Trade rumors are already starting to swirl around the Celtics offseason this week. A host of options lie ahead for Brad Stevens and the front office and the work will begin sooner than you think. Let’s explore some questions on those topics, some hypothetical deals and more in this week’s mailbag.
Predict when Brad will do the first trade — JT
I think it’s going to be surprisingly early this year. Like the week between the NBA Finals ends and the NBA Draft is my guess or draft night at the latest. This comes for a few reasons. One, I think a lot of the trade stuff this year is going to revolve around draft capital (around the league not Boston) so some of those bigger moves will be in place before draft night even hits.
Additionally, it actually behooves the Celtics to do some of their dealing when it comes to reducing bigger salaries before the start of the next league year (July 1st). Since a few players that could be on the move see their salaries jump up during the next league year, making any of those moves before July could make salary matching/cost cutting in some of those trades easier to pull off. That wouldn’t apply to every scenario but a few of them. Either way, expect the deals to start rolling earlier than usual.
Any foundation to the Giannis rumors from Windhorst? — PK
Hi Brian,
I appreciate everything you do. It’s been a pleasure following your Celtics coverage over the years. I know we are starting silly season, but is a Giannis trade even plausible? – Ty
I’d peg it as a long shot but it’s worth watching regardless. Realistically, I think it would have to be driven a bit by Giannis as Windhorst mentioned wanting to stay in the East. Perhaps he would like the appeal of teaming up with Tatum although the uncertainty with him following his Achilles injury may cause some pause.
Regardless, if one of the five best players in the NBA becomes available, it’s the duty of the Celtics front office to discuss potential ways to get him. Boston has enough talent to put a competitive offer in place. Would it be enough to satisfy the Bucks? Would Giannis want to play in Boston? These are all unknowns at this point. Giannis would have to be okay with not being a contender next year as well in all likelihood due to Tatum’s injury. Regardless, it’s a situation worth watching.
Am I crazy to think about Holiday to the Lakers for Rui Hachimura, Maxi Kleber, and Dalton Knecht? Works in fanspo. — Eric B
The money works but I think the Lakers are probably looking elsewhere than Holiday this offseason when they look at their team needs. They need a starting center and dealing away Kleber (who could be one) for a pricy guard will just hurt their depth even more. Hachimura is also in his prime and makes a reasonable salary ($18.2 million next year) so I’m not sure if they would want to move off that for Holiday’s long-term deal.
Gabe Vincent ($11 million) might be a guy they are willing to move in a potential Holiday deal, but I think their primary objective would be to find a big first with their assets. If they can do that and are willing to absorb Holiday’s long-term deal, they could be a trade partner but Holiday’s career timetable does not line up with Luka Doncic particularly well.
Is there any trade you would make for Brown? What is the most aggressive or last aggressive realistic path forward for the team this year? — Snarknado27
There are certainly more than a few I would make (Giannis would be one with other stuff included from Boston’s end) but whether any of those deals are actually feasible this offseason is another matter. I would hesitate to move Brown for anything less than a surefire proven commodity given his postseason play over the years. He’s had his ups and downs in those spots, but generally, he’s raised his game on the whole under the bright lights.
With that said, building a team with two super maxes moving forward (with one being him) is a tough ask. Finding another All-Star level piece (or someone with All-Star potential) for a fraction of the price may be a more feasible path to build with under the new CBA.
The most aggressive path for the Celtics moving forward is a full reset next season and getting under the luxury tax with young players and draft assets along with Tatum, White and whoever else survives the wheeling and dealing. The least aggressive would simply be trading a couple of salaries to dip under the second apron and remain status quo otherwise while waiting on Tatum’s recovery before making any further decisions closer to mid-season.
Hi Brian,
I’m sure you’ve heard your fair share of “how about trading for player X” proposals recently for the Celtics. But there is one name I wanted to throw out there for you-
What would a realistic Celtics trade for Onyeka Okongwu deal look like? Would he be a realistic option or more of a pipe dream? From Atlanta’s perspective, they’ve underachieved for a while so I wouldn’t be shocked if they move pieces around this off-season.
In any trade offer, is there a path for trading for him and also getting under that second apron? One deal I came up with was Porzingis for Okongwu and Terrance Mann. Let me know your thoughts! —Joe
Okongwu would be a great fit but it would take more than a player like Porzingis to land him. He would likely command one of Boston’s better supporting pieces although the Celtics would potentially balk at giving him someone like Payton Pritchard for him given the value of his cheap deal for the next few years. The only way I see the Celtics getting a look at Okongwu would be in a blockbuster type deal involving Jaylen Brown or Derrick White with a lot than Okongwu coming back to Boston. Don’t see a deal like that happening this offseason although it’s tough to get a read on what Atlanta wants to do with their roster.
Hi BRobb,
Since it looks like at least half of the top 6 won’t be with the team for most of next season (Tatum injury, KP and Jrue maybe somewhere else) how important could one year deals be for Brad to keep the team competitive for next season and more importantly 26-27? Is there a name that you think would make sense for Brad to target that the C’s could get for a transition-like season on a 1-year deal?
Thanks, John L
It’s a good point John about the short-term deals but it depends a lot about what the priority is next season with new ownership coming in. If the new owners wanna stay big spenders and just dip under the second apron, then Brad’s hands will be relatively tied on that front.
Boston will be able to offer some real playing time in Tatum’s absence but they will essentially be limited to veteran minimum’s on the free agent market. However, if ownership is on board with bigger salary dumps and/or major moves that clear some spending, the Celtics could get access to the mid-level exception again if they get back closer to the first apron or below the luxury tax line entirely.
Generally, the free agent market is relatively uninspiring this year so it’s tough to tell what the market would be out there for a wing type that can also play some power forward. Whether Boston wants to give those minutes to internal options (Baylor Scheierman, Jordan Walsh) or a veteran looking for opportunity is another question as well. Realistically, if Boston is only working with the veteran’s minimum for signings, I’d look out for a guy like Jae’Sean Tate or Taurean Prince to see if they have to settle for those type of deals.
