JULY 15TH, 6:40pm: The deal is now official, according to a team press release.
“We see Avery as a key part of our chase of Banner 18,” said Celtics president Danny Ainge in a statement. “He keeps getting better and is still far from reaching his ceiling. We’re ecstatic to have him back.”
JULY 2ND, 9:28am: It’ll be a fully guaranteed contract with no option clauses, Butler tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).
8:47am: The deal is worth $32MM over four years, tweets Baxter Holmes of The Boston Globe.
8:20am: The Celtics will re-sign restricted free agent Avery Bradley, reports Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald (Twitter link). The terms of the deal for the Mitchell Butler client aren’t immediately clear.
The C’s had been telling other free agents that Bradley would be a part of the club going forward, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link), so it appears they were confident all along that the guard would re-sign. Still, the Sixers, armed with tons of cap flexibility, made contact with the 23-year-old Bradley shortly after free agency began. Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge nonetheless made reference within the past week to the former 19th overall pick as a major part of the franchise’s future, and stated his belief in the ability of Bradley, Rajon Rondo, and the newly drafted Marcus Smart to co-exist on the team.
Executives who spoke recently to Chris Mannix of SI.com believed Bradley would end up with annual salaries between $7MM and $9MM. That’s after he reportedly turned down a four-year, $24MM extension offer from the Celtics last fall. He proceeded to put up a career year, scoring 14.9 points per game and draining 39.5% of his three-point attempts, proving he’s more than just a defensive specialist. The C’s and Bradley have had a mutual interest in his return, and Bradley has spoken of his affection for playing with Rondo. Perhaps Bradley’s willingness to re-sign so quickly indicates that Rondo, a free agent next year, is likely to remain in Boston, too, though that’s just my speculation.
This is good news if Rumor be true.
I just hope he’s not overpaid.
i just saw 4 year 32 million. that might be overpaid a little. if he can stay healthy and produce, then maybe not.
Not a fan of this move. They need to try and unload Bass along with a few other parts and take aim at Kevin Love. They need cap space for another star. It’s evident that the Heats big 3 will be back, and it’s looking like they add another star or two or 3 capable players to their core. The East is weak, but you can’t win without a couple All Stars and a deep bench. I know it’s a rebuilding process, but they’ve missed some opportunities IMO.
Getting a star without any depth isn’t rebuilding. Yes the Heat showed success during their run, however the West is far more superior. Doubt they would’ve been as successful in the West. Examples: Lakers and Rockets. I rather they get good players and create depth on this roster.
I think they can add a star and still have depth. They had the chance to move some picks. Maybe Minn. just didn’t want a part in it, but I feel like it’s going to be a long rebuild that fails for some time. I’m not trying to bash what they’re doing, I just don’t see it working. They went all in with KG and Allen, and I feel like that’s the most we are gonna get for some time. I think ownership will do what was done to Pierce and not give Rondo much to work with.
I dont know…I kind of like the talent on that Celtics roster that they added over the last year or so. They’re moving in a good direction. I’m surprised they went with Marcus Smart over Randle or Vonleh in that spot, considering the rest of their roster, but he is a really good player