Celtics Rumors

2024 NBA Offseason Preview: Boston Celtics

June 24th, 2024 at 10:15pm CST by Luke Adams

Until a team wins a championship once, there will be skepticism about their ability to do it at all. That’s why the Nuggets were considered the title favorites by many NBA fans for most of the 2023/24 season after we saw them claim the Larry O’Brien trophy in ’22/23. But with the benefit of hindsight, it seems pretty clear that the Celtics were the league’s best team from start to finish this past season.

After adding Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday to an already formidable core led by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, the Celtics opened the campaign by winning their first five games and 26 of their first 32. They held the No. 1 seed in the East for all but six of the 174 days in the regular season, and never relinquished that top spot after November 14. Their net rating of +11.7 was the third-best mark in NBA history and was 6.8 points per 100 possessions better than any other team in the East. Their 64-18 regular season record was the best in the NBA by seven games — and the best in the East by 14 games.

The Celtics suffered a surprising loss at home to a Heat team without Jimmy Butler in Game 2 of the first round of the playoffs, raising some concerns that the postseason struggles which reared their heads in recent seasons might resurface this spring. But Boston quickly shut down those questions by reeling off 14 wins in their next 15 games despite missing Porzingis due a calf strain for most of those contests.

Following one more blip in an otherwise dominant playoff run (a 38-point loss to Dallas in Game 4), the Celtics won Game 5 of the NBA Finals at home in Boston, securing their record-setting 18th championship — it was the team’s first since 2008 and the first for Brown and Tatum, who had previously made it to one NBA Finals and multiple Eastern Conference finals without getting over the hump.

Brown, Tatum, and these Celtics have gotten the monkey on their backs with this championship, but it’ll be replaced with a target for the 2024/25 season — the NBA’s other 29 clubs know that Boston is the team to beat, especially since the Celtics are set up to keep their core intact for at least next season and potentially more years beyond that.

Brown and Holiday are already on long-term deals and Tatum will soon join them. Porzingis also has multiple years left on his contract, leaving Derrick White as the only member of the league’s best starting five who will enter 2024/25 on an expiring deal. It’s safe to assume an extension for White will be among the top offseason priorities in Boston. What else will be on the itinerary for the Celtics this summer? Let’s dive in…

The Celtics’ Offseason Plan

In addition to having their entire starting lineup under contract for 2024/25, the Celtics won’t have to worry about their top three reserves — Al Horford has one more year left on his deal, Payton Pritchard has a team-friendly four-year extension going into effect this summer, and Sam Hauser has a minimum-salary team option for next season.

Pritchard is locked in for a while and the Celtics can go year by year with Horford if he wants to play beyond next season, but the team may need to address Hauser’s contract this summer. Exercising his team option would make him a bargain for one more year, but would put him on track to hit unrestricted free agency in 2025. Declining Hauser’s option would allow the Celtics to control his restricted free agency this summer but would mean paying significantly more than the minimum for him in ’24/25 (especially after accounting for the accompanying tax penalties).

The best-case scenario for Boston would be to pick up Hauser’s inexpensive option and sign him to a longer-term extension that goes into effect in 2025/26 in order to ensure he doesn’t hit the open market a year from now. The 26-year-old has made at least 41.8% of his three-point attempts in all three of his NBA seasons and isn’t a sieve on defense, so he’s a valuable role player, and as long as they remain over the second tax apron, the Celtics won’t be in position to add an equivalent replacement if they lose him.

Beyond those top eight players, the Celtics have 2024 deadline acquisition Jaden Springer and 2023 draftee Jordan Walsh on guaranteed contracts. Boston gave up a second-round pick to acquire Springer, a talented perimeter defender who has yet to show much on offense in his three NBA seasons, and used a high second-rounder (No. 38 overall) to select Walsh, who played just nine NBA games as a rookie. They haven’t shown yet that they can be reliable rotation players, but they’re still just 21 and 20 years old, respectively — the C’s will likely be patient with them.

That leaves five open spots on Boston’s 15-man roster for next season. I expect the Celtics to carry just 14 men into the regular season to maintain flexibility for a possible in-season addition and to save a little money toward the end-of-season tax bill, so let’s say there are four other spots to fill.

