Remaining free agents - any interest in rounding out the bench?

NomarsFool

Member
SoSH Member
Dec 21, 2001
8,160
Assuming these guys could be had for minimum contracts, they would seem to be more useful than Javonte Green.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson - 6'6" wing who plays excellent defense and a number of other things, but a terrible long distance shooter. Sort of the anti-Nesmith. Could compete with Semi.

Glenn Robinson III - 6' 6" wing who is defensively competent and decent shooter.

Shaquille Harrison - 6'7" PG with decent defense and an improve 3P shot.
 

Cellar-Door

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 1, 2006
34,464
Assuming these guys could be had for minimum contracts, they would seem to be more useful than Javonte Green.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson - 6'6" wing who plays excellent defense and a number of other things, but a terrible long distance shooter. Sort of the anti-Nesmith. Could compete with Semi.

Glenn Robinson III - 6' 6" wing who is defensively competent and decent shooter.

Shaquille Harrison - 6'7" PG with decent defense and an improve 3P shot.
Harrison probably doesn't have a 3 pt shot. Don't be fooled by 42 attempts of being decent after several thousand attempts of being absolute garbage. Also he's 6'4".

We;ve discussed him a bunch already,

I think the other two are probably upgrades, but I also would guess that Danny runs with what he has barring a trade, he doesn't want to sign one of those guys then cut him mid-season is my guess.
 

PedroKsBambino

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Apr 17, 2003
31,212
I don’t see much of a case for RHJ, frankly, other than just generically that they would benefit eventually from experienced wing depth. You have Semi as a defensive-oriented deeper bench guy already, and Semi is a better shooter. If you have some scouting reason to see upside, ok, but I don’t see it. He to me is a guy you might like to add mid-year, but not sure I’d use the slot this way now.

There’s a case for Harrison—-the shooting could be real (FT jumped up as well) and if so he’s an upgrade—-and if it‘s not he’s a smaller RHJ. YMMV, but advanced metrics have him as a Kris Dunn-level defender. That he remains unsigned suggests the league is guessing that’s SSS though. As Cellar Door notes, there’s a lot of reason to worry the shooting is not real, so you gotta really dig into the scouting there to see if something changed. There’s a story there that he is really additive but it’s a SSS story. I like the upside but haven’t scouted the guy.

Robinson is interesting, but you worry that he’s a bit duplicative of Nesmith. To me, the useful depth is valuable and I’d take the shot but I tend to think Celts will not. There’s not a lot of upside here either—-I think he’s a playable wing who can shoot.

In my view the 15th spot is where (Ideally) you gamble on upside now, and where you want (by trade deadline) to have gotten credible depth you can actually play if you need to especially in playoffs where younger guys can struggle. I‘d personally have liked a Bane type guy there to see what he looks like for a couple months and then make a call among he, the two-ways, Semi, etc. if you need to add someone else. But that ship has sailed. So now the question is whether to add the depth now or wait and hope you can add later. It’s most easily available now but you have to like the guy to bother because it does impact development of other players. My issue with Green in the slot is I don’t really buy there’s a lot of upside there, so you neither get playable depth nor upside, but they appear to see more chance he develops into something. I hope they are right, he was fun pre-season last year.
 

NomarsFool

Member
SoSH Member
Dec 21, 2001
8,160
To me, Green has no value besides garbage time dunks. He is too old to think he will get better and while the other guys aren’t exciting, they have proven they can contribute at an NBA level.

if they are min salary, I don’t see too much risk if they have to cut them for a player later. You’d think they are fungible enough to be sent back in a trade as well.
 

Cellar-Door

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 1, 2006
34,464
To me, Green has no value besides garbage time dunks. He is too old to think he will get better and while the other guys aren’t exciting, they have proven they can contribute at an NBA level.

if they are min salary, I don’t see too much risk if they have to cut them for a player later. You’d think they are fungible enough to be sent back in a trade as well.
I think it's fine either way. I will say, there is probably in a short turnaround compressed schedule, some value to having guys who have been in the system for a year and know what the coaches want, know the other players etc. Not a ton, but when you're talking about guys who are fringe roster, there is probably a case that say... Green will be slightly better than RHJ or Harrison because he won't make as many mistakes.

