NBA Notebook: Will financial limitations to add to Celtics' woes?

The Spurs, Nuggets and Celtics launched NBA Trade Deadline season over three weeks in advance of Feb. 10 with a deal that made sense from every angle. Denver added a shooter in Bryn Forbes and offloaded two injured roster players in Bol Bol and P.J. Dozier. who couldn't help their hobbled team. San Antonio took on a future Denver second-round pick to absorb an expiring contract in Juancho Hernángomez they can evaluate in the closing months of the season.

The Celtics, evaluators agreed, accomplished a goal by inching closer to getting below the luxury tax line in the deal. Jaylen Brown likely not receiving his all-star and games played incentives would help more (subtract $1.9-million), and they could either move off the Bol or Dozier contract, or someone else to slash the last $1-million they owe above the tax line. While Boston prepared to endure two additional fourth-quarter meltdowns against Charlotte and Portland where the Celtics shot under 30% from three, they made a move that appeared almost exclusively financial.

That begs the question, difficult to answer with Wyc Grousbeck and team ownership largely silent amid this season's ongoing issues. Do the Celtics have financial limitations now and into the immediate future? In other words: a mandate to stay out of the luxury tax? Boston entered the season among the low-level taxpayers after signing Dennis Schröder to the mid-level exception, poised to pay a bill over $8-million for being $5.7-million over the line after two seasons below it. The Celtics didn't face hefty repeater tax penalties this season, nor did the immediate future threaten those steeper limitations. So why did Boston work so urgently to avoid the tax weeks before assessing deadline options? 

Hernángomez, while not part of the Celtics' rotation all season, held value due to his $6.9-million expiring contract Brad Stevens could've utilized with other assets to match salary in a deal that could've improved Boston. The salary dump received praise for it not costing the Celtics assets to unload, slashing Hernángomez's salary into two smaller expiring deals in Bol and Dozier. That's all true and may prove wiser than waiting until the last minute to wiggle out of the tax. It did have an opportunity cost though. 

While it's endearing that Stevens received fliers in the injured Bol (a restricted free agent this summer) and Dozier (tore his ACL in November, upcoming unrestricted FA) who that the Celtics now have Bird Rights on instead of giving up a pick to move Hernángomez, Boston originally traded Kris Dunn and Carsen Edwards for Hernángomez late in the offseason -- conceding a 2026 second-round pick swap. Whether they had aspirations for the player or the contract, both prospects fizzled and Hernángomez opportunities became a casualty of financially-motivated maneuvers more common in recent Celtics history. 

Danny Ainge -- acquiring Evan Fournier's $17-million expiring contract into the Gordon Hayward trade exception last deadline -- oddly offset the salary by sending the team's starting center Daniel Theis and a helpful rotation player and close Tatum friend, Javonte Green, to Chicago for Moe Wagner and Luke Kornet. Stevens, then the team's head coach, sounded exasperated the next day over losing a favorite in Theis, caught "completely off guard." 

The team swiftly waived Wagner in favor of Jabari Parker, who Boston released earlier this month to begin their luxury tax trimming. Kornet now plays in Maine, while Green received a new contract and started games for an ascending Bulls team near the top of the east. All to dodge the tax. Fournier, who preferred to return to the Celtics, couldn't find a deal in Boston and signed in New York. 

Throw it back to the prior offseason: Ainge offloaded Enes Kanter Freedom's $5-million salary and Vincent Poirier by trading the No. 30 pick in the 2020 draft that the Grizzlies used to select Desmond Bane, key to their rise to the top of the west this year. The Celtics signed Tristan Thompson to a full mid-level exception that hard-capped them that year, a status Grousbeck used to explain Boston not spending more. 

"Money doesn't drive our show around here, it's trying to win," Grousbeck said in a February 98.5 The Sports Hub interview. "We are under a cap situation, we're hard capped at the moment, like literally can't spend more than X amount ... we're hard capped this season, we're not hard capped next season, and so we're working within those constraints. That's just part of the CBA. You'll see, and we have been (a taxpayer), and you'll see it again. We were going to be this year until the pandemic and everything else changed things." 

