Boston Celtics Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Celtics’ Enes Kanter Picks Up 2020/21 Player Option

November 19th, 2020 at 3:15pm CST by Luke Adams

Celtics center Enes Kanter has picked up his player option for the 2020/21 season, reports Tim Bontemps of ESPN (Twitter link). The move locks in his $5MM salary for the coming year.

A report last month suggested that Kanter might surprise a lot of people by entering the free agent market. Given the current economic climate, as well as Kanter’s diminished role during the restart, he ultimately chose to keep the guaranteed money.

Kanter was part of the Celtics’ big man rotation most of the regular season, averaging 8.1 PPG and 7.4 RPG in 16.9 MPG. His defensive shortcomings and lack of a perimeter shot led coach Brad Stevens to lean on Daniel Theis in the postseason. Kanter, 28, made only 11 playoff appearances and averaged just 9.3 MPG in those outings.

Kanter doesn’t figure to get significant playing time next season but his expiring contract could come in handy at some point for Boston’s front office.

Knicks Eyeing Gordon Hayward

November 19th, 2020 at 3:11pm CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks have been aggressive in their pursuit of Celtics forward Gordon Hayward this week, sources tell Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link).

Hayward’s decision on his $34.2MM player option for 2020/21 is due this afternoon, and Stein suggests there’s a “growing belief” around the league that the veteran could turn down that option. If he does, New York may emerge as his most logical landing spot, given that the team is projected to have upwards of $40MM in cap room after its series of roster moves today.

However, Ian Begley of SNY.tv throws some cold water on the idea of Hayward making the move to New York. According to Begley (via Twitter), some people in the Knicks’ front office have had interest in acquiring Hayward, but it’s considered less likely now that the team has used its picks in the 2020 draft.

The Hawks, another team that will have significant cap room this weekend, have also been identified as a potential suitor for Hayward. We should find out soon whether he has decided to opt into the final year of his contract with the Celtics or if he’ll hit the open market tomorrow.

Grizzlies To Acquire No. 30 Pick, Draft Desmond Bane

November 18th, 2020 at 9:57pm CST by Luke Adams

UPDATE: This trade was folded into a larger three-team deal and is now official.

The Grizzlies have agreed to acquire the No. 30 pick from the Celtics, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter links). Memphis will use the selection to draft TCU shooting guard Desmond Bane, Woj adds.

In exchange for that No. 30 pick, Boston will receive two future second-round picks from the Grizzlies, tweets Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe.

The Celtics had three first-round selections but didn’t want to add that many rookies to a team with championship aspirations. They will apparently retain their first two picks — Vanderbilt’s Aaron Nesmith (No. 14) and Oregon’s Payton Pritchard (No. 26).

Bane, 22, is viewed as one of the draft’s best shooters and could compete for a rotation spot as a rookie. He improved his draft stock with strong workouts and interviews, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.

A four-year college player, Bane averaged 16.6 PPG, 6.4 RPG and 3.9 APG as a senior.

Kennard To Clippers, Shamet To Nets In Three-Team Trade

November 18th, 2020 at 8:48pm CST by Luke Adams

The Clippers, Nets, and Pistons have agreed to a trade, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN and Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter links).

Wojnarowski and Charania report that Brooklyn will acquire Landry Shamet in the three-team trade, with Luke Kennard going to the Clippers and the Pistons acquiring Rodney McGruder and the No. 19 overall pick in tonight’s draft (Twitter link). Detroit selected Villanova forward Saddiq Bey using that selection.

The Clippers are betting that Kennard, who averaged 15.8 PPG on .442/.399/.893 shooting in 28 games for Detroit last season, will be an upgrade on Shamet, who recorded 9.3 PPG on .404/.375/.855 shooting in 53 games.

The Clippers also discussed a bigger trade with the Celtics which included Shamet, Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo tweets.

Kennard has a slightly less favorable contract than Shamet — he’s extension-eligible this fall and will be a restricted free agent in 2021 if he doesn’t sign a new deal. He’ll earn $5.3MM in 2020/21. Shamet, meanwhile, will earn $2MM in ’20/21 and $3.8MM in ’21/22 before potentially reaching restricted free agency in 2022.

