Celtics trade Courtney Lee to Grizz for Jerryd Bayliss

[jimv]

from ESPN -
 
The Boston Celtics have reached an agreement with the Memphis Grizzlies to trade for veteran guard Jerryd Bayless, according to sources close to the process.
Sources told ESPN.com that the Celtics, after pursuing him in previous seasons as well, are on the verge of acquiring Bayless for shooting guard Courtney Lee. A trade call with the league office, sources said, has been scheduled for Monday.

 

The Grizzlies, with nearly $7.5 million left of a trade exception they created in January 2013 by dealing Rudy Gay to Toronto, can use that exception to absorb Lee's contract, which runs for two more seasons at slightly more than $11 million after this season.
And Memphis is indeed said to be willing to take on the additional longterm salary left on Lee's contract in hopes that Lee could bring much-needed perimeter shooting to the Memphis offense. The Grizzlies are essentially relying on Mike Conley and Mike Miller for their 3-point threat in the wake of losing Quincy Pondexter for the season to a foot injury.
 
The Celtics have been trying to shed Lee's contract, despite the 28-year-old's 49.2 percent shooting from the floor this season and 44.2 percent shooting from 3-point range. So they've spent the weekend trying to complete this swap for Bayless, whose production is down under new Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger while making $3.1 million in the final year of his contract.
 
It's believed that Lee will be pulled from Boston's lineup before Sunday night's game in Oklahoma City in advance of the trade being completed.

 

[Dan to Theo to Ben]

Dannyball!
 
Wow, they got rid of Lee and his K. So pumped.

 

[CreightonGubanich]

I've always kind of liked Bayless. He's a poor man's Jarrett Jack. Not sure how he'll coexist in a backcourt with Jordan Crawford when Rondo gets back, but that concern is certainly secondary to getting out from under Lee's deal.

 

[Cellar-Door]

Bayless is awful, but there are two real benefits to this deal:
1. saved almost $5.5M and $6M off the next two years' cap figures.
2. Brought the Celtics $2M under the tax line. Which should lead to more trade flexibility.

 

[ElcaballitoMVP]

Good job by Danny to get rid of Lee's contract without having to give up anything else of value. I was worried when I first clicked on the headline that we would've had to attach one of our lower ranked 1st rounders that we've acquired (like this year's Brooklyn pick). Bayless gets an audition to try to earn another contract, but the value in this deal lies in getting out of the remaining 2 years and $11M on that Lee contract. 
 
Next up, Bass.  I'd also expect Danny to see what teams think of Green and Crawford before the deadline to see if anyone is looking to overpay. Hump is another one I'm sure is out there, but I don't expect to get much for him. I'm eager to see what else Danny has up his sleeve. 

 

[nighthob]

Bayless means less Phil Pressey. And that's a good thing.

 

[Cellar-Door]

Bayless means less Phil Pressey. And that's a good thing.

Also means less Crawford playing the point and trying to dribble through the trap, which is a fantastic thing

 

[Devizier]

Bayless is a mediocre, borderline terrible NBA player.
 
But as an expiring contract, he'll do just fine.

 

[nighthob]

Bayless is a mediocre, borderline terrible NBA player.

 
I agree 1000%. Which doesn't change my observation one whit. Because Pressey doesn't belong in the NBA at this point.

 

[Eddie Jurak]

Apparently this trade is now a 3 way deal with OKC, with the C's giving up a second rounder and getting back old friend Ryan Gomes, who will be waived.

 

[Brickowski]

So what does including Gomes in the deal and giving up a 2nd rounder do for the Celtics? I don't even see why it helps OKC very much financially. Couldn't they just waive Gomes themselves? And why is Boston giving a pick when the Celtics are doing Presti a favor?

 

[Scoots McBoots]

Here's the reason for Gomes: (from the Celticsblog Twitter)


Didn't realize this, but per @brohrbach the C's can waive Gomes and save $884,293 as long as they waive him by today.



https://twitter.com/celticsblog/status/420546635249102848

 

[nighthob]

Here's the reason for Gomes: (from the Celticsblog Twitter)


https://twitter.com/celticsblog/status/420546635249102848

 
Boston is saving $13 million on Lee's deal. Technically they sold off a #2 to OKC. They weren't paying Gomes anything to start with he was only included to be waived as a favor to Presti.

 

[Brickowski]

Well if the 2nd rounder Boston is giving up is top 59 protected for 5 years, I suppose it's ok, so long as no part of Gomes salary goes on Boston's cap this year. Having enough room to sign a FA for a little more than the veterans' minimum without going over the luxury tax threshold is worth something.

 

[nighthob]

Looking at this more broadly, Memphis uses around $900k of its Gay TPE to take on Gomes, thus making the Boston trade completely legal without either team needing to burn their existing TPEs to make it happen. So rather than using 70% of its TPE, the Grizzlies still have ≈$6.5 million to use in picking up a player, while Boston maintains all of its Garnett/Pierce TPE, making them one of the few teams that can trade for Larry Sanders this year.

