Offseason reset: Where C's stand

ESPNBOSTON

By Chris Forsberg | ESPNBoston.com

After a flurry of activity on Tuesday, the Boston Celtics endured a quiet Wednesday. This is the part of the offseason when things typically start to downshift a bit. The Celtics still have some work to do and there's always potential for a late-July squall, but this lull seemed like a good time to analyze what Boston has accomplished thus far and what's left on its offseason to-do list.

THE OFFSEASON SO FAR

A rundown of the transactions that Boston has made since late June:

• June 26: Drafted guard Marcus Smart (6th) and forward James Young (17th)

• July 2: Agreed to four-year, $32 million extension with restricted free agent guard Avery Bradley

• July 9: Acquired center Tyler Zeller, guard Marcus Thornton, and Cleveland's 2016 first-round pick as part of a three-team trade with the Brooklyn Nets and Cleveland Cavaliers

• July 10: Announced the signings of Smart and Young

• July 15: Acquired a conditional second-round pick and a $4.3 million trade exception as part of a sign-and-trade deal that delivered free agent Kris Humphries to the Washington Wizards

• July 15: Free agent guard Jerryd Bayless agreed to a two-year deal with Milwaukee Bucks

SNAPSHOT: THE DEPTH CHART

Celtics 2014-15 depth chart

A look at Boston's positional depth chart (as of July 16):

Point Guard    Rajon Rondo    Marcus Smart    Phil Pressey   
Shooting Guard    Avery Bradley    Marcus Thornton    James Young    Chris Babb   
Small Forward    Jeff Green    Gerald Wallace    Chris Johnson    Keith Bogans
Power Forward    Brandon Bass    Jared Sullinger    Kelly Olynyk   
Center    Tyler Zeller    Vitor Faverani    Joel Anthony   
 
SALARIES IN FOCUS

Cap Glance

A look at the Boston Celtics' current salary commitment:

Player    2014-15 salary
Rajon Rondo    12,909,090
Gerald Wallace    10,105,855
Jeff Green    9,200,000
Marcus Thornton    8,575,000
Avery Bradley    7,154,161**
Brandon Bass    6,900,000
Keith Bogans    5,285,816*
Joel Anthony    3,800,000
Marcus Smart    3,283,320
Vitor Faverani    2,090,000
Kelly Olynyk    2,075,760
Tyler Zeller    1,703,760
James Young    1,674,480
Jared Sullinger    1,424,520
Chris Johnson    915,243*
Phil Pressey    816,482
Chris Babb    816,482*
Totals    78,729,969
* Nonguaranteed | ** Estimated

The Celtics are currently committed to roughly $78.7 million for 17 players. A handful of notes on the current roster/cap situation:

• The Celtics stand $15.6 million over the 2014-15 salary cap ($63.1 million). The team can only add players via available cap exceptions (more on that below).

• The Celtics stand $1.9 million over the 2014-15 luxury tax line ($76.8 million). Tax calculations are calculated after the season, meaning Boston has plenty of time to get back below the line (something that should occur naturally while trimming to the league maximum of 15 bodies before the start of the regular season).

• Boston has three nonguaranteed contracts totaling roughly $7 million, which gives it one easy way to trim bodies and salary if needed. Phil Pressey's contract became fully guaranteed when he was still on the roster after July 15. The contracts for Chris Johnson, Chris Babb, and Keith Bogans have no guarantee date (though their salaries would be pro-rated if carried into the start the regular season and become fully guaranteed in early January).

• Rookies Smart and Young were signed to 120 percent of their rookie scale contracts (the maximum allowed).

• Anthony had a player option for the 2014-15 season, which he (wisely) elected to pick up despite the fact that he doesn't project to see an increased role if he remains with Boston.

CAN BOSTON STILL ACQUIRE PLAYERS?

Sure, the Celtics could theoretically add more bodies. That's more likely to occur via the trade route considering the current roster/cap situation. But Boston does have a couple available exceptions to sign free agents if it desired.

* Midlevel exception: Boston has the nontaxpayer's midlevel available, allowing them to spend as much as $5.3 million (keep in mind that some trimming would need to be done at the moment as Boston must remain on or below the luxury tax apron -- $4 million over the tax line -- in order to use that larger exception). It would seem more likely that Boston would stash the exception for use later in the season (when a future-minded addition could be made), though the Celtics could also utilize smaller chunks of the midlevel to sign players, much like they did last offseason in adding Pressey and Vitor Faverani (then later signing Johnson and Babb during the season).

