Celtics FA/Trade Rumors and News

The Social Chair

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Rondo must be contingent on moving Smart and/or Kemba. Otherwise you'd have 3 guys that want to be on the floor during the last 5 minutes.
 

OilCanMDS

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A Cavs beat writer said the Celtics are trying to get the 5th pick in the draft. On one hand, this draft seems terrible so I'm not sure what useful piece we could even get at 5. On the other hand, this draft seems terrible so I don't know what we can do with 3 first round picks getting guaranteed contracts and clogging up the roster. Ultimately, I guess I'm for packaging picks to get one questionable prospect rather than carrying 3 on the roster.

https://www.cleveland.com/cavs/2020/11/talkin-to-myself-about-trade-rumors-possible-picks-as-cleveland-cavaliers-get-ready-to-draft-terry-pluto.html
 

nighthob

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Rondo must be contingent on moving Smart and/or Kemba. Otherwise you'd have 3 guys that want to be on the floor during the last 5 minutes.
If Ric Bucher is saying it then you can count on Rondo not ending up on any of those three teams.
 

ManicCompression

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The @celtics have long had eyes for Isaac Okoro, league sources told me. If they do move up in next week's draft, he's the likely target.
Have we ever known who the Celtics were targeting before the draft? My memory may be fuzzy, but I feel like no one saw Jaylen Brown coming, nevermind Langford, Time Lord, Granite, etc. Even the Winslow trade details didn't come out until after the draft. I think this Okoro stuff is all a smokescreen to get the player they really want (maybe Okongwu?)
 

ifmanis5

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Have we ever known who the Celtics were targeting before the draft? My memory may be fuzzy, but I feel like no one saw Jaylen Brown coming, nevermind Langford, Time Lord, Granite, etc. Even the Winslow trade details didn't come out until after the draft. I think this Okoro stuff is all a smokescreen to get the player they really want (maybe Okongwu?)
The rumors that they liked Tatum were out there but that's the only one I can think of. The rest were pretty well kept and I think it's likely we won't know the real targets of their interest until draft night.
 

NomarsFool

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I was thinking about the Tatum trade a bit recently. Ainge believed that Tatum was the best player of the top-3, and also believed that Tatum would be there at #3. However, how confident do you think he could have been that Ball would be taken #2? Certainly it was heavily rumored that he would go #2, but knowing what we know now in how good Tatum is and how much better he is than either of the two players drafted ahead of him, it almost seems like the trade was almost risky. Most likely, Ainge probably felt that even if Philly or LA chose Tatum he would still get a good player at #3. It's just an interesting thought exercise in hindsight, because the delta between Tatum and the other two players is much, much greater than anyone would have guessed (I think Ainge as well) on draft night.
 

BigSoxFan

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Any chance of Toppin as a dark horse move up candidate? Seems like the exact opposite of Okoro in that he's a pretty polished offensive scorer but his defense is a mess. So, would you rather bank on Okoro learning how to shoot or CBS being able to hide Toppin's stiff hips on D? After watching more clips, I'd probably go Okoro. I hadn't watched much of Toppin but, man, I can see him getting hunted like crazy against good teams.
 

PedroKsBambino

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Any chance of Toppin as a dark horse move up candidate? Seems like the exact opposite of Okoro in that he's a pretty polished offensive scorer but his defense is a mess. So, would you rather bank on Okoro learning how to shoot or CBS being able to hide Toppin's stiff hips on D? After watching more clips, I'd probably go Okoro. I hadn't watched much of Toppin but, man, I can see him getting hunted like crazy against good teams.
He’s not at all what they have chased historically but I’ve pondered the fit. Imagine he replaces Kanter’s minutes and potentially a few more in select two-big lineups and/or as he earns them?

Tend to think it’s too far from how they use the big defensively but got me curious
 

nighthob

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Have we ever known who the Celtics were targeting before the draft? My memory may be fuzzy, but I feel like no one saw Jaylen Brown coming, nevermind Langford, Time Lord, Granite, etc. Even the Winslow trade details didn't come out until after the draft. I think this Okoro stuff is all a smokescreen to get the player they really want (maybe Okongwu?)
Actually we were discussing Brown here before the draft because there was buzz about him. One reason I was so wrong about Jaylen is because I hated using #3 on someone that raw when there were more polished guys on the board (I was a Jamal Murray guy in 2016). Guys with shots that broken (as Jaylen's was and Okoro's is) almost never pan out. Brown is like one of a handful. Justis Winslow was trending that way until he suffered a slagpile of injuries (god only knows what's left after all the surgeries).