One of those openings will likely be taken by a rookie. The Celtics control the No. 30 pick in this year’s draft, which is a good spot to be in from a financial perspective. They’ll either get the least expensive first-rounder of 2024 or will trade down for a second-rounder who will have an even more modest cap hit. In either case, the player will be on a cost-controlled contract for the next three or four years. Boston should have its choice in that range between a more seasoned prospect who could potentially contribute in his rookie season and a higher-upside play who might take some time to develop.

The Celtics’ free agents include Luke Kornet, Xavier Tillman, Svi Mykhailiuk, Oshae Brissett (who is expected to decline his player option), and Neemias Queta (who has a team option). I imagine Boston would welcome back both Kornet and Tillman if they’re willing to sign for the minimum. The team, which will hold both players’ Bird rights, may even be prepared to go higher than that to bring them back.

Porzingis and Horford will handle most of the minutes at center when they’re healthy, but it would be a surprise if either one played 70+ regular season games. Even when they’re healthy, the Celtics will want to manage their minutes, so it will behoove the club to have effective backup fives who won’t bristle at receiving inconsistent minutes. Of the two free agent bigs, I’d view Kornet as more likely to return, since I expect Tillman to draw interest from teams looking to spend their bi-annual exception or split up their mid-level exception.

While Brissett and Mykhailiuk didn’t play much, having reliable depth on the wing to call upon when needed was important. If one or both players seek out situations where they might get a chance to play more, the Celtics will return to the minimum-salary market in search of potential bargains. Cedi Osman is one hypothetical target I like quite a bit, but he’d have to be willing to accept a pay cut and a possible role reduction to chase a title.

The offseason plan I’ve outlined so far doesn’t feature much excitement or many roster changes. Maybe I’m wrong about that, given Brad Stevens‘ history of deal-making. But the second apron places real restrictions on what teams are able to do — neither the Porzingis deal nor the Holiday acquisition from last offseason would be at all possible for the Celtics under the new rules, which restrict second-apron teams from aggregating player salaries and from taking back more salary in trades than they send out. Plus, Stevens and the front office should feel less compelled to take big swings now that they know this team is capable of winning a championship.

As a result, the biggest deals of the Celtics’ offseason could be contract extensions. Tatum is now eligible to sign a five-year super-max extension that will begin in 2025/26 and projects to be worth an eye-popping $314.9MM (assuming a $141MM cap in ’24/25 and a 10% increase the following year). It’s safe to assume Boston will put that deal on the table and that Tatum will sign it, surpassing his teammate Brown for the biggest projected contract in league history.

It may not be quite so simple to lock up White, whose maximum four-year extension would be worth approximately $126MM. That’s a fair offer and he may well accept it, but after playing such a crucial role on this year’s title team and earning his second consecutive All-Defensive nod, the veteran guard would also be justified in believing that a bigger payday could be out there if he waits until the end of his current contract in 2025 to test the market. I expect the Celtics to do all they can to get White to sign this offseason, including perhaps adding a fourth-year player option in their offer.

Salary Cap Situation

Guaranteed Salary

Jaylen Brown ($49,350,000)
- Brown’s cap hit is a tentative figure based on 35% of a projected $141MM cap.
Jayson Tatum ($34,848,340)
Jrue Holiday ($30,000,000)
Kristaps Porzingis ($29,268,293)
Derrick White ($20,071,429)
- White’s cap hit includes an $18,821,429 base salary and $1,250,000 in likely incentives.
Al Horford ($9,500,000)
Payton Pritchard ($6,696,429)
Jaden Springer ($4,018,363)
Jordan Walsh ($1,891,857)
Total: $185,644,711

Non-Guaranteed Salary

None

Dead/Retained Salary

None

Player Options

Oshae Brissett ($2,463,946): Non-Bird rights
- Brissett reportedly intends to decline this option.
Total: $2,463,946

Team Options

Neemias Queta ($2,196,970): Non-Bird rights
Sam Hauser ($2,092,344): Bird rights
Total: $4,289,314

Restricted Free Agents

None

Two-Way Free Agents

JD Davison: Early Bird rights
Drew Peterson: Non-Bird rights

Note: Because he has finished each of the past two seasons on a two-way contract with the Celtics, Davison’s qualifying offer would be worth his minimum salary (projected to be $2,093,637). It would include a small partial guarantee.

