2017 Offseason Salary Cap Digest: Boston Celtics

As was the case for all the Eastern teams that looked to knock off the Cavs in the postseason, the Celtics’ year ended on a demoralizing note, but it was a positive season for the franchise on the whole. Landing a No. 1 seed and a No. 1 pick in the same year is virtually unheard of, and will allow Boston to add another core piece to an already talented roster. The team also still has more draft picks and players stashed away, and has the flexibility to add another piece or two in free agency.

Here’s where things currently stand for the Celtics financially, as we continue our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series for 2017:

Guaranteed Salary

• Al Horford ($27,734,405)
• Avery Bradley ($8,808,989)
• Jae Crowder ($6,796,117)
• Isaiah Thomas ($6,261,395)
• Jaylen Brown ($4,956,480)
• Marcus Smart ($4,538,020)
• Terry Rozier ($1,988,520)
• Demetrius Jackson ($650,000) — Partial guarantee. Non-guaranteed portion noted below.¹
• Total: $61,733,926

Player Options

• None

Team Options

• None

Non-Guaranteed Salary

• Tyler Zeller ($8,000,000)²
• Jordan Mickey ($1,471,382)³
• Demetrius Jackson ($734,750) — Partial guarantee. Guaranteed portion noted above.¹
• Total: $10,206,132
  

Restricted Free Agents

• Kelly Olynyk ($4,187,598 qualifying offer / $7,735,033 cap hold)
• Total: $7,735,033

Cap Holds

• Amir Johnson ($15,600,000)
• Jonas Jerebko ($9,500,000)
• No. 1 overall pick ($7,026,240)
• James Young ($2,803,507)
• Guerschon Yabusele ($2,247,480)
• Ante Zizic ($1,645,200)
• Gerald Green ($1,471,382)
• Total: $40,293,809

Projected Salary Cap: $101,000,000

Maximum Cap Room: $26,796,789

• The Celtics lucked out when they landed the No. 1 pick, but the cap hold for that selection adds $7MM+ to their team salary, reducing their flexibility a little. For our max cap room calculation, we assumed the C’s will keep their seven guaranteed contracts plus Jackson (whose non-guaranteed portion is cheaper than an empty roster slot), and accounted for cap holds for the No. 1 pick, Yabusele, Zizic, and an empty roster spot. That works out to $74,203,211, which doesn’t leave enough room for a max salary for someone like Gordon Hayward. However, Boston could create more cap space by stashing Yabusele and/or Zizic for another year, or by making a trade.

Footnotes:

1. Jackson’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after July 15.
2. Zeller’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after July 2.
3. Mickey’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after either July 1 or July 15 (conflicting information available).

Salary information from Basketball Insiders and The Vertical was used in the creation of this post.