So, if Boston could acquire him and he could fix the jumper, they'd give opponents nightmares with that defense. But those are some giant ifs.
 

nighthob

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I was thinking about the Tatum trade a bit recently. Ainge believed that Tatum was the best player of the top-3, and also believed that Tatum would be there at #3. However, how confident do you think he could have been that Ball would be taken #2? Certainly it was heavily rumored that he would go #2, but knowing what we know now in how good Tatum is and how much better he is than either of the two players drafted ahead of him, it almost seems like the trade was almost risky. Most likely, Ainge probably felt that even if Philly or LA chose Tatum he would still get a good player at #3. It's just an interesting thought exercise in hindsight, because the delta between Tatum and the other two players is much, much greater than anyone would have guessed (I think Ainge as well) on draft night.
I've always said that that was what the Josh Jackson interest was about. Plan B just in case the Lakers came to their senses and drafted Tatum. (And, Jesus, could you imagine that New Orleans team with the primes of Jayson and Zion?)
 

Swedgin

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He’s not at all what they have chased historically but I’ve pondered the fit. Imagine he replaces Kanter’s minutes and potentially a few more in select two-big lineups and/or as he earns them?

Tend to think it’s too far from how they use the big defensively but got me curious
Toppin seems like a horrible fit in terms of the roster and where the Celtics are in terms of trajectory. As the son of URI grads, I watch more A-10 basketball than is advisable. From what I saw (admittedly limited value) and what I read from guys like Vecenie who do this for a living, there is no chance you can play Toppin at the 5 in the short term and expect to win basketball games. It is not just tight hips or lack of effort. He misses rotations, so badly its apparent even to me live. For someone who can jump out of the gym he seems to have skipped leg day. I cannot see him holding post position or sealing out NBA level athletes. He appears to be a 4.5 defensively, the worst kind of tweener in the modern NBA.

For a bad team I can see the appeal. He should put up points and give you some highlight plays to excite the fan base. He could well win ROY. But I have hard time seeing him contributing to winning basketball in his first few years given his defensive shortcomings. At a minimum would need to pair him with an elite rim protector and high end wings to hide him.
 

Cellar-Door

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Just a reminder that Damian Lillard calls Jrue the best defensive guard in the league.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFG1GYBYEpA
He also called Avery the Best defensive guard in the league. Dame is a small PG, the guys who he thinks are great are generally guys who play him well, even if they have weaknesses elsewhere.

Jrue is a very good defender to be sure, but he's seen a real decline the last 2 years from being a guy in that conversation to clearly a tier or two below the top guys (like Smart)
 

Lazy vs Crazy

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https://www.bostonherald.com/2020/11/16/1116-bh-s-hayward/
Herald reporting that Hayward has not made a decision on his option yet.

According to two league sources, the playmaking power forward hadn’t made up his mind on picking up the option as of Monday night, one expressing the belief that Hayward would ultimately opt in and remain with the Celtics.
The other pointed to what is sizing up as a ripe market.
“All I know is that there’s a lot of people who want him,” said the source.
Who has cap space though?
 

Cellar-Door

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https://www.bostonherald.com/2020/11/16/1116-bh-s-hayward/
Herald reporting that Hayward has not made a decision on his option yet.



Who has cap space though?
Hawks, Knicks, Pistons for sure.
Kings, Pelicans, Hornets could likely get there pretty easily.

However it doesn't really matter. If he opts out the Celtics are likely to be willing to facilitate a trade, whether that means taking players back, or snagging some value in a 3 team trade where someone like the Pistons eats salary for Hayward's team of choice.
 

PedroKsBambino

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I don’t think any of them are going to pay him $32 mil a year. So his calculus is the value of the extra years they would pay him. I have seen guesstimates from 4/$80 mil to “no one would go more than 2 years”. The math is that if someone won’t go three years then he should opt in for the $32 mil unless he absolutely refuses to play another year here (which seems unlikely, but not impossible). Whether there’s a 3-4 year offer out there for him in the $20 mil range—where it is economically sensible to opt-out—-I don’t really know with confidence.
 

luckiestman

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I don’t think any of them are going to pay him $32 mil a year. So his calculus is the value of the extra years they would pay him. I have seen guesstimates from 4/$80 mil to “no one would go more than 2 years”. The math is that if someone won’t go three years then he should opt in for the $32 mil unless he absolutely refuses to play another year here (which seems unlikely, but not impossible). Whether there’s a 3-4 year offer out there for him in the $20 mil range—where it is economically sensible to opt-out—-I don’t really know with confidence.
3/60? Shit, shouldn’t the Cs just keep him for that number?
 

Jed Zeppelin

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I watch a fucktonne of NBA basketball including basically every Celtics game and I have to be honest I have never heard of Shaq Harrison.

He was a team low -43 in this gem of a game!
 

DJnVa

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? I'm not sure I see the big deal with this?
A 27 year old who may be out of the league soon?
Well, I mean, the big deal is that if Grande is doing it, it's likely not because the Celtics AREN'T interested.
 

luckiestman

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My view all along is that the most likely outcome is his signing an extension to stay. We’ll see...
I’m honestly not that sharp when it comes to cap stuff and FA market but 3/60 seems too team friendly to me. He could opt in right now for 30+ so, he thinks he can’t get > $15M per the next 2 years after that? It doesn’t make sense to me. That’s incredibly risk averse for a guy that is already rich.
 