Overall though... it doesn't really matter, none of those guys are playing meaningful minutes (except maybe GRIII).
 

lovegtm

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 30, 2013
12,001
I'd be down with GRIII. Bigger issue is whether he'd be down--sounds like he's eyeing the LA teams.
 

NomarsFool

Member
SoSH Member
Dec 21, 2001
8,160
From what I've seen the Celtics can use the bi-annual player exception this off-season, but likely won't be able to use it again for a number of years in the future. So, it is a "use it or lose it" situation.

From the Athletic today:

Shaq Harrison
Courtney Lee
Wilson Chandler
Jordan McLaughlin
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson
Ersan Ilyasova
Anthony Tolliver
Dewayne Dedmon
 

PedroKsBambino

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Apr 17, 2003
31,212
To me, unless you believe Harrison has shooting upside based on last year, or you feel RHJ would be a very different offensive player in a new system, it's a pretty thin list.

I just don' think Celtics can fit another really short PG (McLaughlin) unless it is to replace Waters---which I don't think I'd do

The alternative is to wait for buy-outs, isn't it? Believe you can still choose to use BAE in-season
 

Cellar-Door

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 1, 2006
34,464
I think the opening night roster is set. Nobody out there is of any real interest, and honestly most of them are better off taking camp invites from teams with more minutes uncertainty than the Celtics.
 

Cesar Crespo

79
SoSH Member
Dec 22, 2002
21,588
Utah says no if they want to keep Gobert.

Can't see them carrying 3 max players. Or close to max, anyway.
 

Cellar-Door

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 1, 2006
34,464
I mean.... sure if by smoldering you mean internet randos are making them up. In the same way that Zion to the Celtics would be smoldering if I posted it in the RealGM boards.

Kemba might get traded, but this is just pure fanatasy nonsense....

(also the Celtics say no to that deal obviously, they aren't going to pay a pick to salary dump Kemba)
 

benhogan

Granite Truther
SoSH Member
Nov 2, 2007
20,124
Santa Monica
I mean.... sure if by smoldering you mean internet randos are making them up. In the same way that Zion to the Celtics would be smoldering if I posted it in the RealGM boards.

Kemba might get traded, but this is just pure fanatasy nonsense....

(also the Celtics say no to that deal obviously, they aren't going to pay a pick to salary dump Kemba)
smoldering from the reports of Danny looking to move Kemba for picks to make a run for Jru a few weeks back
 

Cellar-Door

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 1, 2006
34,464
smoldering from the reports of Danny looking to move Kemba for picks to make a run for Jru a few weeks back
Sure I guess. My point is there is a massive gulf between... Danny wants to trade Kemba for picks to get another borderline all-star PG and..... some rando site wonders if the Celtics would pay picks to salary dump Kemba.
 

lovegtm

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 30, 2013
12,001
Who are the cases of late 20s/early 30s guards having chronic knee issues for a year and then coming back and being fine? It has to be a really really short list.

If the Celtics don't have a way to move Kemba for neutral value, they're going to be stuck with a really really expensive 15-25 min/game 6th man, very possibly as soon as this spring.

Which isn't in itself fatal: GSW won its 2015 title with David Lee making ~14M and being unplayable, which adjusted for the current salary cap is like $25M. Obviously they had Curry on the cheap deal and Klay+Draymond not paid yet (iirc).

The Celtics have Jaylen and Smart below market, so they've got a chance if Kemba is limited for the next 3 years. But it puts a lot of pressure on development. Realistically they now need 1 of Grant/Nesmith/Romeo/TL to become a decent starter during the rookie deal, and 1-2 of the other guys to become solid rotation players.

If Kemba somehow stops having knee trouble this year, I look like an idiot and everything is awesome. I'm fairly pessimistic at this point though.