Draft Picks

No. 30 overall pick ($2,501,640 cap hold)
No. 54 overall pick (no cap hold)
Total (cap holds): $2,501,640

Extension-Eligible Players

Sam Hauser (veteran)
- Team option must be exercised.
Jaden Springer (rookie scale)
Jayson Tatum (veteran; super-max)
Xavier Tillman (veteran)
- Extension-eligible until June 30.
Derrick White (veteran)

Note: Unless otherwise indicated, these players are eligible for extensions beginning in July.

Unrestricted Free Agents

Luke Kornet ($2,093,637 cap hold): Bird rights
Svi Mykhailiuk ($2,093,637 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
Xavier Tillman ($2,093,637 cap hold): Bird rights
Total (cap holds): $6,280,911

Other Cap Holds

Blake Griffin ($2,093,637 cap hold)
Mfiondu Kabengele ($1,867,722 cap hold)
Total (cap holds): $3,961,359

Note: The cap holds for these players are on the Celtics’ books from prior seasons because they haven’t been renounced. They can’t be used in a sign-and-trade deal.

Cap Exceptions Available

Note: The Celtics project to operate over the cap and over the second tax apron. That means they won’t have access to the mid-level exception, the bi-annual exception, or any of their three existing trade exceptions. If they were to dip below the second apron, they would gain access to the taxpayer mid-level exception ($5,183,000).

None

Fischer’s Latest: Redick, Lakers, Valanciunas, Knicks, Jazz, Rockets, Bridges

June 24th, 2024 at 8:52pm CST by Dana Gauruder

J.J. Redick was just introduced as the Lakers head coach in a formal press conference on Monday, but he has already talked to members of the current roster about how he plans to maximize their personnel offensively, Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reports.

Redick is going to put a premium on positional versatility, three-point shooting, and play-making, and has discussed specific roles with the players. He’ll also utilize lineups that can optimize LeBron James — his former podcast partner — off the ball.

League insiders continue to push the notion that the Lakers will look to upgrade the center position so that Anthony Davis can spend more time at power forward, Fischer writes. Baylor freshman Yves Missi and Indiana sophomore Ke’lel Ware are two possibilities they’ll look at with the No. 17 pick. However, they might be willing to move down the first round.

The Knicks and Jazz are each willing to trade their latter first-round pick and second-round draft capital to move up into the teens of this draft, Fischer hears. Utah owns the No. 29 and 32 picks and the Lakers might consider drafting Bronny James at one of those spots, rather than hoping LeBron’s son is still available with their second-rounder at No. 55.

Here’s more intel from Fischer:

Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas could be a free agent target for the Lakers if they decide to get veteran help at that spot. Hawks guard Dejounte Murray and Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant remain potential trade targets.
As previously reported, the Rockets are expected to pick up their $7.56MM option on Jae’Sean Tate and guarantee the salaries of Jeff Green and Jock Landale at $8MM apiece. That doesn’t mean they will remain on the roster. Houston could use those contracts as trade pieces. The Rockets are open for business on the No. 3 overall pick as they’re looking for win-now upgrades.
Numerous teams continue to check on the availability of Nets forward Mikal Bridges, including the Rockets, Knicks and Jazz. Utah could be well-positioned to make a significant move. It can dangle some significant contracts — John Collins ($26.5MM) and Jordan Clarkson ($14MM) — along with its 2024 draft capital (No. 10, 29, 32) and future picks from the Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell trades. The Jazz also have substantial cap room to absorb salary.
Along with the Knicks and Jazz, the Suns, Timberwolves and Celtics are among the teams with late first-rounders entertaining trade possibilities that could move them up or down in the draft.

Celtics Notes: Horford, Brissett, Holiday, Lundberg

June 23rd, 2024 at 9:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Al Horford could have gone out on top, but that’s not on his agenda. The veteran Celtics big man says he wants to keep playing next season and beyond, as he told Jared Weiss of The Athletic (video link).

“I’m coming back. That’s the plan. … I’ll start training in a couple weeks again,” he said.

Horford, 38, has one year left on his contract and will make $9.5MM next season. If all goes well, he might be seeking another contract next offseason.

“I feel good, I want to keep it going,” he said.