Kennard is coming off an injury-marred season in which he played just 28 games due to tendinitis in both knees. However, he looked completely healthy during the team’s workouts in September.

Shamet provides another rotation guard for the Nets at a reasonable salary.

Bey is the third first-round pick by Detroit. It earlier selected Euro guard Killian Hayes at No. 7 and Washington center Isaiah Stewart at No. 16.

Draft Rumors: Warriors, Smart, Wolves, Thunder, Cavs, More

November 18th, 2020 at 6:06pm CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors and Celtics had some discussions about a deal that would have involved the No. 2 pick and guard Marcus Smart according to Matt Moore of ActionNetwork.com. Sources tell Moore that those talks didn’t ultimately gain traction and aren’t expected to resume after the Celtics rejected a counter-offer from Golden State.

Michael Scotto of HoopsHype confirms that the Celtics called the Warriors to gauge their interest in moving the No. 2 pick and made Smart available, but talks “didn’t escalate.”

Here’s more on the draft as we prepare for what should be a fun night:

Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer (Twitter link) is hearing that the Timberwolves will likely remain at No. 1, barring a “blockbuster” move. However, it sounds like the No. 17 pick is still very much in play. Jeremy Woo of SI.com reports (via Twitter) that the Thunder are exploring a deal for the No. 17 pick.
Isaac Okoro is rising on the Cavaliers‘ board, according to Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report (Twitter link), who says if Cleveland trades down to No. 8, it would likely hinge on the team’s ability to land Okoro at that spot.
The Clippers are looking to buy a second-round pick and/or trade up from No. 57, league sources tell Scotto.
The Suns could still trade down from No. 10 or use the pick in a deal for a veteran player, but they’re unlikely to move up, tweets John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7.

"Mutual Interest" Between Pacers, Hayward

November 18th, 2020 at 4:38pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files tweets that there is “mutual interest” between Celtics forward Gordon Hayward, beloved for his college tenure at Butler, and the Pacers. The clearest path to adding the former All-Star would be a sign-and-trade, which would require Hayward opting out of his $34.2MM player option for the 2020/21 season.

Celtics Hoping To Offload Draft Picks

November 18th, 2020 at 1:15pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

With a current commitment to 16 players on their roster, the Celtics are looking to offload some of their three draft picks this season, according to John Hollinger of The Athletic. The Celtics would could achieve this by packaging their Nos. 14, 26, and 30 picks to move into the top 10. As we previously detailed, Boston could be looking to move as high as the top three. Alternately, the team could perhaps look to flip the No. 14 pick for a future first-rounder and use the lower two picks as draft-and-stash options, or trade the lower picks along with little-used role players.

Draft Rumors: Hayes, Nesmith, Anthony, Okongwu, Hawks, More

November 18th, 2020 at 10:47am CST by Luke Adams

In his latest mock draft in advance of tonight’s event, Jeremy Woo of SI.com shares several interesting tidbits, writing that Killian Hayes is “strongly in play” for the Pistons at No. 7 and suggesting there’s some concern about Aaron Nesmith‘s injured foot, which ended his season at Vanderbilt.

Woo also hears from sources that Cole Anthony has interviewed in recent days with multiple teams outside the top 20 and that the Celtics and Spurs would be among the teams with interest in Onyeka Okongwu if he slides out of the top 10 due to his foot injury.

Woo reports that there’s “significant traction” for Devin Vassell within the Knicks‘ front office, making him a viable option at No. 8 if the team stays put. Finally, Woo says the Celtics have shown interest in Duke big man Vernon Carey Jr., who could be an option at No. 26 or No. 30.

Here’s more on the 2020 NBA draft:

The Hawks are currently planning to keep and use the No. 6 pick tonight, a source tells Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). That could change if Atlanta gets a surprise last-minute offer, Wasserman cautions, but for the time being, it sounds as if the team is comfortable staying put.
We still don’t know with any certainty which player the Timberwolves will select with the No. 1 pick tonight, but Georgia guard Anthony Edwards has emerged as the betting favorite at Las Vegas sportsbooks, writes David Purdum of ESPN.com.
While USC big man Onyeka Okongwu may not be ready for training camp due to a foot injury, it sounds like the issue shouldn’t impact his draft stock too significantly. One source who spoke to Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer (Twitter link) predicted that Okongwu will still likely come off the board before the Wizards pick at No. 9.

