The Celtics have been extremely active in trade talks with the aim of improving the pieces around stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, longtime beat writer Steve Bulpett reports in a Heavy.com story.
President of basketball operations Brad Stevens is looking to at least improve the team’s salary cap sheet and free up more playing time for young players such as Payton Pritchard, Aaron Nesmith and Romeo Langford.
The Celtics already made one move this month to improve their salary cap situation and reduce their chances of paying the luxury tax, dealing Juancho Hernangomez and his $7MM salary to San Antonio in a three-team trade.
Boston has been exploring the trade value of Al Horford, who is making $27MM this season and has a partial guarantee of $14.5MM on his $26.5MM contract next season.
Though Bulpett didn’t specify which other players the Celtics are looking to deal, it stands to reason that Dennis Schröder (a free agent again this summer), Josh Richardson and Marcus Smart would have the types of contracts they’d like to move. Richardson’s contract runs through next season and Smart signed a four-year extension last summer.
Another interesting nugget in Bulpett’s report is that Celtics had targeted big man Alperen Sengun if they had kept their first round pick last year. They wound up dealing it to Oklahoma City, which eventually ended up drafting Sengun and trading him to the Rockets. Boston shed Kemba Walker‘s contract in the trade with the Thunder. Sengun is averaging 8.8 PPG, 4.6 RPG and 2.6 APG with Houston in 39 appearances.
Exploring the value of Horford?
I hope they have scuba gear
Id like to see Smart get to Dallas somehow but it prolly takes a future 1st –
Smart and Schroeder for THJr +filler + 1st
Ok trade if fillers are Brunson + Finley Smith
Keep Brunson out of Boston ! He’s a Western Conference player !
Yeah right. Brunson and Finney for Shroeder and Smart and the Mavs done make that trade.
Don’t
And smart alone is more valuable then Tim hardaway jr ! There is no trade to be made between the teams
I agree that Mavs should keep Brunson & Finney Smith till FA and even resign both… But trading them in a THjr x Smart Horford package would not shock me ever…
I’d also love to see Smart back in north Texas. And I’ve wanted to see a Dennis/Luka backcourt ever since the Hawks had Dennis along with the #3 pick in the Trae/Luka/Ayton draft. It’s obv gonna take more than THJ & a late 1st to make that happen tho
Yes probably so – I was viewing thru a frame where Bos perhaps sees ThJr as a better fit than Smart as an outside shooter albeit still less value .
That might/ prolly is a leap- Dennis was just thrown in to get them under the tax this year. It would prolly be more but something I think has the framework (while helping Bos 22 tax) if the teams sat in a room together for long enough
It is not about less value.
The Celtics goal is to upgrade the roster via trade, and make playoffs.
Those trade proposal does not help Celtics.
Horford isn’t a bad player and his contract doesn’t have much remaining. I think next season isn’t fully guaranteed. He’ll be easier to move than you think.
They can move him sure ! But he’s not gonna be part of some big deal that gets them a significant player ,
Yes to get under the luxury tax. No other real reason. About 5m or so?
Close to 3 …
All the Romeo Payton Aaron picks should have been dealt for a solid player like Turner
I am high on Romeo, but the Pacers can probably get a better/more desirable return than that from another team.
The Celtics young players are in that awkward place where they aren’t good enough to bring back anything of significant value but not bad enough to be worth little. Might as well keep them and ship out the veterans, as Stevens seems to be planning. Maybe their value would climb by the offseason
They hoarded picks for years. Nothing was ever good enough for Danny Ainge and now those guys he drafted aren’t worth much at all. Thunder should take notice at Boston’s mistakes.
OKC just have to draft 5/7 top potentials over 20 picks and maybe Presti will fail … You never know.
Ainge tried to trade those 3 picks at the draft but no one was considered moving down …
The big mistake the Celtics made was trading for Kyrie Irving. You cannot blame them for Hayward being injured 3 times or Al Horford taking more money.
Picks they did get Tatum, Brown, R. Williams III, and G. Williams.
I meant that the picks should have been dealt at the draft … Udoka has to play those youngs way more if Brad trades the vets
Ah, my bad. Makes sense.
DeAndre Hunter, Danilo Gallinari & our 2023 1st (top20 protected) for A-Town legend/future HOFer Jaylen Brown
wtf lmaooo
Is that trade a joke?
I actually don’t hate this…would have to be like top 10 protected though
Hahahahahahahah
Lmao
even a blackout drunk brad Steven’s knows that deal is garbage
Wow so you get Jaylen Brown and you still want to protect the 1st…
LOL
I’m thinking Robert Williams, Dennis Schroeder and 2 2nd round picks for Trae Young. It’s just not working in Atlanta.
This guy is a notorious Hawks homer, nothing about this trade proposal surprises me.
The Celtics coaching these last couple of years has been sad to see. So much wasted talent, not using guys correctly. They should be one of the most versatile teams in the NBA
Send Ime Udoka back to Brooklyn, then trade Marcus Smart for a passing PG.
Named Brunson or Dinwiddie ?
At this point I’d even take Schroder. Celtics will move Dennis cause they can’t keep him. So might as well get a pick for him.
Knicks have to get a starting PG. This is never going to get better until they do.
And you think Schroeder is the answer?!? To be fair, it would be a very Knicksy move to make.
Turner, Levert, Craig for
Horford, Smart, Williams
That’s horrible unless Celtics are including 3 first round picks.
Schroeder for Ben Simmons.
or
Horford for three hot dogs from Nedick’s … Or two from Nathan’s …
The first upgrade should be a coach! The next is point guard but we have nothing to trade! Nobody wants are junk!
Celtics need a point guard !!!!!
Al Horford, Josh Richardson and a first round pick for John Wall and Alperen Sengun.
