This shooter would see limited minutes similar to what Larkin had this year......you don't need to spend on this type of player as Ainge has found Eddie House, Nate Robinson, and Jason Terry in the past to fill this role on the cheap which is what I again expect him to do. I feel the MLE is a must to use for a Baynes replacement in our frontline.
If you want to continue to participate in this discussion, you need to find a way to handle your disagreements with others more respectfully than you did in the gilded part above.
Yeah, if everyone is healthy I don't think scoring is going to be an issue on next year's team; frankly, the more likely issue is that there won't be enough shots to go around. But if they don't re-sign Baynes they will definitely need another big man and the going market rate for Baynes-type players tends to be around that level, in the $4-8 million range.
Fair enough, I will just make more liberal use of the ignore function moving forward.
Let me replace Terry with Gerald Green last year. That type of min-guy who can do one thing in a 10th man role. It probably isn't even necessary if Rozier and Morris return and a position that can be evaluated at the deadline to pick up deep bench help.
There are always FA who find a market that dried up on them available late in the FA period but keep in mind our trade assets as well.......Morris is one guy who will see a role reduction and can be moved for a big to fill a much greater role on the team. I haven't spent any time thinking of matches but taking on 2-years of a guy from a rebuilding team who may want to lose that deal a year sooner to be FA players is a possibility as well.
I doubt Danny can fit Smart and an MLE signing in the budget he’ll get from ownership.
Have you seen the way Morris interacts with Jaylen and (especially) Tatum? I’ll be surprised if he isn’t back.
Yes, this is the only scenario I see Smart returning but I still have trouble paying a player $11m on a 4-year deal as his role is reduced. It seems like terrible value to me and I'm not in favor of it.
Didn't we hear this for two years about Isaiah and his importance to the community, his heart, commitment to Boston, etc? In the big picture it really means little if there is a deal that makes sense for the Celtics on the floor. I mentioned last night that entering his FA year he isn't going to want to be buried on the bench either and I'm sure his agent is well aware of their options. This is a business first and foremost.....and there is a logjam of quality players who aren't going to have minutes for them next year so someone is going to go. It's similar to Crowder last year once Hayward was signed.
And the series result notwithstanding, did a solid job on LeBron. I think he’s back also.
Draymond, for his career, is at 9.9 attempts per 36 in the regular season, 10.2 in the playoffs. Smart is at 10.9 for the regular season, 10.4 in the playoffs. I doubt the difference between the two players is best expressed by 1 extra shot per 36 by Marcus.
And barring a blockbuster trade, there just aren't that many tradeable contracts the Celtics have. It's basically Morris and Rozier. So if they are looking to trade for, say, a big man to take the place of Baynes, Morris will definitely at least be in the discussion. It's very possible he will still be here next year, but it's very possible he will be gone.
As noted upthread I think Dedmon will probably get at least one offer over the MLE, so the question will be whether he is willing to take a discount to play on a championship contender. Favors, IMO, will get a contract way over the MLE.
Yes, he probably will, although it will be an overpay. He does not spread the floor at all, and I would actually prefer Dedmon, who can make the corner trey.
Yup. And we also know that Ainge always tinkers. I’m sure he will be active but would be pretty surprised if we see a big deal, which I would define as moving one of the projected starters next year.
The bolded is one of the myths sometimes raised by interns, amateur bloggers and IT4 zealots, but is not really true.
No, it wasn't. The 2-for-1 is a nice thing when the shots are actually good shots. They ended up getting the ball back with 7 seconds left and had to settle for a Terry Rozier heave from 40 feet. Zero good shots in that sequence.
That's not the singular reason, no. It's probably not the biggest reason. But telling Jaylen Brown and Terry Rozier to stop shooting threes won't help them win in the future. Telling Marcus Smart that will.
Agree with this 100%. I can't imagine they're going to allow Ainge to spend into the tax next year, since they'll likely being paying into the tax in the years after that. They'll want to push the repeater penalties back a year.
And then later: Plans change and an opportunity came up we felt we had to take advantage of.
Agreed, if there's one thing that is completely clear about Ainge it is that he is willing to change pieces without concerns like how guys like each other. I am not sure what this offseason will bring, but it will not be about guys liking each other or not.
There are few things more important for this franchise’s long-run success than Jaylen’s and (especially) Tatum’s development. Morris seems to be good for that — I mean, isn’t having a little bit of MM’s bad-ass attitude rub off on those two pretty much exactly what the doctor ordered? That’s why I expect him to be in Boston next season. (And as I argued above, I think that’s probably best for Morris too, as I don’t think putting up stats on a crummy team is going to help him get paid.)
They aren’t getting even a mid lottery pick for Rozier, but I’d argue that they should take a hard look at Orlando. There’s a pretty good chance that the Magic are going to end up with C at 6, and they’re unlikely to let Gordon go, so a deal for Jonathan Isaac might be feasible. And he’s got the height/length/frame/athleticism to fit Boston’s all switch defense while being a good enough shooter to space the floor on offense.
Who was it who pointed out, with respect to Morris's mentoring role (beyond the fact that something is working with Tatum, obviously): If Morris can get Tatum to play with his confidence...
I don't think it's a coincidence that Morris is in the background yelling at LeBron when Tatum bumped him after the dunk. Morris seems to be a surprisingly good influence with the young guys in terms of treating them with respect, pushing them, and showing them the kind of attitude to play with.
Not sure, but I expect him to be back and play a role next year. And in case someone has forgotten about him...
This is one of the key factors as to why I've never felt Smart was going to be a Celtic past this season.
As long as the Celtics offer him at least another two-way contract with 50K guaranteed, he's a restricted free agent. Same for Kadeem Allen.
I think Allen signed a 2-year 2-way deal, which would mean he's still under contract.
I mentioned this in the Marcus Smart thread, but if DA can get him on a MLE+ deal, they can structure it in a team friendly way so that Marcus gets more money up front. Rozier gets moved, Nader gets cut, and they use the MLE for a center (or bring back Baynes) to stay right under the luxury tax line.
Well, any return is obviously contingent on the finances. But they could have said "Thanks for the memories, we like and value you as a player, but we're planning to go in a different direction". That clearly didn't happen. But after that all bets are off. Marcus will test the market as is his right.
