This past season marked Danny Ainge's 15th full season as president of basketball operations for the Boston Celtics after being hired at the tail end of the 2002-03 season. Over the upcoming two weeks ahead of training camp, we will be taking a closer look at his tenure in Boston, reviewing some of his best and worst moves during the past 15 years and how it's brought the Celtics to this point.
We begin with a look at his top five free-agent signings over the past 15 years, a few of which are still impacting the franchise to this day.
HONORABLE MENTION
James Posey (2 years, $7.5 million in 2007): The veteran swingman only stuck around for one season (his second year was a player option) but this signing for a portion of the mid-level exception put in place an essential sixth man for the 2008 Celtics championship. Posey and the Celtics got what they wanted out of the arrangement as the C’s won the title and Posey earned one last big contract in the summer of 2008 from the Pelicans in a four-year deal. He was out of the league three years later but the C’s certainly could have used them in a couple of deep playoff runs without him as they struggled to find consistent wing depth behind Paul Pierce and Ray Allen for the rest of their tenures. A hefty luxury tax bill and cap limitations kept them from ever replacing Posey adequately during that era.
Evan Turner (2 years, $6.2 million in 2014): The addition of Turner never will be felt in the record books (the C’s never advanced out of the first round with Turner on the roster), but in the midst of a rebuilding era, the swingman helped make Boston look like an appealing destination faster than most anticipated. He averaged 10 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists per game during his two years in Boston, giving Ainge some great bang for the buck on a cheap rehabilitation project. Turner was able to parlay the strong performances into a massive four-year, $72 million deal with the Blazers, while the C’s turned into a free agent destination that same summer of 2016.
Marcus Smart (4 years, $48 million in 2017): It’s early but this deal is already looking like a massive bargain in the wake of a breakout offensive season from Smart. If he continues to improve heading into his sixth NBA season, this will quickly turn into one of the best bargain non-rookie deals in the association.
TOP FIVE
5. Al Horford (4 years, $113 million in 2016): The big man became the biggest name signing in C’s free-agent history in the summer of 2016 after inking a four-year contract with a player option. Despite departing after just three seasons amid a roster turnover this summer, Horford was a pivotal part of two straight trips to the Eastern Conference Finals. His per-game numbers earned him some critics at times during his tenure due to his hefty salary but he was repeatedly at his best during Boston’s postseason runs over the past three years, frustrating opposing bigs with his outside shooting and tenacious defense in the post. Horford’s decision to sign with Boston also opened the door for more players to follow suit in the subsequent seasons (Gordon Hayward, Kyrie Irving waiving his trade kicker), eliminating any sort of narrative about free agents avoiding Boston as a playing destination.
4. Avery Bradley (4 years, $32 million in 2014): Reaction was mixed from pundits after the 23-year-old guard was locked up in the summer of 2014. However, Bradley quickly silenced those doubters by putting together three of his best NBA seasons in the middle of the decade. He improved on his field goal percentage every year, averaging over 15 points per game, while also earned an All-Defensive first-team nod for the 2015-16 season. Ultimately, Bradley retained so much value entering the final year of his contract in the summer of 2017 that the Celtics were able to acquire Marcus Morris on a bargain contract (two years remaining at five million each) in exchange for Bradley. Trading off Bradley or another core piece was a requirement in order to create enough salary-cap room to sign Hayward in the summer of 2017. However, the guard outperformed his contract easily during the 2014-17 seasons, allowing Boston to maximize their talent during those years while also attain value moving forward in the form of Morris.
3. Jae Crowder (5 years, $35 million in 2015): The swingman was merely a sweetener for the Celtics in the trade for Rajon Rondo in December 2014. However, Crowder morphed into much more than that as the C’s elected to lock him up for the maximum five years after a standout second half of the 2014-15 regular season in Boston. Crowder’s deal quickly developed into one of the best bargains in the league during his next two seasons in Boston as he posted career-highs in points per game (14.2) and FG percentage (46.3%) and 3-point shooting (39.8%) with his increased opportunity (32 minutes per game). This type of output eventually turned Crowder into a crucial piece in Ainge’s hunt for a star, making him the second-most valuable piece in the trade package for Irving in the summer of 2017, just behind the Brooklyn Nets pick. Crowder’s production has dropped off over the past two seasons outside of Brad Stevens’ system in Cleveland and Utah but that should not diminish the value of this deal for Boston in the middle of this decade. Without a chip like Crowder to throw in, the C’s never get a deal done for Irving without including a young chip like Jaylen Brown or Jayson Tatum. For as badly as the Irving deal went here, Crowder’s contract/production salvaged it from turning into a full-blown disaster for Boston’s future.
2. Kendrick Perkins (4 years, $17 million in 2006): The Celtics rarely sign players to a rookie extension ahead of a contract year but betting on the 21-year-old center ahead of his fourth NBA season ended up being a pivotal move towards Boston’s role to contention. With Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen tying up most of Boston’s payroll in 2007 and beyond, Ainge wisely tied up Perkins before he emerged as a pivotal defensive force in the paint for Boston alongside Garnett. Having an effective and affordable big man in his prime was critical for the C’s on their way to a 2008 title and the subsequent seasons as Perkins took on a heavier offensive load in the wake of Garnett’s knee injury. Ultimately, Perkins’ body broke down on him in 2011 ahead of the C’s decision to deal him for Jeff Green (we’ll get to that one later) but Perkins’ rebounding and defense was pivotal in taking down the likes of Dwight Howard, Shaquille O’Neal and other massive bigs during the Big Three era. Locking him up for four years of his prime at a fraction of his true value was terrific foresight by Ainge and his staff.
1. Rajon Rondo (5 years, $55 million in 2009): After fighting to keep the point guard in the Kevin Garnett negotiations, the Celtics make a point of locking up their emerging point guard in the fall of 2009. This remains the last rookie extension the Celtics have signed a player to and it will be tough to ever top the type of value the C’s got in this deal. Rondo was selected as an All-Star for the next four season after signing this contract, and was a top performer for Boston in the 2010 and 2012 postseason. Even after suffering a torn ACL in 2013 that put an unofficial end to the Big Three era, Ainge was able to use the value Rondo still held in the final year of his bargain contract to land Crowder and a future first-round pick from Dallas among other assets. The length (five years) of the contract ensured the Celtics would have a fourth All-Star on the roster while the rest of the Big Three was on the decline. Incredibly, this ended up being the biggest contract of Rondo’s career as he was forced to settle for short-term pacts after his torn ACL and ugly divorce from the Mavericks during the 2014 postseason.
Other NBA News and Notes
- Shaun Livingston announced his retirement this week on Instagram, capping off a terrific final chapter for the guard after a few years as a pivotal bench piece for the Warriors.
- The NBA sent out a memo to team about new tampering regulations that are set to be implemented according to Shams Charania of Stadium. The memo includes far heftier fines (up to $10 million) for teams if they tamper as well as increased fines for teams and players for unauthorized agreements.
- The Maine Red Claws officially hired Darren Erman as their new head coach. The former Celtic assistant comes from New Orleans after he was let go from Alvin Gentry’s staff this summer.
- The Rockets handed out a very interesting contract to Nene (two years, $20 million) that is filled with incentives based on appearances and team wins. It gives Houston a valuable trade chip since it guarantees just $2.5 million in base salary but is worth $10 million for cap purposes in trade due to the ‘likely incentives’.