Celtics trade value power rankings: Part 1

With 11 players currently under contract for the Celtics heading into the 2018-19 season, Danny Ainge has a lot of options this offseason as tries to develop this team into a true Finals contender.

With the return of Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving looming, consolidation is an option Boston’s front office is going to need to explore. There is not going to be enough room for everyone to play regular minutes in a healthy rotation, and the team is not going to be able to afford this full roster beyond next season. Some players will be moved, as it isn’t Ainge’s style to let his assets walk away for nothing if he can help it.

Ainge’s maneuvering will be largely dependent on how the league views his personnel against his own evaluations of those same players.

To sort through it all, let’s take a closer look at the team’s roster in our first edition of the 2018 Celtics trade value power rankings. We’ll count down the list in the next few weeks, starting with the players with the least trade value and working up to top assets on the roster.

Criteria: This isn’t simply ranking the best-to-worst players on the roster. There is significantly more that goes into a player’s trade value around the league than just talent (although that’s important). A player’s age, contract situation and injury history are all vital factors. Multiple scouts from around the league were consulted as this list was put together.

THE EXPENDABLE PARTS

11. Abdel Nader
Age: 24
Remaining contract: Three years, $4.7 million (partially-guaranteed if waived before 8/1/18)
2017-18 stats: 3.0 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 0.5 apg, (48 games)
Overview: The Celtics rewarded the second-round pick with a four-year deal last offseason after a standout G-League campaign, but Nader’s production failed to translate during his rookie NBA season. He shot respectably from beyond the arc (35 percent) but was miserable around the rim (44.7 percent) in his limited minutes. He put blinders on when he got into the paint, which didn’t help his cause either. Defensively, things weren’t much better for the small forward. Nader has solid size and length at 6-foot-6, but he struggled with mental mistakes and staying with speedy NBA wings. There just isn’t much he does particularly well at the NBA level, and that’s not good news for a guy who is already 24 years old.

His roster status with Boston next year is a serious question mark, primarily since this is an area of the roster in need of an upgrade. Nader’s trade value to the Celtics right now is simply as salary filler in a trade. It’s unclear yet whether he will play Summer League for the third consecutive year, and the team could always bring him to training camp to play for his job. However, with his salary only partially guaranteed ahead of an August 1st deadline, the guess here is that he’s cut before then and is playing for a roster spot somewhere else next season.
What could Celtics get for him? Nothing of value.

10. Guerschon Yabusele
Age: 22
Remaining contract: Three years, $10.4 million total (Final two years are team options)
2017-18 stats: 2.4 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 0.5 apg (33 games)
Overview: The Frenchman showed some signs of potential during his rookie year after being stashed for a season with the Shanghai Sharks. He was an eager 3-point shooter with over 60 percent of his field goal attempts coming from downtown. There is work to be done on that front (32 percent), but the jump shot looks workable and that’s the type of skillset that will make him useful as a stretch big in this league for years to come. There were some understandable growing pains on the defensive end, which made him relatively unplayable for Brad Stevens during the postseason run. Still, the good outweighed the bad during this rookie campaign. He showed off some nice passing ability from the high post, banged on the boards well for his size and showed some solid mobility for his size.

Yabusele is going to have to keep his weight down to stick around in this league long-term, but there is enough potential here to intrigue the Celtics or some other teams around the league. The question that Danny Ainge will need to answer is whether he wants to wait around and use a roster spot to let Yabusele develop in the midst of a contending window for Boston. He’s cheap labor for now, but the last couple years of his rookie deal look a bit pricey if Yabusele has not developed into a bench contributor by then, especially with a high luxury tax bill looming. Based on that expectation, this will be a big summer for Yabusele. He will be a featured option for the C’s summer league team in all likelihood, a pivotal step for him as he tries to play his way into a crowded frontcourt rotation next year. The other alternative for Ainge is to sell relatively low on Yabusele now and acquire a future pick for him (or include him as a sweetener in a bigger trade package). I’d be surprised if Yabusele is traded alone, but he could be used as part of a deal that includes Terry Rozier or Marcus Morris.

What could Celtics get for him? High second-round pick or highly protected first-round pick. If traded straight up for a player, probably nothing more than an unproven piece on a rookie deal (similar to him).

BENCH VALUE

9. Daniel Theis
Age: 25
Contract situation: One year remaining at $1.4 million (non-guaranteed). No Bird Rights
2017-18 stats: 5.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 0.9 apg, (63 games)
Overview: The German big man was one of the biggest steals in free agency last summer after the Celtics landed him on a two-year minimum deal. Theis immediately played his way into the C’s rotation with a strong preseason and showed a dynamic skillset for a big that translated well to Stevens’ scheme on both ends of the floor. He rebounded well for his size at 6-foot-9, had terrific mobility to handle smaller players in isolation switches and displayed some shot blocking ability. Offensively, his 3-point shot was streaky (32 percent), but Theis showcased nice hands down low and finished well as a rim runner in the pick-and-roll. His role within the rotation grew throughout the season, to the point that he became a major loss for the C’s after going down with a torn meniscus in March. He is expected to be fully recovered in time for training camp and should be an integral part of the bench rotation in year two for Boston.

The only reason Theis is so low on this list is due to a deep Celtics roster and his short-term contract. He’s only under contract for one more year, and the Celtics do not have Bird Rights on him, which means any team he is traded to must use an exception or cap room to sign him. That could be a challenge for Boston next season in the midst of new contracts being due for the likes of Kyrie Irving, Terry Rozier and others. Theis could price himself out of the C’s budget with another strong campaign in 2018, but it’s doubtful the team moves him before then given his cheap price tag. He’s a great depth piece for now and could emerge as a starting stretch center down the line with added development.

What might the Celtics get for him? Late first-round pick/high second round pick or a bench piece. However, it’s hard to see many suitors matching that asking price due to his lack of Bird Rights.

Section 2 of the Trade Value Power Rankings coming next week