We have more Celtics news:

Oshae Brissett will reportedly decline his player option and become an unrestricted free agent. That doesn’t necessarily mean he’s leaving, Brian Robb of MassLive.com writes. The Celtics still have the option to bring back Brissett on a veteran’s minimum deal or with Non-Bird rights. However, Brissett might prefer to find a bigger role in another organization. If he signs elsewhere, Jordan Walsh could move up the depth chart.
Mike Guevera, Jrue Holiday‘s longtime performance coach, marvels at how much time and effort Holiday puts into his workouts, “I’ve been doing this for 16 years. In my career, he’s approached the off-court stuff probably more intensely than the on-court stuff better than anybody I’ve worked with across the board in the NFL and the NBA,” Guevera told Sportskeeda’s Mark Medina.
Forward Gabriel Lundberg, who played four games for Phoenix in 2021/22, indicated that he turned down an offer from the Celtics, according to Thomas Picture of TV2 Sport. It apparently would have been a training camp invite, rather than a guaranteed contract. “Boston (was) very honest and transparent in their approach to me. I would have become something like the 15th man on the team and really only a training player,” he said. “So nothing with guaranteed playing time or opportunities. It doesn’t work for me anymore.” Lundberg has instead signed a two-year contract with the Serbia’s Partizan Belgrade.

Celtics’ Brissett To Decline Option, Become Free Agrent

June 23rd, 2024 at 5:05pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Oshae Brissett will decline his $2.5MM option in order to become an unrestricted free agent, Spotrac’s Keith Smith tweets.

Brissett signed a two-year contract with the Celtics at the start of free agency late last June. He appeared in 55 regular-season games with the Celtics, including one start, and averaged 3.7 PPG and 2.9 RPG in 11.5 MPG.

The 26-year-old came off the bench in 10 postseason contests, averaging 1.6 PPG and 1.4 RPG in 5.5 MPG. His biggest impact during the championship run came in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals against Indiana when he collected three rebounds and three steals in 12 minutes.

A 6’7″ combo forward, Brissett went undrafted in 2019 after two college seasons at Syracuse. He originally signed an Exhibit 10 deal with his hometown Raptors, which was converted into a two-way deal for his rookie season.

Brissett was waived by Toronto in December 2020, later catching on with the Pacers in April 2021 on a couple of 10-day contracts. He played so well for Indiana to close ’20/21 (he averaged 10.9 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 1.0 BPG and 0.9 SPG on .483/.423/.769 shooting in 24 games) that he earned a multiyear contract for the veteran’s minimum.

His numbers declined in ’21/22, but were still solid enough for his contract. However, his role was further reduced in ’22/23, with Brissett averaging 6.1 PPG and 3.4 RPG while shooting 31% from three-point range in 65 games (16.7 MPG).

Brissett will have a busy summer as he looks for a new team, though he could still circle back and re-sign with Boston. He has also been named to Team Canada’s preliminary Olympic roster.

And-Ones: Italy, Melli, Biggest Need, NBA, France, Paul

June 23rd, 2024 at 10:05am CST by Rory Maher

The Italian national team has trimmed its roster down to 13 players ahead of next month’s Olympic qualifying tournament in Puerto Rico, writes Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops. Italy will have to cut one more player to finalize its 12-man roster.

Veteran forward Danilo Gallinari, who spent last season with Wizards, Pistons and Bucks, is the only current NBA player on Italy’s roster. The 35-year-old’s contract with Milwaukee expires at the end of June, making him an unrestricted free agent. The current 13-man roster also features former NBA players Nico Mannion and Nicolo Melli. Pistons forward Simone Fontecchio, another Italian player, will not be participating with the national team after undergoing toe surgery last month.

In order to advance to the Olympics in late July, Italy will have to win the six-team tournament, which also features Bahrain, Puerto Rico, Ivory Coast, Lithuania and Mexico.

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

Melli, who played two seasons with New Orleans and Detroit from 2019-21, has spent most of his career with Olimpia Milano in Italy. However, the team decided to part ways with its captain, leaving his future unclear, as Eurohoops relays. “Two or three days ago, I received a 45-second phone call in which (coach) Ettore (Messina) told me the club decided to part ways with me. I repeat: it’s a legitimate choice, but I wasn’t told if the reason behind it was a technical matter or something else,” Melli said.
Zulfi Sheikh of Sportsnet.ca lists the biggest need for each of the NBA’s 30 teams ahead of free agency. According to Sheikh, the last-place Pistons need a wing who can space the floor, while the title-winning Celtics could use an eventual replacement for Al Horford. The 38-year-old, who is under contract through 2024/25, recently suggested he doesn’t plan to retire this summer.
The NBA and the LNB (France’s top basketball league) are working to finalize a development program to improve the domestic options of talented young players in France, per Théo Quintard of Le Monde (hat tip to Askounis of Eurohoops). “This program will allow a certain number of players to be supported and highlighted in order to magnify an already excellent French team,” Fabrice Jouhaud, the general director of the LNB, told Le Monde. According to Quintard, the NBA could pay the salaries of certain draft prospects to help the LNB remain competitive with other organizations, such as Australia’s NBL and the NCAA. “The clubs will also benefit from logistical and financial assistance to encourage them to trust young people,” Jouhaud said.
Rich Paul of Klutch Sports spoke to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer about his strategy of trying to steer draft-eligible clients to preferred destinations. Paul was candid last week about which teams he believes are interested in Bronny James.

