which for next season is set at $155 million or just six million dollars above the luxury tax threshold. The Celtics already have $149 million committed in salary to 10 players for next season.


Celtics guaranteed money if Horford’s contract is guaranteed: $149.1 million to 10 players

Expected salary cap for 2022-23: $122 million

Expected luxury tax line for 2022-23: $149 million

Expected Apron: $155 million

Given the salary matching that would need to be involved in a hypothetical swap, a sign-and-trade swap for Beal is likely a non-starter for Boston’s front office due to the team-building limitations it presents. The Celtics would have to send out multiple big contracts (along with the draft picks) out the door to match Beal’s salary ($42 million in the first year of a max deal) and would essentially have no clear way to replace that production with the hard cap triggered.

The team would get an upgrade in Beal but would be effectively limited to minimum contracts to filling out the rest of the roster, barring moving out other valuable players on bigger salaries in different trades. That’s just too high of a price to pay for a guy like Beal when you also consider the value Boston would need to give up in a sign-and-trade itself via picks and personnel.


For that reason, if Beal opts out of his contract this offseason, that will effectively put an end to any potential Boston pursuit of him this summer. If Beal opts into his player option, the door would remain open for the Celtics being able to consider dealing for him without worrying about triggering the hard cap.

Multiple reports in recent weeks have indicated Beal is leaning towards signing a new five-year deal with the Wizards to maximize his earnings. That could eventually leave the door open to a Boston trade pursuit of Beal a year or two down the line in the event he asks to be moved to a contender.


For now, the Celtics acting on any interest in Beal feels like a long shot, especially in the event of Beal opting out of his current deal. That move by the Wizards guard just creates too many complications for any Celtics’ potential trade this summer involving him.


Bob


.

[RosalieTCeltics]

I find the rumor about Morris amusing. After he was gone, he was was listed as one of the malcontents in the locker room spewing out vibes of negativity. I know he has played well at times for the Clippers, but I cannot even imagine Brad bringing him back. I say NO on this one

[prakash]

Norman Powell will be a great get. He is feisty and not afraid of the moment. Shoots reasonably well. Plays defense. Just what we need on the bench.

Both Powell and Ross mean that PP's place in the rotation, and likely on the roster, is gone. That will be quite an upgrade.

Why would the Clipper trade Powell? They are likely in luxury tax hell and have Luke Kennard, Robert Covington and Terrance Mann as well on the roster. Hence, they may be interested in a salary dump. They may be trying to unload Marcus Morris instead but we should have no interest in that.

[112288]

$17.1 million

Duncan Robinson, Miami Heat ($16.9 million salary in 2022-23)
Norman Powell, Los Angeles Clippers ($16.8 million)
Dejounte Murray, San Antonio Spurs ($16.6 million)
Kevin Huerter, Atlanta Hawks ($14.5 million)
Terrence Ross, Orlando Magic ($11.5 million)

$6.9 million

Justin Holiday, Sacramento Kings ($6.3 million)
Rui Hachimura, Washington Wizards ($6.3 million)
Patty Mills, Brooklyn Nets ($6.2 million; player option)

$5.9 million

Cam Reddish, New York Knicks ($5.9 million)
Pat Connaughton, Milwaukee Bucks ($5.7 million; player option)
Ish Smith, Washington Wizards ($4.7 million)

Taking a flier at $17 million
Jonathan Isaac, Orlando (C)

The Magic signed Isaac before the shortened 2021 season to a four-year, $70-million contract. That equates to $17.5 million per season. That was a major investment for the team and a show of faith in the young forward

Because Jonathan Isaac did not meet games played thresholds for the Orlando Magic, his guaranteed amounts have been amended from $17.4M per season to the following:
22-23: $16,000,000
23-24: $7,600,000
24-25: $0
These only come into play if Isaac is waived from his deal.

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