Celtics then line up
1. Wall. Schroder. Pritchard
2. Brown. Smart. Langford
3. Tatum. Nesmith
4. G Williams. Sengun. Bol
5. R Williams. Freedom
John Wall gives you exactly what you’ve been missing. A lead guard, who can run the offence, facilitate and make the jobs of Tatum and Brown easier. I bet he also gets the Williams boys easier buckets aswell. Wall yes he has a bad contract, yes he’s past his prime, yes he has injury concerns but your desperate.
Wall is also a great leader, true nba veteran with years of experience, 5 time all star, one time and all nba third team and all defensive second team player. Who has a career average of 19-9-4-2. Last season put up 20.5-7-3.
He can still ball !!!
And if it doesn’t work out, then next year he will be in the last year of his deal and you can go after players in the FA after that.
Rockets get rid of Walls terrible deal and get Horford who they can buy out of his deal in the offseason for 14.5mil. They also get JRich on a team friendly 1 year deal and a first round pick.
They save a huge amount of money and get back a pick for the price of Sengun.
One-sided trade proposal as usual from you.
Richardson contract is fully guaranteed and Horfords half, Sengun was mid first pick so why would Rox trade mid first they like and is one year more experienced than that Cs mid first pick they would acquire in trade.
So acceptable trade for Rox would be Wall for JR, Horford and 2 Cs seconds
Or JR and first for Gordon.
Horford and JRich plus two second for wall is one sided.
Celtics would be taking on a 30 something point guard with injury issues who hasn’t played all season and is due 45 mil this season and next.
Rockets would be getting Horford and waive him for half his contract and then have JRich.
Saving themselves about 25 mil next season and getting back two second round picks.
Wall and Sengun a mid first round pick, for Horford JRich and a first isn’t really a bad deal. You save a truck load of money and get back a first round pick to replace Sengun. Unfortunately you lose Sengun but you save loads of money and get a pick to replace him.
Celtics could give up an additional second round pick aswell if necessary
But the whole point of them trading is to get rid of smart, horford is not the issue even though he’s not good anymore.
I actually don’t hate wall to cs though
C’s Fo is just trying to clear cap to be aggresive when a Big FA show up in 2023. Stevens will try to trade Denis PJ and Bol first, Horford maybe (Bulls??) & then Smart 3 years contract is the harder to move.
C’s are more likely a play-in and draft loterry pick team so no big move is on the way.
Fixes the point guard position which is the biggest issue. Look at how badly Tatum and Brown have struggled this year. Compare that to previous years when they had a Kemba Walker or Kyrie Irving, they were a top 5 seed and had a playoff run.
You’d have Wall running the show and fishing dimes to everyone, Tatum as your main go to scorer, Brown as the clear second option. G Williams provides the floor spacing and gives you some decent defence and R Williams does his thing. Wall would get Rob Will easy buckets from lobs and really boost his production.
Then from the bench Schroder plays really well coming off the bench. Together him and Smart would be elite defensively too. Nesmith is a 3 and D wing, Sengun does his thing aswell. You’d weaker at centre having lost Horford but you’ve also cleared an open roster spot from the trade. Could easily add a Greg Monroe for the rest of the season
They are currently a play in team and could miss the playoffs altogether. So what do they have to lose from this deal? If it doesn’t work out or Wall goes down injured or something atleast you tried. End of next season his deal expires and you can be aggressive in FA chasing a third star
Horford has a 5M$ contract garantee why would you get a 45M$ in exchange.
JRich & PJ have a 1Y tradable small contract. BolBol & Schroeder are FA
So it looks like C’s FO wants a maximum of big contracts shipped away to developp their young core. If C’s going (or not) to the play-in means top 10 rook @ next draft…Next season Stevens wisely waits 2023 FA to go big and build a contender team from there.
So I’m other words run it back with this exact team next year and waste both this season and the next.
Then hope you draft and develop well and can get a star in FA….
Or make a trade giving up rotational guys for a former all star who could turn your season around. If he does then you likely make the playoffs this year and next. Which keeps everyone happy. If he doesn’t turn things around then you still end up with a good pick this year and next year and you can still unload his huge contract next offseason and go after FAs.
So doesn’t it make sense to make the trade. You can still get a pick and go after FA but also have a chance at the playoffs and turning things around …….
I’d trade THJ for smart in a heart beat
I really like the idea of starting Grant Williams & having Al Horford & Denis Schroeder play together as the 2nd unit. Al & Denis played well together in Atlanta; let them run & score on the 2nd team. Would solve a lot of problems but because it’s been suggested in the press I don’t think Coach will do so figuring it would make him look weak.
Agree
I knew the Cs were in trouble when they extended Smart. Cs problems run deeper than the roster.
Celtics are not going to take on any more salary. That’s this year’s bottom line, in fact the goal is not winning a few more games. The goal is to get under the cap however it’s figured.
That’s President Stevens ‘mandate’ & leash. Might have been major factor in why Ainge “retired” only to pop up in Utah.
Owners have stated they will go over the cap only if they figure they have a good chance to win the NBA title.
Anyway, Brad Stevens, as much as he’s been trashed, will figure out something to do which gets us under the cap & improve the team.
Go Celtics!
Marcus Smart coming back from covid saying how much he likes all the Celtics players, even pulling aside Jayson Tatum & Jaylen Brown, may have been saying goodby. Maybe he knows there’s a trade or close to one.
Although we do need a assist first point guard, I’d hate to see Smart go! He’s tough & gives us a defense first identity, & coach, like a lot of us long term Celtics fans calls him the “heart & soul” of the team.
Trust in Brad Stevens! He’s been successful in all he’s done according to former Celtic & Butler player, Gordon Hayward!