Hitting the reset option was not the ideal scenario for the Celtics this summer, but it's the path they look to be headed for with Kyrie Irving and Al Horford heading for new destinations. The one silver lining of their departures will be the fact that the Celtics will have some cap room to maneuver with this summer if they choose. There are going to be several different levels of cap room the Celtics can open up depending on which of their own players they have interest in retaining. Let's walk through a couple of likely scenarios before things
- Celtics keep first-round picks and Terry Rozier's cap hold on the books, renounce Marcus Morris and all other free agents: $19.7 million in cap room
- Celtics keep first-round picks and renounce Morris, Rozier and all other free agents: $28.7 million in cap room
- Celtics trade away or stash first round picks and renounce Morris, Rozier and all other free agents: $32.7 million in cap room (enough for a max contract)
RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS
All of these guys trend towards the younger side of things, which is appealing from a team-building standpoint to pair with Tatum and Brown. However, it is also going to be tougher to pry them away from their current teams due to matching rights. Overpays will be required in most cases in order to keep their current teams from retaining them. However, in some circumstances, these teams will have cap and tax issues to navigate, which could open the door for the Celtics to swoop in.