Jrue Holiday signs 4 year extension.

I must admit I'm a little surprised we gave a 33 year old guard a 4 year contract that will pay him $37M when he's 37 years old, but there are intangibles; and as Sam used to point out, it's not my money.  

Derrick has one more year on his contract.  Sam also has one more year on his ridiculously cheap contract.  There's the bad news.  The good news is that Al only has one year left on his contract too.  So there's $9.5M coming off the books.  There's money that, some of which, can go to Sam.  Derrick's money?  I have NO idea where that's going to come from and, with no disrespect to Jrue, if I could only pay one of them, I'd pay Derrick.

Lock up the starters and rotation players on the best team in basketball.  That's good business and good basketball and that's what Brad and Wyc are doing.

But what about 8-15?  Joe needs players he can trust there too.


Possible returning/incoming players at contracts that might allow us to re-sign Derrick:

1.  Queta.  He'll sign for the minimum.

2.  Tillman.  He's in his final year, but he's on a 4 year $6.5M contract now, so he'll be a cheap veteran.  We also have Bird Rights on him, so we can re-sign him for whatever it takes to make the numbers fit on a trade.  He's a legit #3 big, possibly a legit #2 big.  Derrick was unimpressive when he got traded here, he needed a training camp before he bloomed.  That might be Xavier Tillman too.  He played well in Memphis.  Not as good a team as we have here, but he's not being asked to be the starter here.  He's being asked to be first big off the bench at best.

3.  Springer.  He's got one more year @ $4M and is an RFA after that @ $6M.  Tradable, if need be, with enough contract to make some numbers fit.  We got him for a 2nd round pick.  If we trade him for that or better, and a TPE, that gets Brad some salary relief for Derrick.

4.  JD Davison.  He's doing a good job in Maine.  He could be our 4th ball handler.  I've said that point guards aren't made, they're born.  They're born with that court vision that lets them know where everybody is and is going.  Rondo had it, Davison does too.  JD Davison was born to be a point guard.  He's a natural pass-first player.  And he'll sign for the minimum just get in the NBA.  Rosalie will lose her mind watching his hair bounce, but sometimes we have to make sacrifices for our team.

5.  Luke is in his final contract year and is a UFA.  I've come to like Luke, respect him, but if he leaves, or if it's a sign-and-trade where Brad gets a pick and a TPE to reduce his salary so he can afford to pay Derrick, so be it.  We have Q and X for 3rd and 4th bigs, and Kelly and/or Peterson in Maine if we need one more.  If we could survive with Luke collecting splinters while he was learning his craft we can live with Kelly or Peterson.

6.  Jordan Walsh.  Under long-term contract at very low numbers because he was a 2nd round pick.  If Springer is gone Walsh can take his place, or we can have both.  They're not expensive and they're defense-first players at guard and wing.  We could use both.


I doubt Svi and Oshae will be back.  I like both of them, but I think they have ambitions larger than being end-of-benchers.

We also have to consider one more factor:  Success breeds more success.  When you're a team that is competing for a Championship you attract Ring Wraiths, players who might be past their prime but still have game and are thirsting for a ring.  Think Ray Allen and Shane Battier signing with Miami after LeBron went there.  Suppose, just for example, if Russell Westbrook agreed to play for us for the minimum next year in exchange for a ring?  Now, I am NOT a big WestBRICK fan, and I have serious questions about whether his ego could fit through the door of our locker room, but he still can play and having that level of talent for a "Break Glass in Case of Emergency" situation reminds me of Gerald Green and that Chicago series a few years back.  If not Westbrick there are others.  There are a lot more high quality players who don't have rings, and see getting one as the last and only achievement left for them, than do.

Brad has done an absolute magnificent job so far.  Other than his failure to see Ime's personal character flaws in advance (but who did?) I cannot think of a single, obvious misstep by him in the three years he's been GM.  Danny had plenty.  He always spun his way out of them, but he had them.  Brad, in admittedly not much time, hasn't had to spin himself out of anything.  Yet...


Bob


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Bobby Manning @RealBobManning
about 8 minutes ago
Holiday: "It was an ongoing conversation. I thought (the deal) was pretty easy. Mutually, we came to an agreement and felt like this was best not only for me, but for the team. I just hope it works. I want to be here. I want to win multiple rings."



Bobby Manning
Bobby Manning @RealBobManning
about 9 minutes ago
Holiday: "Since I got here and the situation how I got here, it's only been love. So the city of Boston, not only them, but the organization made it super easy for us to navigate and get through a time that was a bit stressful."


Bob


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