 

[Brickowski]

Sanders' cap hit this year is only $3,053,368. His $44M over the four following years was an extension, and I do not believe there is any averaging of extension money. So the Celtics would have plenty of room under the TPE to trade for him this year, even if they used part of it on Bayless. And if they don't use the Garnett/Pierce TPE by June 27, 2014, it goes poof.

The real beneficiary is Memphis, because they don't have to use their smaller TPE from the Gay deal. But I see no real benefit to Boston from the inclusion of Gomes.

 

[Grin&MartyBarret]

Sanders' cap hit this year is only $3,053,368. His $44M over the four following years was an extension, and I do not believe there is any averaging of extension money. So the Celtics would have plenty of room under the TPE to trade for him this year, even if they used part of it on Bayless. And if they don't use the Garnett/Pierce TPE by June 27, 2014, it goes poof.

The real beneficiary is Memphis, because they don't have to use their smaller TPE from the Gay deal. But I see no real benefit to Boston from the inclusion of Gomes.

 
In any trade though, Sanders' cap figure is calculated as an average of his salary this year and the salaries he's going to make in his extension.

 

[Brickowski]

In any trade though, Sanders' cap figure is calculated as an average of his salary this year and the salaries he's going to make in his extension.

Yes, I forgot about the poison pill provision when a player is traded after agreeing to an extension. So his cap number for trade purposes is around $9.4M.

 

[ElcaballitoMVP]

Looking at this more broadly, Memphis uses around $900k of its Gay TPE to take on Gomes, thus making the Boston trade completely legal without either team needing to burn their existing TPEs to make it happen. So rather than using 70% of its TPE, the Grizzlies still have ≈$6.5 million to use in picking up a player, while Boston maintains all of its Garnett/Pierce TPE, making them one of the few teams that can trade for Larry Sanders this year.

 
So what would we be looking at in a Sanders deal? TPE + a pick or two for him? 

 

[Devizier]

 
So what would we be looking at in a Sanders deal? TPE + a pick or two for him? 

 
I'd imagine that would do it. 
 
I wouldn't mind seeing the Celtics move Gerald Wallace for something less useless (like Mayo or Pachulia) in that exchange, too.

 

[mcpickl]

Sanders' cap hit this year is only $3,053,368. His $44M over the four following years was an extension, and I do not believe there is any averaging of extension money. So the Celtics would have plenty of room under the TPE to trade for him this year, even if they used part of it on Bayless. And if they don't use the Garnett/Pierce TPE by June 27, 2014, it goes poof.

The real beneficiary is Memphis, because they don't have to use their smaller TPE from the Gay deal. But I see no real benefit to Boston from the inclusion of Gomes.

Straight cash homey.
 
OKC paid them an undisclosed amount of cash to take Gomes off their cap.

 

[mcpickl]

 
So what would we be looking at in a Sanders deal? TPE + a pick or two for him? 

Celtics don't want to be luxury tax payers this year. So if they're dealing for Sanders(which I'd think is really unlikely) they'll have to send out pretty much dollar for dollar on Sanders cap number. TPE won't do.

 

[ishmael]

Celtics don't want to be luxury tax payers this year. So if they're dealing for Sanders(which I'd think is really unlikely) they'll have to send out pretty much dollar for dollar on Sanders cap number. TPE won't do.

His cap number is his actual salary (about $3M). Barring a bigger trade (of Rondo or Jeff Green), Danny could probably clear that pretty easily by moving Jordan Crawford for a pick and one other small move (say a Kris Humphries buyout).

 

[nighthob]

Celtics don't want to be luxury tax payers this year. So if they're dealing for Sanders(which I'd think is really unlikely) they'll have to send out pretty much dollar for dollar on Sanders cap number. TPE won't do.

His cap number for luxury tax purposes is his actual salary. They actually can't send out dollar for dollar for Sanders because the way the PPP works is that the receiving team has to figure the salary (for trade purposes) as an average of the current year plus extension while the team sending said player out has to figure the salary as the actual dollar amount. This is why trades of PPP players happen so seldom, because the only ways to trade them are if the receiving team has enough room under the cap, has a TPE to cover the trade value, or the deal is so large (in terms of salaries involved) that the difference between the players actual pay and his trade value falls within the allowable margin for trades.

In this case Boston could easily take Sanders into its TPE sending out cash and picks and then send a player to Milwaukee using their new TPE (for a conditional #2)to clear enough space under the tax line.

EDIT: What Ishmael said.

 

[HomeRunBaker]

Aside from Sanders night life reputation which the Bucks knew about prior to the extension and prior to his legendary Keith Closs impersonation is there another reason why the Bucks would be looking to move him for relatively little?

 

[nighthob]

Well, apparently there's no need to fear since the necessary picks will be going to Utah and Houston so that Boston can run the Rondo/Asik/Hayward/Sullinger/Green dynasty out onto the floor.