Celtics managing partner Steve Pagliuca promises the team is ready to become a taxpayer again if that’s what it takes to win a title, relays Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald. Pagliuca says it’s not a guarantee that the franchise will cross the tax threshold next summer when Isaiah Thomas enters free agency, but vows that potential tax penalties won’t affect the decision on Thomas.
Pagliuca adds that cap management is becoming important again after last summer’s spending spree, which factored into the decision to trade Avery Bradley to the Pistons to make room for Gordon Hayward. “There was a time when teams had lots of cap space with the increase in revenues,” Pagliuca said. “Now we’re entering a period where cap management becomes imperative. Now we’re going back to the future, where people had to work hard for cap space.”
There’s more news out of Boston:
- Hayward is denying reports that the controversial delay regarding his choice of the Celtics was related to his article for The Players’ Tribune, writes D.J. Bean of CSNNE. Hayward explained that he was on the phone with his agent, Mark Bartelstein, when the story broke that he was coming to Boston. “At that point in time we decided, look, we have to step away from this,” Hayward said. “I was pretty upset that that had happened. I didn’t feel like I was ready to say, ‘Yes, I want to be a Boston Celtic,’ so I had to take a step back and regroup and I think we talked about it more and more, then finally we put out the article, but I know there was a lot of reports with people saying we were finishing up the article for the Tribune, which is just completely false.”
- Jabari Bird‘s play during summer league has made him a candidate to receive one of Boston’s two-way contracts, writes Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. A 6’6″ shooting guard out of California, Bird was the 56th selection in this year’s draft. He has been given a larger role with some of the Celtics’ top players sidelined and has responded by averaging 13.7 points and shooting 19-of-27 in his last three games.
- The versatility shown by second-rounder Semi Ojeleye could give him a role in Boston this season, Himmelsbach adds in the same piece. A 6’7″ forward out of SMU, Ojeleye shot 40% from 3-point range in Las Vegas and earned praise for his defense from coach Brad Stevens.
Bird looks like better all around player than Demetrius Jackson
Solid drafting by the Celtics. Good looking team.
Good like the young talent coming in combined with the veterans. It’s crazy when you realize the could potentially end up with the first and second picks in next years draft.
yeah i was thinking about that last week, gotta give it up to ainge for having an excellent plan because i was sure they were going to give up the picks to get a superstar. all in all, i have the celtics going to the finals this year.
I hope your rite. Unless Brooklyn shocks us that pick will be a top 5, hopefully 1. But that Lakers – Kings -Sixers pick is looking more and more questionable by the day. LA won’t be world beaters just yet but they may of done just enough along with the kids they have to finish out of the top 5 of the lottery. And if that’s the case we’re relying on much improved Kings and Sixers teams to be bad 2 years from now. As a Celtics fan I’m obviously hoping for a Lakers #2 pick next year, but realistically we’re probably looking at a top 3 Brooklyn pick next year and a 7 – 13 Sac pick in ’19. I hope I’m wrong. I’d much rather go with your thought of a 1 & 2 next year!
Michael Porter Jr. could be one of those picks next year