Celtics Notes: Brown, Horford, Mazzulla, Offseason

June 22nd, 2024 at 5:25pm CST by Arthur Hill

Even the fans who booed when Jaylen Brown‘s name was announced at a 2016 draft party have to admit the Celtics made the right choice, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. On his way to capturing an NBA title and the Finals MVP trophy, Brown faced plenty of doubters throughout his eight years in Boston, including those who believed he and Jayson Tatum couldn’t play together, those who wanted him traded for Kevin Durant, and those who thought he was wildly overpaid when he signed a five-year, $286MM extension last offseason.

“Just the story and the journey is awesome,” Brown said. “You know, just being drafted here in Boston, like a lot of the people probably didn’t watch me play in the Pac-12 at Cal. It led to a lot of people feeling a way about that. I just came in and kept my head down and told myself, ‘I’m going to just keep working.’ And to be here in this moment now, through all the years, through all the doubt, through all of the ups and downs, through all of the verdicts, through all of the everything, it just makes the story that much sweeter.”

Brown also addressed the possibility of repeating, something no NBA champion has been able to do since 2018. Boston is in position to keep virtually its entire roster intact, which Brown believes will provide an edge.

“I think we have an opportunity. I think we definitely have a window,” he said. “We take it one day at a time. We definitely have to make sure we stay healthy. But, you know, we’ll enjoy the summer, enjoy the moment, and then we get right back to it next year.”

There’s more from Boston:

This year’s title was especially meaningful to 38-year-old Al Horford, who discussed the bonds he has formed with fans throughout New England, per Jay King of The Athletic. Horford was grateful for the chance to return to the Celtics in a 2021 trade after leaving for Philadelphia in free agency in 2019. “I’ve been all over the country and I just haven’t seen the love, the care and the commitment from people towards not only their sports but their community,” he said.
Coach Joe Mazzulla has been dealing with a torn meniscus in his knee, but he was one of the most active figures during Friday’s championship parade, observes Brian Robb of MassLive. Mazzulla, who jumped off his duck boat and ran through the street to high-five fans, said the injury helped him focus during the latter part of the season. “I’ll tell you what, it was one of the best things that happened to me for the rest of the season because it put me in this fight or flight mentality where I could just not relax,” Mazzulla said. “I had to constantly train to keep it pain-free, had to constantly get physical therapy. My physical therapist has been great and it was just awesome. I’ve been thinking about maybe getting hurt every All-Star break.”
Any changes the Celtics make this offseason are likely to come at the margins, notes Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. Backup centers Luke Kornet and Xavier Tillman are both unrestricted free agents, but Himmelsbach believes Boston likes the flexibility they offer and will try to re-sign them using Bird rights. Oshae Brissett has a player option on his minimum-salary deal, while the team holds an option on Neemias Queta, and Svi Mykhailiuk will be a free agent. Himmelsbach suggests the Celtics might keep a roster spot or two open in case there are ring-chasing veterans willing to sign for a discount. He also notes that Brad Stevens will be picking in the first round at this week’s draft for the first time since taking over as team president. Boston, which holds the 30th pick, hasn’t made a first-round selection since 2020.

And-Ones: Role Players, Extension Candidates, Team Tiers, SLC Summer League

June 22nd, 2024 at 11:55am CST by Tristan Tucker

Derrick White was a home-run addition for the Celtics back in 2022. After he was acquired for a modest package from the Spurs, White established himself as one of the best defenders in the league and played a crucial role in Boston’s title run. Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer takes a look at 10 other role players league-wide who could follow in White’s footsteps and play important parts on title contenders down the line.