Now, having dumped Thompson to Sacramento, unbelievably replacing him by bringing Kanter Freedom back, and indirectly leading to the Hernángomez trade by taking Dunn and Bruno Fernando (a Bol-like flier) back from Atlanta, the recent salary dump wheel-spinning in Boston now enters year three. The Celtics started trading the Matisse Thybulle pick to Philadelphia in 2019 to move back into the second round, drafting and paying Edwards guaranteed money, while dumping Aron Baynes to Phoenix in an effort to scale back costs toward signing Kemba Walker. Walker's salary would later be dumped, with a first-round pick, to acquire a cheaper overall contract in Al Horford. The same player the Boston didn't re-sign two summers prior. 

The Celtics successfully avoided the luxury tax in 2019-20 and 2020-21. They'll likely do so again in 2021-22, potentially missing more opportunities in order to turn a roughly $8-million tax payment, or more, into a reported $10-million revenue share Boston could receive by being a non-tax team this year. If the Celtics have a mandate to stay below the tax line, they'll need to send out as much money or more than they bring back in order to change the roster this deadline. It would be another hindrance to effectively building around Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum as the team desires to. 

“We’re a consistent [luxury] tax payer and a consistent would-be, in our own minds, contender,” Grousbeck said in February. “That’s the way we want to run the team and we want to get back to that status as soon as we can.”

Grousbeck's tax spending during the Big Three years checks out. Since then, the Celtics haven't spent much time above the line, at times rightfully so, due to the threat of repeater tax penalties or the counterintuitive prospect of paying extra for a non-contender. Now, the team sits just over two years from Brown's free agency and has made little-to-no progress toward returning to their 2020 contention status.

The departure of Ainge, now working in the Utah front office after retiring from Boston in May, and Stevens' ascent to the front office raised financial questions too. Grousbeck admitted at the time the Celtics never conducted an outside search for a new executive, with many of the Ainge front office assistants remaining in place too. The team hired a new coach, Ime Udoka, with a mostly-new staff containing some Stevens holdovers. The Athletic reported Stevens didn't embrace internal ideas for larger changes beyond what Boston did to its roster, moving Walker and extending Marcus Smart and Robert Williams III. 

Brown and Tatum's extensions kicked in following Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward and Horford's departures, pushing the Celtics closer to the tax line in ensuing years. They've done backflips to avoid crossing it repeatedly, and while that doesn't make them different than most NBA franchises, it does limit how much Stevens can shake up a faltering group in-season. Taxpayers win titles. 

They're one of nine teams currently above the tax line, and only seven project to finish the season there, unless Atlanta and Miami leap in to add to their rosters. The Warriors, Nets, Clippers, Bucks, Lakers, Jazz and 76ers all pay tax, Golden State and Brooklyn's exorbitant totals leading to the aforementioned $10-million payments to the rest of the league. Little solace for what's becoming a lost Celtics season. 

Could shedding Smart's salary take on outsized importance now, regardless of what the return is, ahead of his extension? How will Smart, Williams III, Horford, Brown and Tatum fit into what projects to be a taxpaying team next year before any improvements? 

Part of the need to shake up the top of the Celtics' roster is the ineffectiveness near the bottom, four 2019 draft picks like Romeo Langford were part of post-Kyrie Irving cost cutting that filled the 2020 Celtics bench with rookies and inexperienced players over veterans. They tried to win with high-cost starters and cheaper, younger bench players. They haven't consolidated the roster since. 

That time may come this offseason and Horford's half-guaranteed salary in the final year of his contract will give the team more flexibility if they decided to move on from him. Just one tax payment since the end of the Big Three era in 2018-19 from Celtics ownership won't cut it with the clock beginning to tick on Brown and Tatum following this season, two years out from Brown's free agency. 

Boston is multiple moves from contention, and it'll probably cost them to transform the roster toward a more reliable, veteran and offensive group. Flexibility matters if they want to go the sign-and-trade routes or sign a player to a full MLE, taxpayers always brushing or surpassing the hard cap.

Is ownership ready to pay the price in any scenario? It may be a bigger question than any other outstanding uncertainty around the franchise.

"There's some flexibility involved in that (trade) as we move forward here," Stevens told 98.5 The Sports Hub this week. "That deal was something we discussed for a while, and we thought it was off when Bol got traded to Detroit and then it kind of came back on ... there's a lot of factors in that one that made that deal what we thought was a really good deal for us." 

