The Boston Celtics were busy this weekend with a flurry of activity ahead of the official free agent negotiation period today at 6 p.m.. Here’s a quick look at what they’ve done, where they stand, and the rumors about what they want to do.
TRISTAN THOMPSON IS OUT
It’s ultimately going down as a three-team trade, with Thompson ending up in Sacramento, Delon Wright going to Atlanta, and Kris Dunn and Bruno Fernando coming to Boston
WHY THEY DID THE DEAL
We knew Thompson was going to get squeezed out at center eventually. This might be a sign that Boston believes in the health of Robert Williams and Al Horford and that both will be able to hold down the center spot, with perhaps an assist from Fernando or Grant Williams in small-ball lineups.
This is also a financial move. Thompson was due $9.7 million while Dunn and Fernando make $6.7 million. Wright makes $8.5 million, so the savings are more significant by acquiring Dunn/Fernando. It's possible Boston can acquire both Dunn & Fernando using the Kemba Walker traded player exception.
HOW THIS HELPS
There is chatter that Boston may look to flip Dunn, and possibly Fernando, this summer so let’s not get too attached here like we did to Moses Brown (more on him later). If he stays, Boston will have a year-long look at an oft-injured defense-first guard who can add size off the bench. He’s not Marcus Smart’s replacement, so those of you looking for one can keep doing so, but he can be a pretty effective defender and facilitator.
Mainly this is a much-needed goodbye to Thompson, who ended up being wrong for this team. All the ways that Thompson was supposed to help never materialized, and instead we saw the worst of what he had to offer. Some of that might not have been his fault, but some of it was, and getting him out of Boston was a priority.
JOSH RICHARDSON IS IN
The Celtics used the remainder of the Gordon Hayward TPE to acquire Richardson from Dallas. The Celtics also sent out Moses Brown in this deal.
WHY THEY DID THE DEAL
There is a strong indication that Evan Fournier is getting one of those offers we feared from a team with cap space. Boston was never going to compete with this kind of deal, so this feels like a pivot to Plan B.
Richardson is coming off a terrible season in Dallas where he fell out of favor after a long battle with COVID-19, and the Mavs are looking to wheel and deal, so acquiring him through a TPE made sense for both sides.
Quick note on Moses Brown: He's more of a project than people expected. There was some hope that he could develop under Horford, but he clearly wasn't seen as an immediate contributor.
HOW THIS HELPS
It won’t help if he’s Philly/Dallas JRich. If he’s Miami JRich, then we’ve got something here. Dallas didn't have the time or patience to figure out which guy they’d have under normal circumstances, so here’s another change of scenery to see if he can get back to being a 36-37% 3-point shooter who can defend.
He’s not exactly a 3-and-D kind of guy ... maybe he’s more of a D and some 3’s kind of guy. But it’s clear that Brad Stevens is building out a defensive-minded roster for the defensive-minded Ime Udoka.
He’s also building a roster full of expiring contracts. Dunn, Fernando, and Richardson equal more than $18 million in expiring deals (if a team refuses to tender a qualifying offer to Fernando next season). Add that to Marcus Smart we’re looking at about $33 million that can be moved if a deal with a superstar is looking to start fresh with a ton of cap space.
Steven is trying to clean up a mess, and this is one way out of it. Also, if Fournier walks, the Celtics could find themselves under the tax line.
SO NOW WHAT?
The Hayward TPE is gone, as is at least one other (we’ll have to wait and see exactly how the Dunn deal is structured), maybe two if the Enes Kanter TPE wasn’t used (it expires today).
If they had to use the Walker TPE, then the only remaining usable one would be the Theis TPE at $5 million.
The Celtics also have the $5.9 million taxpayer mid-level exception to use.
ROSTER RESET
- Jayson Tatum
- Jaylen Brown
- Marcus Smart
- Robert Williams
- Al Horford
- Kris Dunn
- Josh Richardson
- Bruno Fernando
- Romeo Langford
- Aaron Nesmith
- Grant Williams
- Payton Pritchard
- Carsen Edwards
- Jabari Parker
There’s no official word yet on Parker’s status. With Parker, the Celtics have 14 slots filled, so they have the ability to add one or two more guys.
Of course, the Celtics can carry more than 15 into training camp and then go through cuts, but they’d have to set their roster before opening night.
RUMOR TIME!
MARCUS SMART OUT?
“Brad Stevens has been frustrated by Smart’s unpredictable play in recent years, per sources. Smart, one of the NBA’s better perimeter defenders, is entering the final year of his contract. Boston could extend Smart, but two people familiar with Stevens' thinking tell SI it’s more likely Stevens will look to trade Smart before the start of the season.”
I’m personally not buying this and it’s not because I do, actually, believe Smart can be a starting point guard. It’s because I don’t believe it’s a good move to just trade a $14 million contract like this.
If the report is accurate, Smart is worth a first and a rotation player. The only value to that is acquiring a tradeable first-rounder that can be thrown into a bigger deal. I’ve long been a proponent of any trade involving Smart being part of a bigger deal for a star player. If that means getting picks that are used in that kind of deal, then fine. But I’m not on board with just flipping Smart for a rotation player or two.
JEFF GREEN IN?
“According to a league source, the Celtics prefer to pursue a player with extensive experience and are focused on adding size and shooting. Forward Jeff Green is believed to be a primary target. Green played for the Celtics from 2011-2015, including a season and a half with Brad Stevens as his head coach.”
Green at a minimum deal or a portion of the MLE could provide some help around Tatum and Brown. I don’t see why he’d leave Brooklyn, though, considering he’s proven to them that he’s valuable and they have limited means of acquiring someone else who can fit that role.
Green is closer to winning a title staying in Brooklyn, so unless Boston vastly overpays for him, I expect him to stay put.
KYLE LOWRY TO MIAMI?
"Miami is expected by numerous rival teams to execute a sign-and-trade for Lowry with a package to the Raptors headlined by Goran Dragić’s $19.4 million expiring contract and Precious Achiuwa, who is said to be coveted by Riley’s Toronto counterpart Masai Ujiri, it also emerged Sunday that the Heat are exploring pathways to try to acquire San Antonio free agent DeMar DeRozan via sign-and-trade. Pulling that complicated move off would reunite Lowry and DeRozan, dear friends from their Toronto days, on South Beach alongside Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo."
It's going to be very odd to see Miami pull off an intricate three-team trade within minutes of the official start of negotiations.
Few people would care about this obvious tampering if it wasn't for the Milwaukee Bucks getting penalized for their obvious tampering last offseason when they had agreed to a sign-and-trade for Bogdan Bogdanovic. They obviously got the last laugh, but I wouldn't mind seeing a petty complaint filed against Miami for basically doing the same thing.
Granted, Miami will have done it a little less obviously, but only a little.
Meanwhile, Lowry in Miami throws another major obstacle in front of the Celtics. Lowry and DeRozan teaming up with Butler and Adebayo makes them a very tough team that could make getting home court in the playoffs an extraordinary challenge for Boston.
