Will the Celtics have the 'right role' for Terry Rozier next season if Kyrie walks?

The Celtics are going to need to be prepared for anything this summer, and that includes an alternative plan at the point guard position if Kyrie Irving walks away in free agency. While Danny Ainge admitted on Wednesday he has heard nothing concrete about the intentions of his All-Star point guard, it’s fair to note that the sense of optimism about Irving's return to Boston can’t be considered great. The team will hold out hope for a return, but will obviously be waiting anxiously as June 30th approaches.

In the meantime, alternative plans will be needed to be formed for Boston in the backcourt (if Irving walks) and one of the potential options on that front still appears to be restricted free agent Terry Rozier. The 24-year-old created plenty of headlines after a day-long appearance on ESPN last month as he threw members of the coaching staff and teammates under the bus following a subpar season for himself.

For the first time on Wednesday, a member of the Celtics organization publicly commented on those remarks, with Ainge speaking positively about the four-year Celtic.

“You guys know I’m a big fan of Terry’s,” Ainge said. “I don’t always agree with how everybody handles the media, just like they probably don’t agree with how I handle the media and things that I say. We don’t always think alike, that’s what makes the game fun. But I’m a big fan of Terry’s.”

While Rozier only signaled an openness in returning to Boston if his role or the personnel changed, Ainge left the door open for that type of hypothetical on Wednesday.

“I think that if Terry was in the right circumstance and the right role, I think he would love playing in Boston, is my opinion,” Ainge said. “And if not, then I think Terry would let me know that. But Terry and I have a very good relationship, as Terry does with Brad as well.”

There are two schools of thought when hearing remarks like this from Ainge in the face of inflammatory comments from Rozier.

1. The Celtics are posturing in case they need to use Rozier as a potential sign-and-trade piece: Unlike with Irving, the Celtics are holding all the cards in Rozier's free agency. They can match any offer that Rozier receives from suitors and his market is not expected to be great after an underwhelming year off the bench. Whether or not the Celtics plan to retain him this summer, they benefit in no way by publicly declaring their lack of interest to retain Rozier no matter what the guard says.

While it’s a slim chance, there is a possibility that some team out there wants Rozier and does not have the necessary cap space to sign him outright. In that scenario, the Celtics could orchestrate a sign-and-trade and potentially fetch something of value (a player or perhaps a second-round pick realistically) for losing Rozier. They could also have interest in using Rozier as part of a larger transaction (i.e. a blockbuster trade) for salary matching purposes. In order for Rozier to go along with a deal like this, maintaining some type of cordial relationship will be necessary. Keeping all of those avenues open would help to explain Ainge's remarks on Wednesday.

2. The Celtics have a legitimate interest in bringing Rozier back: Ainge was not lying when he said he had a strong relationship with Rozier. The same can be said for Brad Stevens, who went to bat for him despite his struggles all year long. However, Ainge made some pointed comebacks about the lack of buy-in throughout the roster on Wednesday and while Rozier wasn’t singled out specifically in those remarks, there’s no question that he was one of the guys Danny was talking about if you read between the lines.

“We knew with the success from the year before and trying to bring Kyrie and Gordon back into the mix, that there would be some challenges,” Ainge said. “We all knew that going in, but I even underestimated how long it might take because it didn’t really ever take where we had 100 percent buy-in from 100 percent of our players. I did not anticipate that."

Rozier turned into a bit of a viral star at the conclusion of the 2018 postseason with his ‘Scary Terry’ persona and clearly failed to maintain that level of success throughout last year, which may have led to his image and social media following taking a hit. Ainge commented on how the buzz around players in this day and age has changed, along with the impact of the social media landscape may have impacted the Celtics' attitudes.

“It plays a part in it, I believe," Ainge said. "I think how many likes they get on social media, how much money they’re going to get paid, sure. I don’t think there’s ever been a player -- I was a young player once too, that stuff mattered to me. How much you’re going to get paid and whether you’re going to start or come off the bench, how many minutes. But at some point, you fight, compete and then however it works out you accept your role and you move on and you keep going. And I wish our team would have done a better job with that this year.

“Not that they don’t want more – and they should want more. That’s what makes them great is they all think they’re great players. I think that I don’t want that to change. But I felt like Gordon (Hayward) and Jaylen (Brown) handled their positions the best this year when things didn’t go as well as they could. I thought they handled it as good as they could.”

So the bigger question now the front office will need to answer is whether it’s actually in the C’s interest to bring Rozier back and hand him a bigger role next year in the wake of his comments if Irving departs. Handing him a starting point guard role in wake of an alternative (Marcus Smart, free agent) would not necessarily be in the best interest of the team from a winning perspective, especially on the offensive end.

Unlike Smart, Rozier remained as one of the worst shooting guards in the league from inside the arc despite being one of the most eager shooters on the team. His strengths (rebounding, low turnover rate, on-ball defense when engaged) were outweighed by his weaknesses (shot selection, finishing at rim, lack of passing vision) all year long. He was soundly outplayed by the likes of Pat Connaughton and George Hill in the postseason, which helped the Bucks turn the second-round series into a romp. Rozier’s on/off numbers ranked among the worst on the roster all year long, which was reflective of how his style of play derailed the team.

The fact remains that Rozier is better suited for a bench role anyway based on his talent but it’s unclear whether he will be able to accept that in Boston or his next destination. The Celtics can do better at the starting spot, but they won’t be in a good spot to lose any assets without compensation if Irving walks away. Keeping Rozier may allow them to use their limited free agent money to address a different area of the roster while maintaining some needed depth in the backcourt. Additionally, signing Rozier to a deal that can be used for salary matching down the line has to be considered as well since that's been an area of need for Boston in recent years.

There’s no question both Rozier and the Celtics will have their sights set on bigger things than each other when free agency begins. Rozier wants a chance to prove himself somewhere. The Celtics obviously want to keep Irving. There may not be a starting job out there for Rozier to win though and the C’s could very well be in asset retention mode if Irving walks away.

Despite those realities, I can’t help but think these Celtics backcourt could use a reboot if Irving exits stage right. Handing the keys to the car with Smart at point guard (Jaylen Brown taking the two guard) seems like a far smarter idea than letting Rozier run the show after the season we just witnessed. If the Celtics truly believe Rozier is willing to accept a bench role even with Irving (after striking out on the open market), then the door could be open for a longer stay. Otherwise? The C’s may be better off with a fresh start in the backcourt.