Here's what else happened in the NBA this week

Atlanta (19-25): Scored an impressive win over the Bucks where Onyeka Okongwu posted 12 points, seven rebounds and three assists in a spot start and held Giannis Antetokounmpo to 2-for-12 shooting. The No. 6 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft keyed two spot starts for Clint Capela, sneaking past the Wolves for back-to-back victories. He also averaged 13.7 PPG on 74% FG, before helping Atlanta beat the Heat Friday. It's an encouraging prospect for Atlanta's future front-court depth and present potential to transform into more of a defensive team, which could center on a trade deadline deal where they send out John Collins for Ben Simmons. Will the star four be enough to move Daryl Morey? 

Boston (23-23): Fell flat from three after falling in love with the deep ball in losses to the Hornets and Trail Blazers, who held Boston to zero field goals in the final seven minutes. The Celtics' defense remains in elite territory (5th), with shooting and spacing nowhere to be found alongside playmaking lulls. The team dumped Juancho Hernángomez's contract to get under the tax, a possible prelude to deadline inactivity due to financial restrictions. Multiple reports, including Woj's, pointed toward Marcus Smart, Josh Richardson and Al Horford's availability to build around Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and a growing centerpiece in Robert Williams III. 

Brooklyn (28-16): Kevin Durant slipped in his second season of full health and heavy lifting with the Nets following Achilles surgery, spraining his MCL last week and preparing to miss 4-6 weeks. As James Harden's inconsistent play and Kyrie Irving's part-time status continue (affirming Durant's injury won't change his mind on vaccination), the Nets are in search of stabilizers. They've found some in hot-shooting rookie Kessler Edwards and pick-and-roll finisher Day'Ron Sharpe playing off Harden's passing. They'll part ways with veteran Paul Millsap.

Charlotte (25-20): Terry Rozier finally scored his revenge game against the Celtics, dropping 28 points and six triples, including two decisively, makes late as he and LaMelo Ball shared 10-assist nights. They've won 6-of-7, rocketing up the east standings, led by Rozier averaging 23.1 PPG on 47.6% shooting. Their defensive lapses remain, which could be addressed at the deadline with red-hot Kelly Oubre Jr., P.J. Washington ahead of his extension eligibility and young prospects like James Bouknight and Kai Jones. 

Chicago (28-15): Face a difficult decision at the deadline as injuries mount, Lonzo Ball joining the walking wounded with meniscus surgery that'll cost him 6-8 weeks. Demar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic give the group more than enough scoring depth, but with Derrick Jones Jr. and Javonte Green out, along with Alex Caruso's recent string of ailments, making a move like a Jerami Grant trade to solidify their depth and core may make sense for a budding contender. Would it be worth their top prospect Patrick Williams? 

Cleveland (27-19): Saw their five-game win streak cut short in Chicago. Lauri Markkanen carried the offense for a night with 28 points, the team now ranking 15th in offense since Ricky Rubio went down (7-5). They're hanging in there via defense, but even that's slipped to league average recently. Darius Garland (20.7 PPG, 10.6 APG over that stretch) needs more help than Evan Mobley and Kevin Love offensively, and they could find some in Caris LeVert or Eric Gordon using Rubio's expiring contract if they decide to part with future picks. The tradeoff between seeing that money go to waste and consolidating some of their future assets for players that could help the team now and in coming years is almost a no-brainer. 

Dallas (26-20): Played Oklahoma City and Toronto close at home before dropping a national TV game to Phoenix. Luka Dončić's shooting remains uneven (40.4% FG, 9/23 FG vs. PHX) and turnovers high (4.4/G) after a pair of ankle injuries. The Suns attacked him late in their victory, while he gave the ball away eight times on offense. 

The Mavericks rely on him and his volume scoring and creating so much that they can win through a stretch of warts like those (they had won 10-of-11 on great defense), but this team's ceiling remains capped by his half-season ramp up that's quickly becoming a down season for the young superstar. He took a hard spill in the loss and is now dealing with a sore neck, hopeful to play a key game Saturday against Memphis. 

Denver (23-20): Nikola Jokic's 49 points, 14 rebounds, 10 assists and game-winning feed to Aaron Gordon to score a two-point win over the Clippers might've been the most heavy lifting I've ever seen a star do. He plays all the time for the Nuggets, has little-to-nothing consistent around him offensively and has his team well above .500, a fixture in the west playoff race. With Steph Curry struggling, Durant injured and Antetokounmpo paired with other stars, Jokic is now my runaway favorite to win a back-to-back MVP. As he probably always should've. 