Cavs Discussing No. 5 Pick With Knicks, Others

November 18th, 2020 at 9:45am CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers are receiving interest in the No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, who reports that the Pistons (No. 7), Knicks (No. 8), and Celtics (No. 14) are among the teams that have engaged in discussions with Cleveland.

The Knicks just moved up from No. 27 to No. 23 in a trade with Utah and may try to package that pick with No. 8 in an attempt to improve their lottery pick, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Knicks and Cavs have been the two teams in the top eight most frequently connected to Dayton forward Obi Toppin, so it’s possible he could be the target on New York’s radar in a move up, though that’s not confirmed.

The Pistons, meanwhile, have been linked often to Florida State’s Patrick Williams. If he’s still on the board at No. 5, Detroit may have interest in moving up to land him — or to leapfrog Atlanta at No. 6 for Tyrese Haliburton, Fedor suggests.

According to Fedor, the Cavs have their eye on a number of players in the second tier of the draft, including Toppin, Haliburton, Deni Avdija, and Isaac Okoro, among others. Moving down to No. 7 or No. 8 could allow them to “declutter their options” while picking up an extra asset or two.

It’s unclear how interested the Cavaliers would be in moving all the way down to No. 14, which is Boston’s top first-rounder. Cleveland sees a drop in talent after the top 10 or 11 prospects in this year’s draft class, says Fedor. There has been some speculation about a possible Gordon Hayward trade involving the Cavs and Celtics, but it’s not clear if that’s something the two sides have even discussed.

Trade Rumors: Celtics, Hayward, Kings, Magic, Fournier, More

November 18th, 2020 at 9:26am CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics continue to search for potential pathways to get into the top three of tonight’s NBA draft, league sources tell Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link). An earlier report suggested the C’s haven’t had much luck gaining traction on a move into the mid-lottery using their current three first-round picks (Nos. 14, 26, and 30).

It’s unclear if a potential deal involving Gordon Hayward would provide a path for the Celtics to move up in the draft. Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe (Twitter link) hears that the team is “mostly in a holding pattern” with Hayward for the time being.

Following up on a Tuesday report which indicated that the Hawks are eyeing Hayward, Jared Weiss of The Athletic cites a person familiar with the forward’s thinking who says Hayward wants to be a core part of a winning team and may not be interested in a move to Atlanta. Weiss wonders if the report linking Hayward to the Hawks may have been leaked to increase the 30-year-old’s leverage as he weighs his player option decision.

Meanwhile, in his latest Hoop Collective podcast, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst theorized that the Cavaliers, who hold the No. 5 pick, could be a landing spot for Hayward. Cleveland has interest in Hayward, according to Windhorst, who speculated that the Cavs and Celtics could be open to a deal that involves Andre Drummond and a draft-pick swap. Of course, if Hayward is prioritizing playing for a contender, he may try to angle to avoid a move to Cleveland.

Here are a few more trade-related notes and rumors, with the draft around the corner:

Also in Windhorst’s latest Hoop Collective podcast, he and colleague Zach Lowe identified the Kings and Magic as two teams that may be looking to get a little younger this offseason rather than being content with competing again for the No. 8 seed. Nemanja Bjelica was identified by Lowe as a possible trade candidate to watch in Sacramento, while Windhorst added that Orlando would likely be open to moving Evan Fournier.
Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News (Twitter link) wouldn’t be surprised if the Mavericks renew their interest in shooting guard Danny Green, who is being sent to Oklahoma City in a deal for Dennis Schröder. Dallas attempted to sign Green in free agency a year ago, and the rebuilding Thunder are unlikely to be too attached to him.
Although the Nuggets had interest in acquiring Jrue Holiday, they were surprised by what it cost Milwaukee to land him and didn’t feel pressure to make as significant an offer as the Bucks did, as Mike Singer of The Denver Post explains.