O’Connor breaks the 10 players down into three categories. Hidden gems are players who had some success in their careers but were willing to tweak their games to help their teams win, like White and Denver’s Bruce Brown last year. Reinventable talents are players like Kristaps Porzingis or Aaron Gordon who were lottery talents who were best able to showcase their skills in downsized roles. Lastly, proven veterans like Jrue Holiday and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, guys who have title game experience, are crucial to success.

Collin Sexton, Ayo Dosunmu, Deni Avdija, Day’Ron Sharpe and Luke Kennard make up O’Connor’s hidden gems category; Anfernee Simons, Jerami Grant and Patrick Williams are the reinventable talents; and Mikal Bridges and Bruce Brown are proven veterans to trade for, with Brown having switched categories following his success in Denver.

It remains to be seen which of these players are actually obtainable but most, if not all, have found their names in trade rumors at one point or another. Williams (restricted), Kennard (team option) and Brown (team option) could all hit free agency this summer.

We have more from around the basketball world:

Jayson Tatum is eligible for a super-max, five-year extension worth up to $315MM this offseason. Fresh off a title, extending him will be a priority for the Celtics. ESPN’s Bobby Marks analyzes 17 stars across the league who are extension-eligible, including Tatum and White (ESPN+ link). Joel Embiid, Jimmy Butler, Donovan Mitchell and Brandon Ingram are other key extension candidates to watch, as all are eligible in July.
As it stands, Boston might be the one fully-formed title contender heading into the offseason, with teams like the Mavericks, Nuggets, Timberwolves and Thunder all considered one move away from launching into that tier, according to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps (ESPN+ link). Bontemps breaks down all 30 teams into tiers heading into the summer, including contenders, emerging teams, those who are stuck, and those who are rebuilding. Two teams — the Heat and the Warriors — are teams with big money tied up but have huge questions about their identity. Bontemps also identifies the Rockets and Grizzlies as teams who could move up in the Western Conference’s hierarchy next season.
The NBA announced its three-day schedule for Salt Lake City Summer League, with the Thunder, Sixers, Grizzlies and Jazz set to compete. The event tips off on July 8 and runs through July 10. Day one provides matchups between the Thunder (who hold the No. 12 pick) and Sixers (No. 16 pick), as well as the Grizzlies (No. 9 pick) and Jazz (No. 10 pick). Some younger players like Utah’s Taylor Hendricks and Brice Sensabaugh could see playing time in the event, as well as each team’s 2024 draftees.

Atlantic Notes: Randle, LaVine, Sixers, Newton, Nets, Stevens

June 20th, 2024 at 8:03pm CST by Luke Adams

Appearing on the latest episode of the 7PM in Brooklyn podcast (YouTube link), Knicks forward Julius Randle spoke about the frustrating process of trying to rehab his right shoulder injury during the second half of the 2023/24 season in the hopes of making it back for the playoffs, only to ultimately opt for season-ending surgery.

“I’m rehabbing for two-and-a-half months, knowing my shoulder ain’t good,” Randle said (hat tip to Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. “So it’s a situation where it’s like, ‘Do I play and know that I’m going to miss six or seven months after we’re done playing?’ So I’m probably not playing until the next year. And I’m not good. So can I help the team? I don’t think I can get a rebound. I can’t fall. I feel like if I fall my shoulder is going to come out. So I’m dealing with that.

“I’m also dealing with the part like I feel selfish, like I’m letting the guys down. Then it came to the point where I don’t even want to be around because I’m trying to work to come back but I feel like I’m a distraction. I feel like an outcast. I’m like, let me just stay away, they’re doing great, let me just be around and support when I can. So I had to get out of my own way of my own ego and be like, all right, once I made that decision, deal with it, and keep moving and support the best way you can. But that s–t was tough.”

Randle underwent surgery on his troublesome shoulder in early April, with the Knicks announcing that he would be reevaluated in five months. That would put his evaluation on track for early September, with no guarantee that the star forward will be ready for training camp a few weeks later. However, Randle suggested he feels good about the progress he’s made — and about his chances of being ready to go in the fall.

“I’m getting there. It’s a process. It’s something that’s going to take a long time. I knew that going into it,” he said. “But I’m ahead of schedule, I’m feeling good. I’m healthy. I’ll be ready when the season starts.”