Detroit (11-33): Jerami Grant could be the prize of the trade deadline as interest heats up around the star forward, who it feels like could net the team multiple prospects and/or picks. Kelly Olynyk returned from injury with 22 points, nine rebounds and five assists, another veteran the team could fairly assess value on. Detroit reportedly offered Grant, Olynyk and Saddiq Bey with a first-round pick for Philadelphia's Simmons. That's the kind of trade the 76ers could come to regret not taking if they end up failing to deal him and losing early in the playoffs, more on them later. It's the right idea from the Pistons' perspective, worry about Simmons' fit next to Cade Cunningham later. This is stage one. 

Grant could return from thumb surgery this week after the team assigned him to their G-League affiliate for rehab. 

Golden State (32-13): Suffered a spooky loss to the short-handed Pacers at home, Steph Curry squandering multiple opportunities to win the game in the fourth quarter and overtime. The Warriors have lost more games since Dec. 28 (7-of-12) than they did the entire schedule before that (6-of-33). Curry is shooting 38.1% from the field and 33.3% from three, in one of the worst slumps of his career. They still rank No. 2 in defense over that stretch, but plummeted to 28th in offense, their 104.7 points per 100 possessions worse than Detroit.

They've lost 5-of-8 since Draymond Green went down (back). He could miss significant time with a disc issue as the Warriors slow-play it and hope to avoid surgery, a devastating loss on both ends. With James Wiseman still far away, will they act to save a season of contention? Domantas Sabonis or Myles Turner could either help this team in a Green-like role, and Boston should be a warning about trying to have it now and later. 

Houston (14-32): They've scored impressive wins over the Jazz, Spurs and Kings recently, playing the Warriors tough with Eric Gordon shooting over 50% from deep this month. He'll be among the hot names this trade deadline. Despite better play from Christian Wood and solid playmaking from Kevin Porter Jr., Jalen Green is still struggling from the field in his rookie season and Alperen Şengün has more turnovers than assists in January. They'll remain a likely lottery odds split with Orlando, Detroit and Oklahoma City at the top of the draft board. 

Indiana (17-29): Chris Duarte! The rookie staked his claim in the race with Cunningham, Franz Wagner and others by downing Curry and the Warriors with 27 points, seven rebounds and three assists. The Celtics missed seeing him last week while he sat out to attend his second child's birth, returning with 17.3 PPG on 50% FG since. T.J. Warren, Domantas Sabonis and Duarte with another lottery pick likely coming after this season gives this team hope even as they slog through an injury-wrecked season with Lance Stephenson 10-days. Myles Turner is out through the deadline with a stress reaction in his left foot, which could complicate any plans they have to move him.

"The Pacers have been discussing several veterans in trade talks, including Turner, Sabonis and Caris LeVert," Woj wrote. 

Clippers (22-24): They've lost 3-of-5, though seeing an offensive uptick over their last two games, including 32 points from Ivica Zubac that led to a loss against Denver, but nonetheless should leave Lakers fans feeling even more sick. The Clippers have posted a -5.6 net rating in January, 25th in offense and 20th in defense this month. With Paul George's rare shoulder injury for basketball now an ominous shadow over their entire season, it'll be worth watching if they let go of the rope, or simply don't have enough talent to hold on. 

Lakers (22-24): What. A. Mess. Where do we start? The team ominously reporting (via Chris Haynes) they won't fire Frank Vogel...yet, after a loss to Indiana where he benched Russell Westbrook late? Kendrick Nunn's constant setbacks? The obvious attempt coming to shop Talen Horton-Tucker to the end of the earth as their only movable player? They rank 28th in defense this month, and while Westbrook's erratic offense and aggression on that end -- with his poor shot -- receive most of the criticism, it's his ability to guard within the system making him unplayable. Anthony Davis is nearing a return, and could be the last hope for this group figuring things out, because they have no flexibility. They reportedly offered Horton-Tucker, Kendrick Nunn and a distant future first for Detroit's Grant. 

