LAS VEGAS -- The Celtics made their first official new acquisition of the free agency period on Saturday night, acquiring Kemba Walker and a 2020 second-round pick from the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Terry Rozier and a protected second-round pick.
The double sign-and-trade deal was rumored to be expanded in the past few days but the Celtics ended up keeping the deal to a simple two-team swap. The second-round pick from the Hornets will likely come from Brooklyn as it will be the least favorable of the Knicks/Nets' selection.
Walker, 29, joins Boston’s backcourt after an All-Star campaign in which he averaged a career-high 25.6 points (43.4% FG, 35.6% 3-PT, 84.4% FT), 4.4 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.2 steals and 34.9 minutes, while playing in all 82 games for the second time in his career (2012-13). He was one of only two NBA players to average at least 25.0 points, and 5.0 assists while playing in all 82 regular-season games along with Bradley Beal.
“Kemba has excelled in this league for many years while consistently playing at a level among the NBA’s elite,” said Celtics President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge. “His expansive skillset and model of consistency will fit in seamlessly with what we’re trying to accomplish as an organization.”
With No. 15 already retired by the Celtics, Walker will wear No. 8 in what perhaps could be a nod to former Celtic Antoine Walker and the thousands of fans who still own employee No. 8 jerseys.
BSJ Analysis
The exact sign-and-trade transaction here was always the most likely scenario to unfold once Al Horford agreed to terms with the 76ers on Sunday. The Celtics tried to expand it initially and include Kyrie Irving as a sign-and-trade to Brooklyn which would have opened the door for keeping Horford (and other free agents) with Bird Rights. However, once Horford exited stage left, there was not enough upside to sign-and-trade Horford or Irving with a rival and pay a premium (a first-round pick) to do so in order to gain access to Bird Rights on Marcus Morris. The power forward ended up signing a bargain two-year, $20 million deal with the Spurs on Saturday, a contract the C's couldn't match without a sign-and-trade of Horford/Irving.
The Celtics could have signed Walker outright to a four-year, $140-million contract once they renounced their other free agents besides Daniel Theis, but they did the Hornets and Terry Rozier a favor by taking part in this transaction. Being a facilitator allows Boston to sign Rozier to a bigger contract than the Hornets could have signed him to outright in free agency. Even after losing Walker, the Hornets were going to be over the salary cap and unable to offer Rozier more than the mid-level exception ($9.5 million). The Celtics used their Bird Rights to sign Rozier and send him to Charlotte as part of the signing while taking Walker back into their open cap room. For helping out with the acquisition, the C's got a minor asset (a second-round pick) for their trouble.
From a big-picture perspective, taking back a player in a sign-and-trade hard caps the Celtics at $138 million for the season, which shouldn't be a big deal for the franchise. They will be at $116 million after they complete the remainder of their signings, which is far short of luxury tax territory ($132 million). A reminder of what the depth chart looks like for Boston after the deal:
Ballhandlers: Walker, Smart, Edwards, Wanamaker
Wings: Hayward, Tatum, Brown, Langford, Ojeleye
Undersized bigs: Grant Williams, Yabusele
Centers: Kanter, Theis, Poirier, Rob Williams
The Celtics also completed the Aron Baynes trade officially on Saturday, which netted them a 2020 first-round pick from Milwaukee in exchange for the No. 24 selection (Ty Jerome) in this year's draft. The Celtics will start announcing additional free agent signings (Kanter, Poirier, Theis, Wanamaker) officially in the next two days per a team source while also signing the rookies to their contract. Carsen Edwards is expected to be signed with cap room so the team can sign him to the longest possible contract (four years) for a second-round pick.
The overall end game here is what we broke down later this week. There is still some room for maneuvering on the roster, (Guerschon Yabusele's roster spot could be in danger) but the odds of any more big splashes are slim according to a league source. The Kemba Walker era has officially begun for a revamped Celtics squad in a wide-open Eastern Conference behind the Bucks and Sixers.