What will offseason look like for Celtics? Mapping out a timeline of moves after players approved Dec. 22 start to season

The National Basketball Players Association board of reps voted on Thursday night to approve a plan for a December 22nd opening to the NBA season. One player rep from each team approved the proposal, paving the way for a reduced 72-game schedule for the 2020-21 NBA season.

In announcing the approval, the NBPA acknowledged that “additional details remain to be negotiated and the NBPA is confident that the parties will reach agreement on these remaining issues relevant to the upcoming season."

What that means is that we are still waiting on the specifics like the exact salary cap ($109 million expected) and luxury tax ($132 million expected) for next year and beyond, along with a number of terms of the season (safety protocols, scheduling, escrow, etc.). All of that will likely be settled by sometime next week, but the baseline is already in place now for a very busy next three weeks leading up to the start of training camp on December 1st.

There was some pushback in the player ranks about the quick turnaround from the NBA Finals in October, but the money ended up being the chief concern here that ended up winning out. The league told the players union that there would be nearly $1 billion in additional revenue losses if the season did not begin before Christmas. And while some teams (Lakers, Heat, Celtics, Nuggets) could have used another few weeks off after playing into September and October, there are also eight teams that have  not been on the court since March. With payouts already expected to be cut down considerably (up to 20 percent) for players next season, losing out on more money just to get a few extra weeks of rest ended up being a non-starter. The players’ union postured at first about the quick turnaround but they eventually came around to avoid the risk of a shorter schedule (and even more salary losses for players).

So the bigger question now for NBA teams and the Celtics is how exactly does this timeline play out in a blink of an eye over the remainder of November? Here’s a primer of what to look for, timing and how the Celtics will proceed during what should be their busiest month of transactions since the end of the NBA lockout in 2011.

Week of November 8th: NBA Trade restriction lifted

Normally, NBA trades are allowed by teams after the season ends when they are eliminated from the playoffs. However, no trades have been allowed since the trade deadline in February amid the NBA bubble resumption and uncertainty about the league’s financial particulars for next season. With those terms expected to be negotiated and finalized in the next week, the league will lift their trade freeze, which will allow for roster maneuvering ahead of the NBA Draft on November 18th.

What will Celtics do?
I’d expect them to be busy in this time period given the glut they have at the end of the roster. Normally trades involving draft picks wait until draft day or the night itself (in case a better offer comes up) so this could be a period where the Celtics look to clear out some roster space on their depth chart. For instance, trading Vincent Poirier (with cash to cover his salary for next season) to a team with an open roster spot would make sense here since Boston has a few million dollars in trade cash to use before the 2019-20 league year officially ends (Nov. 20) No moves involving bigger names like Gordon Hayward or Enes Kanter can be made during this period unless they proactively exercise their player options (unlikely).

November 18th: NBA Draft

What will Celtics do?
We’ve covered a lot of ground on this one in previous articles and will continue to do so on BSJ in the coming days. The one thing I’ll add to this analysis about this night is that with the luxury tax trending towards a lower number ($132 million), draft night could be a critical time for the Celtics to cut salary in order to create additional spending flexibility for this offseason. It will be a good time to move Kanter or Hayward (if either is willing to opt in to facilitate a trade) but neither player is required to do so by the draft. If they can’t find a landing spot for Kanter or an appealing trade for Hayward (only if he wants out), look for primary dealing done with the C’s picks themselves. It’s possible a young inexpensive player could be added with the picks (Carsen Edwards, Semi Ojeleye, Vincent Poirier) to help clear some salary and roster spots as well.

November 19th-20th: Player options deadline

What will Hayward and Kanter do?

They don’t have to wait this long to make a decision, but the odds are firmly in favor of both guys opting in if money is their top priority. That may not necessarily be the case for either player if they aren’t satisfied with their potential roles in Boston next season. Still, with the free agent market overcrowded and potential suitors limited, it will be surprising to see either walk away from the best payday available to them for the 2020-21 season.

November 20 or 21: Start of free agency

How will the Celtics approach? 

Normally, there would be close to a week off between the draft and the opening day of free agency, but with training camp starting so soon on December 1st, the players will want free agency to begin ASAP in order to give them time to plan their lives with such a quick turnaround. With such limited cap space available for teams, it’s possible some signings could drag into training camp even though the big names should go off the board quickly with limited cash available. I’d expect the Celtics to strike quickly with their mid-level exception and then perhaps wait for the market to settle a bit. They will be able to offer veteran’s minimum contracts to guys right away but no one is going to jump at that if they think a bigger payday is available. Ultimately, some notable names will have to settle for less than expected, which could open the door for some low-risk/high value adds for Boston.

Dec 1-22: Training camp with three preseason games

Would expect the Celtics preseason matchups to come again divisional foes with minimal possible travel (New York or Philly).

Dec. 22: Opening night