Memphis (32-16): Beat the Bulls and Nuggets around a competitive loss to the Bucks this week, with Ja Morant averaging 26.0 PPG on 49.7% shooting in January. He's a real MVP candidate, perhaps in the top five with Joel Embiid, Giannis, Jokic and Durant at this point. Jaren Jackson Jr. emerged with 3.5 blocks per game over the Grizzlies' 9-2 start to the new year while Dillon Brooks will return sometime in February. A row of depth has lined up to fill in for his production: Brandon Clarke, Tyus Jones, rookie Ziaire Williams and the scrappy John Konchar. And did you see Steven Adams pick up Tony Bradley? 

Miami (29-17): Stumbled offensively through a 2-2 week, but got Bam Adebayo back on Monday and won back-to-back games before a narrow loss at Atlanta. They'll be a popular NBA Finals pick before long if Brooklyn and Chicago slip through injuries, and even if Caleb Martin, Gabe Vincent, Max Strus and Omer Yurtseven fall back to earth, it's easy to forget injured Markieff Morris and Victor Oladipo will join the main cast of Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson and Kyle Lowry eventually. If nothing else, this is the most deep team in the east. 

Milwaukee (29-19): Giannis Antetokounmpo blew through Memphis and Chicago, now averaging 31.6 PPG, 10.9 RPG and 6.8 APG on 52.6% shooting. Khris Middleton joining in his success with 43% three-point shooting this month is important, and Jrue Holiday returned from his ankle injury with impactful defense against the Grizzlies. Throw in Bobby Portis allowing Giannis to play the five with 14.2 PPG and this team may not even need a depth center. They'll take a Brook Lopez return eventually, any help Grayson Allen can provide and depth shooting from Wes Mathews, Pat Connaughton and Donte DiVincenzo, who is shooting 20% in January as he tries to find his footing post-injury. Brooklyn's issues and their success this month have me back on board. 

Minnesota (22-23): Blew out the short-handed Warriors and rallied to overcome some late mistakes in Madison Square Garden and rode Karl-Anthony Towns' late three-point play inside to victory. Seeing them huddle up in a moment of chaos in a tough environment following a late flurry of Kemba Walker threes showed everything Boston hasn't this year, and the Timberwolves haven't been the mark of consistency or stability themselves this year. Anthony Edwards and the group melted down through their frustration with officials against Atlanta late in the next game. 

New Orleans (17-28): Scrapped out an important win in MSG on an ugly east coast swing that began with bad losses to Brooklyn and Boston. Jose Alvarado, who shined at Georgia State, is logging bench minutes and scored 13 points against the Knicks and walked off with one of the best post-game interviews on the sideline you'll ever see. Players like him getting their chance remains a silver lining to an occasionally dismal season. 

New York (22-24): Three straight losses at home. Julius Randle's regression season keeps getting worse, shooting 38.9% in January. He hadn't talked to the media in seven straight games, drawing the organization a fine, while they keep ending up back in their dreadful starting unit with Kemba Walker, Evan Fournier, RJ Barrett, Randle and Mitchell Robinson. The defense has stabilized, Barrett and Fournier have knocked down shots and Walker knocked down key shots late in the loss to Minnesota. They simply need more consistent and stable play from their star and the point guard position.

Oklahoma City (14-31): If you haven't gotten a chance to watch Josh Giddey yet, he's still rolling through his excellent rookie season with 14.0 PPG, 8.5 RPG and 6.7 APG leading an offense that's as inefficient as any in the league. The Thunder lost four straight this week. They'll be active at the trade deadline as a facilitator given their ample cap space. 

Orlando (8-39): Lost four straight to keep pace ahead of the Thunder and others as the worst team in the NBA. They actually rank top-10 in defense in January, but last in offense by over three points per 100 possessions below Oklahoma City (102.1). Mo Bamba tried to give it a boost with 32 points on 7-for-8 three-point shooting in Philadelphia, still an intriguing deadline option for other teams, along with Gary Harris, Terrence Ross and other players the Magic will surely shop. R.J. Hampton fell with an MCL sprain this week. 

Philadelphia (26-19): Quite a week here too. Joel Embiid has averaged 33.8 PPG on 57.1% shooting, driving the Sixers with herculean efforts that moved even Daryl Morey to rethink the Ben Simmons saga. The 76ers could win the championship this season with Embiid playing at this level, 32 points in a loss to the Wizards, 50 over Orlando, then 40 in a 24-point meltdown against the Clippers. Morey joined 97.5 The Fanatic before Friday's collapse conceding they may take less for Simmons (top-40), pointing toward the Sacramento Kings as a possible partner and still noting it's unlikely Philadelphia finds a deal before the deadline.