PedroKsBambino

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I agree, which is why I think him opting in and him signing and extension with Celtics are most likely. I think he’s going to want more than that to sign elsewhere, and I’m not sure the money is there to do so. But there’s always the Knicks....
 

Cellar-Door

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So we think they're cutting Carsen for Harrison I guess?

He's got decent size (he's 6'4" bref has typo , and his defense appears to grade out well.....
on the other hand in the only year he got real minutes he was incredibly, horrfically bad on offense and he didn't get drafted because he had no offense.

I'm not buying a fluky 16/42 year from 3, he's been a terrible shooter for 7 of 8 years now through college and the pros. He's another no offense bench player, we need less of those not more
 

JCizzle

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So we think they're cutting Carsen for him I guess?

He's got decent size (he's 6'4" bref has typo , and his defense appears to grade out well.....
on the other hand in the only year he got real minutes he was incredibly, horrfically bad on offense and he didn't get drafted because he had no offense.
Oh joy, another bench dude that can't shoot. Would be nice to have an offensive spark again at some point. Him and Romeo sharing the floor for stretches... yuck.
 

DannyDarwinism

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So we think they're cutting Carsen for Harrison I guess?

He's got decent size (he's 6'4" bref has typo , and his defense appears to grade out well.....
on the other hand in the only year he got real minutes he was incredibly, horrfically bad on offense and he didn't get drafted because he had no offense.

I'm not buying a fluky 16/42 year from 3, he's been a terrible shooter for 7 of 8 years now through college and the pros. He's another no offense bench player, we need less of those not more
Jesus, you ain’t kidding. About 26% tor his career, and 22.6% on 153 attempts at Tulsa. I know he’s a defensive specialist, but he’d better be really fucking good to shoot like that, considering his size and the fact that he doesn’t do much else.
 

nighthob

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Same and oddly, he's listed as 6-7 on basketball reference and 6-4 on Wikipedia.
He wasn't invited to the NBA draft combine so there's no way to really know. The NBA lists him as 6'7". From memory he's roughly the same size as Jaylen, I do remember him as being taller than Wannamaker. So my guess is he's at least 6'6" in shoes. He'd be a nice Wannamaker replacement.
 

Cellar-Door

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amarshal2

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At this point what is the best possible outcome over the next few days? Hayward opts in and Danny is able to trade up in the draft or push back into 2021 with a little upside?

Edit: Also it seems clear Danny made a very aggressive offer for Jrue. MIL didn't give up that package without another serious suitor.
 

nighthob

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Best case? Hayward opts in and Boston trades him to the Hawks for Isaac Okoro and rolls with a large TPE in which to fit someone like Gallo. Alternatively that the deal with Indiana turns out to be Oladipo and an expiring deal and Boston finds a Jruesque trade for Oladipo.
 

Cellar-Door

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Best case? Hayward opts in and Boston trades him to the Hawks for Isaac Okoro and rolls with a large TPE in which to fit someone like Gallo. Alternatively that the deal with Indiana turns out to be Oladipo and an expiring deal and Boston finds a Jruesque trade for Oladipo.
Why is ATL doing that?
I mean, if ATL wants him, and he wants to go there they can just have him opt out then sign him to a better deal.

Also... if Oladipo had value like that Indy would just make that trade themselves.

The best case scenario is likely.... Hayward opts out, they S&T him for a 1st and a decent rotation player, or expand it to a 3-way double S&T with someone like Gallo/Ibaka/Favors on lower money.
The next best is probably, Hayward opts in, and you get until the deadline to see what you have.

#2 is probably the best for 2020 success, but ducking under the tax would be nice so I prefer #1
 

the moops

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I still think we are all worrying too much about the tax. I think they keep Hayward - likely on an extended deal. If they are looking like a legit contender at the deadline, they roll with what they got and figure out the repeater tax issue the following year. If things aren't going as well as the hope, they can trade Hayward or Kemba at the deadline and get below the tax then
 

nighthob

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I still think we are all worrying too much about the tax. I think they keep Hayward - likely on an extended deal. If they are looking like a legit contender at the deadline, they roll with what they got and figure out the repeater tax issue the following year. If things aren't going as well as the hope, they can trade Hayward or Kemba at the deadline and get below the tax then
With Harden to Philly imminent I’m not sure Boston is even an EC contender next year. But there’s going to be a lot shaking out in the next four days.

Why is ATL doing that?
I mean, if ATL wants him, and he wants to go there they can just have him opt out then sign him to a better deal.
Because Hayward might not want to sign there, #6 in this draft doesn’t have a ton of value, and they might just want to get Young and Collins playoff experience.

Also... if Oladipo had value like that Indy would just make that trade themselves.
That doesn’t net them Hayward. They can undoubtedly make the deal themselves, but they still have to use the capital to acquire the player they want. And if they refuse then we can all rest easy because Hayward won’t be opting out to sign with a rebuilding team.