* Biannual exception: The Celtics haven't used the smaller biannual exception in recent seasons (valued at a little over $2 million). It cannot be used in consecutive seasons and might be more valuable down the road.

WHAT DOES THE TEAM HAVE FOR TRADE ASSETS?

The Celtics could utilize their signed talent as part of trades, but keep in mind that recently signed rookies can't be moved for 30 days. Boston could also utilize the following assets:

* Trade exceptions: Boston already used its prettiest gem -- a $10.3 million trade exception generated in last summer's blockbuster with Brooklyn -- to bring back Zeller, Thornton, and a first-round pick. The team still has a $2.1 million exception from the trade that sent Courtney Lee to Memphis (expires in early January), a $4.3 million exception that will be generated when the Humphries-to-Washington deal is formally completed (and expire one year from that date); and $283,816 exception that's unlikely to be used from the deal that sent Fab Melo to Memphis (expires in mid-August). Remember that trade exceptions cannot be combined (though they can be split and used to bring back multiple players that fit into the exception, as highlighted by the Zeller/Thornton trade).

* Draft picks: Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge's biggest treasure is a growing stash of draft picks that includes as many as nine first-round picks over the next five drafts. In fact, this deserves it's own section ...

FUTURE DRAFT PICKS IN FOCUS

2015 Draft
1st round: Boston, Clippers, Philadelphia*
2nd round: Boston***, Philadelphia**, Sacramento***
* Philadelphia's pick is lottery protected
** Philadelphia conveys if in lottery
*** Only conveyed if between picks 56-60

2016 Draft
1st round: Boston, Brooklyn, Cleveland*
2nd round: Boston***, Miami, Philadelphia**
* Cleveland's pick is top-10 protected until 2019
** Philadelphia conveys if in lottery in 2015
*** Potentially conveyed to Utah or Memphis

2017 Draft
1st round: Boston*
2nd round: Boston**, Sacramento***
* Boston has option to swap with Brooklyn
** If Boston swaps with Brooklyn, it loses pick if between 46-60
*** Only conveyed if between picks 56-60

2018 Draft
1st round: Boston, Brooklyn
2nd round: Boston

2019 Draft (and beyond)
1st round: Boston
2nd round: Boston

SO WHAT'S THE STORY FROM HERE?

Most Celtics fans remain hopeful for those much-ballyhooed 'fireworks,' keeping their fingers crossed that Kevin Love might fall into their lap (while others turned their attention to how to acquire Kings center DeMarcus Cousins after he gushed about Rajon Rondo during a Grantland podcast). Ainge has the assets to attract an impact player from a team that could benefit from picks and/or young talent. The question is simply whether he'll find a deal that can help the Celtics now (and into the future) or continue to be patient with the team's assets.

With a focus on what Boston actually has: Babb and Johnson face an uphill battle for a roster spot. Boston had the luxury of carrying both D-League call-ups at the end of last season due to injuries and available spots, but roster and cap space could be important later this season.

While most assumed Bogans would be dealt this summer -- and moving his salary would be an easy way to dip below the tax line -- the Celtics know his nonguaranteed deal is an asset because of the immediate savings it can offer a trade partner. The team should be in no hurry to waive Bogans when it can keep exploring potential trade avenues to maximize his return.

If no other deals materialize, Boston could always go into the season with this roster (minus a couple bodies). Moving someone like Brandon Bass could make it easier for Stevens to give minutes to the team's younger players, but that could also be revisited in February.

The guess here is that Ainge and his staff will continue to investigate ever possible way to add impact players and position themselves to strike when the right deal emerges. Owner Wyc Grousbeck likes to reference how the Garnett acquisition didn't materialize until late July. Just because things go quiet doesn't mean there's potential for more moves.

We've noted how the summer of 2015 could be Boston's best opportunity for a big splash. The more important theme is that Boston has given itself something most rebuilding teams don't have: Flexibility.

Boston will set off fireworks at some point, but you only get one chance to light the wick on that big firecracker. The team has exercised great patience to this point and shouldn't rush.

Rondo's future remains uncertain and there's a belief that the team must add talent sooner than later to encourage him to stick around when he becomes an unrestricted free agent next summer. Our belief has been that Boston simply needs to show Rondo that the team is on the path back to contender status and that should be enough to keep him intrigued in leading the team into a brighter future.

There's still a lot of work to be done, but the Celtics have patiently navigated the course in hopes that their diligence will be rewarded down the road.

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