"I think with how great Joel is, our line has moved down a little bit," he said. "Because Joel has lifted us to contention by his sheer will of greatness this year, that does the number of deals we would do more likely. It's more likely that we can find ones that get us into the top few contention because of how great Joel is playing. So we are sitting right now at a better chance of a trade that actually helps Joel and the Sixers." 

Phoenix (35-9): Winners of five straight and hold a three-game lead on the west's top seed given the Warriors' recent struggles. They're the offense and second-best defense in the league in January, with an NBA-best net rating (+12.9) over three points per 100 possessions above Dallas, who they beat on Thursday. Mikal Bridges' defense and versatility took over late in the narrow win, adding 12 points, eight rebounds and six assists to Chris Paul and Devin Booker's 48-point, 17-assist night against what had been one of the better defenses this month. I'd love to see a Bucks-Suns Finals rematch. 

Portland (19-26): Some silver linings emerging through Damian Lillard's absence, headlined by Anfernee Simons' impossible-to-ignore ascent, now almost one month long, since he rung in the new year with 43 points. He's averaging 22.6 PPG on 47.5% shooting in January, the Blazers now 6-5 after he keyed an 11-point fourth-quarter turnaround in Boston alongside Jusuf Nurkic's 29 points and game-winning put back. Nurkic, 17.8 PPG and 13.6 RPG this month, is lining himself up for a lucrative free agency this summer and one of multiple players, including C.J. McCollum and Robert Covington, the Blazers need to make tough decisions on as they balance building around Lillard and going into full rebuilding mode. A soft reset seems more likely. 

Sacramento (18-29): Allowed 118 points to the Rockets and 133 to Detroit, losing back-to-back games to two of the league's worst. They're out of the west play-in tournament picture now, as Ben Simmons rumors heat up. The team is hanging onto De'Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton, firing back at reports of a full court blitz for the Philadelphia star with both teams likely engaged in a leverage standoff. The Kings' depth pieces, including Buddy Hield and Harrison Barnes, could surround Embiid with shooting. Simmons would give Sacramento a star to build around. Do they chose to do so with Fox or Haliburton by his side?

San Antonio (17-29): Dejounte Murray scored back-to-back triple doubles, the first Spur to do so since David Robinson. He posted 23 points, 10 rebounds and 14 assists with three steals in a win over the Thunder. His 25-12-10 couldn't stop Brooklyn, but the Spurs, who entered the year seemingly without a star, will exit this year with one definitively emerging in their sixth-year guard. 

Toronto (22-21): Grabbed a key win in the play-in tournament race over the Wizards behind a resurgent performance by rookie Scottie Barnes, 27 points and eight rebounds. Fred VanVleet added 12 assists, averaging 25.8 PPG in January and Pascal Siakam has been himself again this year, with 23.4-9.2-6.4 embodying his quietly dominant year. The Raptors have gone from rebuilding, sneaky competitive to suddenly resembling a playoff lock with a ninth-ranked net rating this month. 

Utah (30-16): Embarrassing losses to the Lakers, capped by Russell Westbrook's dunk on Rudy Gobert, and Houston's success against the defensive player of the year with Donovan Mitchell out settled into a get-right win over Detroit late this week. The questions remain for the Jazz, still 11th in offense this month, but their 25th-ranked defense holding them down at -3.0 in January. They've lost their identity at that end with a far more spacious and versatile offensive attack. Should they consider trading some offense for defense at the deadline. Bojan Bogdanovic and Joe Ingles would be prime candidates to move on the wing. 

Washington (23-23): They've stabilized from their second-quarter season free fall that followed their hot start to where they probably belong. Somewhere in the middle. Like Tatum and others, Bradley Beal's cold start has extended into a disappointing season, Kyle Kuzma leading the team in late moments this week against the Sixers (15-16) and Brooklyn (16-6). They've combined for 47.4 PPG in January, now potentially pressed to adjust the roster even further keep Beal around long-term with Brian Windhorst reporting Beal won't sign his extension. They host the Celtics at 3:30 EST on Sunday.