Celtics trade value power rankings, Part 2

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 continue taking a closer look at the team’s roster in the second part 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. You can check out the first part of the rankings here.

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.

8. Semi Ojeleye
Age: 24
Remaining contract: Three years, $4.7 million (partially-guaranteed if waived before 7/15/18)
2017-18 stats: 2.7 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 0.5 apg, 32% 3pt (73 games)

Overview: In the NBA Draft, teams take a lot of swings on players in the second round and have little to show for it a lot of the time. However, when teams can identify a transferable skill to the pro level, steals can be found in the second half of the draft. That’s exactly what happened with Ojeleye with the No. 37 pick last year. His offensive numbers were flat-out awful for most of the year but the rookie was an important part of Brad Stevens’ rotation nearly all year long thanks to his defensive versatility. The SMU product had the strength to guard centers and the speed to hang with scoring wings. Whether it was helping the Celtics contain Giannis Antetokounmpo enough to get past the Bucks in the first round or helping to keep Ben Simmons out of the paint in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, Ojeleye has proven himself to be a playoff-tested defender.

While Ojeleye’s age and offensive limitations don’t give him the same upside as other rookies, his dirt-cheap contract makes him an appealing piece to any team around the league. The Celtics used a portion of their open cap room last year to sign Ojeleye to a four-year deal starting at the league’s minimum. He’s locked in for the next three years at a bargain basement price ($1.6 million per year on average) and it’s hard to find that kind of defensive versatility that cheap. The guess here is he won’t be going anywhere due to his specialized skillset and bargain salary, but he could always be used as a sweetener in a blockbuster deal down the line.

What could Celtics get for him? A late first-round pick or another promising (but flawed) player on a rookie deal.  

7. Marcus Morris
Age: 28
Remaining contract: One year, $5.4 million
2017-18 stats: 13.6 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.3 apg (54 games)

Overview: Between missing portions of training camp due to a court case and a knee injury that sidelined him for long stretches at the start of the regular season, the Marcus Morris era did not get off to a great start in Boston initially. Brad Stevens always insisted the team’s game plan was ensuring Morris was at his best for the home stretch of the season and that proved to be the case, at least for the regular season. Morris was a strong two-way contributor after the All-Star break, helping carry an injury-ravaged roster in March by averaging 18.2 ppg on 48 percent shooting.

He was not able to recreate that magic offensively during the playoffs (36.8 percent from the field) but his defense was a pivotal part of Boston’s run to the Eastern Conference Finals. He took on tough assignments on a nightly basis, worked hard on the glass and slowly but surely earned the trust of Stevens on most nights to earn crunch-time minutes.

Those crunch-time minutes likely won’t be available to him in Boston next season, assuming the return of a healthy roster. That reality makes Morris a candidate to be dealt this summer, especially since he’s entering the final year of his contract at a bargain $5.4 million. There are plenty of teams around the league that could use a versatile defender on a cheap deal and there is a strong likelihood that the C’s won’t be able to afford his next contract. The question Danny Ainge will debate over the summer is weighing the benefits of keep Morris around to maximize a possible run at the title next year versus the desire to accumulate future assets before the 28-year-old can walk as an unrestricted free agent in 2019.

What could Celtics get for him? He was worth Avery Bradley and a second-round pick last year, so a first-round pick in the late teens or early 20s should be a reasonable ask for him this year from Boston’s perspective. Otherwise, a role player on a bargain deal could be targeted, but there are few of those across the league that make as little as Morris. 

6. Terry Rozier
Age: 23
Contract situation: One year remaining at $3.05 million (restricted free agency in 2019).
2017-18 stats: 11.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 2.9 apg, (80 games)

Overview: The 6-foot-2 guard had been an integral member of Brad Stevens’ rotation this season prior to March, playing 23 minutes per game while providing critical energy, floor spacing and rebounding in his third NBA season during that time. Once Irving and Smart went down with injuries, the keys to the offense were handed to him, out of necessity more than anything else. He rose to the opportunity down the stretch, averaging 15.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 5.1 assists as a starter over the final month and a half of the regular season.

That type of performance and a solid postseason (outside of a disastrous Game 7) proved to many that Rozier is capable of being a starting point guard in this league. Obviously, that job will never be waiting for him in Boston (barring injury) anytime soon, which puts Rozier in an interesting spot. The Celtics will have the ability to keep him around in restricted free agency if they are willing to pay his market value, but that could be an issue depending on how much they elect to commit to Marcus Smart this summer in free agency. Keeping both Smart and Irving beyond 2019 to come off the bench and playing Irving over $35 million per year in his next contract seems like bad payroll management.

Since Rozier will eventually be a restricted free agent, there is reduced worry that he will ultimately walk away without compensation (the C's could choose not to match an offer sheet, but a sign-and-trade is more likely scenario). Still, won’t preclude the Celtics front office from potentially testing the trade waters this summer and seeing what the 24-year-old guard can fetch while he still has the value of a cheap rookie deal. Rozier’s modest salary and untapped potential make him a fit on playoff and rebuilding teams alike. He plays at one of the deepest positions in the league, but his skill set is a unique one. He is an elite rebounder for his size, his turnover rate is minuscule and his athleticism can give opponents headaches all across the floor. Given all that, the asking price will be high and it’s unclear if anyone will match it since a lot of teams are set at the position already. Still, Rozier remains one of the top candidates on the roster to get moved this summer if Ainge wants to reduce the potential logjam in the backcourt.

What might the Celtics get for him? A first-round pick in the teens or a young player with potential on a rookie deal.

Full list thus far

11. Nader
10. Yabusele
9. Theis
8. Ojeleye
7. Morris
6. Rozier

Section 3 of the Trade Value Power Rankings coming next week