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago reported earlier today that the Sixers are among the teams that have talked to the Bulls about Zach LaVine, then reiterated that report in a story published this evening following Chicago’s Alex Caruso/Josh Giddey trade agreement with Oklahoma City. However, a league source tells Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports (Twitter link) that Philadelphia isn’t interested in pursuing LaVine.
UConn’s Tristen Newton was among the prospects who took part in the Sixers‘ pre-draft workout on Thursday, tweets Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Newton is the No. 66 prospect on ESPN’s big board.
Eben Novy-Williams and Scott Soshnick of Sportico provide more information on the minority stake that Julia Koch and her family are buying in BSE Global, the parent company of the Nets. The deal will include $688MM in cash, per Sportico, with much of that money being put toward outstanding debts.
Brad Stevens coached a number of the players who helped lead the Celtics to a title this spring and acquired several of the others. Michael Pina of The Ringer takes a look at the role the head-coach-turned-executive played in Boston winning its record-setting 18th championship.

JVG, Team Agreed He Should Go To Clippers

June 20th, 2024 at 10:58am CST by Dana Gauruder

Jeff Van Gundy and the Celtics’ brass mutually agreed it would be better for him to become the lead assistant with the Clippers rather than taking a similar job with Boston, according to Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe.

Van Gundy was a candidate to replace former associate head coach Charles Lee, who is leaving to coach the Hornets. But the Celtics were somewhat uneasy about the prospect of Van Gundy, a senior consultant for the organization, leapfrogging members of the coaching staff and getting the job. The Celtics are expected to hire Lee’s replacement from an in-house candidate, Himmelsbach adds.

Atlantic Notes: Knicks Offseason, New York Targets, Celtics, Marinkovic

June 19th, 2024 at 10:45pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Knicks have a busy offseason ahead of them, but have a solid foundation of returning players, led by Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle, Spotrac’s Keith Smith writes in his offseason preview. Donte DiVincenzo, Josh Hart, Mitchell Robinson and Miles McBride are under contract, as is Bojan Bogdanovic, though his salary is only partially guaranteed for now and he may be used as a trade chip.

Still, New York has two key free agents to take care of: OG Anunoby and Isaiah Hartenstein. The Knicks may have an easier time signing Anunoby, who is expected to explore unrestricted free agency but whose full Bird rights are held by New York. A four-year, $160MM deal makes sense for Anunoby, Smith writes, given his production and what the team sent out to trade for him (Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett and draft capital).

However, the Knicks are limited to offering Hartenstein an average annual salary of about $18.1MM, which could be topped by teams with ample cap space like the Thunder and Magic, each of whom may have interest. Nonetheless, it’s not impossible Hartenstein opts to return. The difference in what he might earn from another team and from New York might not be sizable enough for him to want to make a drastic scenery change, given his current role. Smith writes the Knicks could look to agree to a two-year deal with Hartenstein that allows him to hit free agency again before he turns 28 and gives the club full Bird rights, when the cap is expected to increase.

If the Knicks re-sign both Anunoby and Hartenstein, Smith points out they’ll almost certainly be a second apron team, which would limit their ability to trade for a star player, something they’ve seemed poised to do for some time. What New York decides to do with its two biggest free agents will also likely impact the team’s willingness to bring back free agents such as Precious Achiuwa, Alec Burks and Jericho Sims.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

In the second half of a two-part series, Fred Katz of The Athletic examines the names that might arise this offseason if the Knicks pursue a star, considering how realistic each player would be as a trade target. Devin Booker, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Lauri Markkanen, Brandon Ingram, Joel Embiid and Zach LaVine are the names mentioned by Katz, but only a Markkanen deal feels like it might make sense for both sides.
The Celtics almost made a number of massive moves in the build-up to what led to their 2024 title team. They had trade talks over the years about Anthony Davis, Jimmy Butler, Paul George, Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard, and had a godfather offer out to the Hornets with an eye toward moving up to No. 9 in the 2015 draft to select Justise Winslow. Any of those moves could have drastically altered Boston’s timeline. In a piece exploring Boston’s process to building a championship team, ESPN’s Zach Lowe (ESPN+ link) reports that the Celtics tried to acquire a second lottery pick in 2017 in order to select Donovan Mitchell, and again attempted to trade for him after Utah selected him.
Vanja Marinkovic will return to Partizan Mozzart Bet, with whom he has played 119 career games, after signing a two-year deal with them on Monday, the team announced. Marinkovic’s draft rights are held by the Nets after Brooklyn acquired them in the three-team deal that sent Royce O’Neale to the Suns. Marinkovic was the No. 60 overall pick in 2019.

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