Boston Celtics Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Celtics Seeking Taker For Aron Baynes

June 20th, 2019 at 8:16am CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics are looking for a team with cap space to absorb Aron Baynes‘ $5.4MM contract for next season, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Baynes has an expiring deal, so it would only be a one-year commitment.

With Kyrie Irving and Al Horford both expected to leave, Boston is trying to shed salary for a run at another free agent. By unloading Baynes’ deal without taking back money, the Celtics could reach about $23MM in cap space. The team could get to $34MM by renouncing its remaining free agents, notes Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston (Twitter link), but that would mean parting with Terry Rozier and Marcus Morris.

Baynes, 32, managed just 51 games this year in an injury-plagued season. He averaged 5.6 points and 4.7 rebounds in about 16 minutes per night.

Wolves Trying To Deal For No. 4 Pick

June 19th, 2019 at 9:15pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Timberwolves are trying to move up the draft board and have discussed a deal with the Pelicans involving the No. 4 pick, tweets Marc Stein of The New York Times.

Stein doesn’t specify the target of such a move, but Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic presumes its Vanderbilt’s Darius Garland. Jeff Teague is entering the final year of his contract and Derrick Rose is a free agent, so the Wolves may be looking for a fresh option at point guard.

New president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas came from a star-chasing atmosphere in Houston and hopes to make a splash before his first draft in Minnesota.

“There are really good pieces on our roster. There’s a strong core,” Rosas said. “But at the same time, you win in this league with high-end players. We’re fortunate that we have a high-end player (in Karl-Anthony Towns). We have the potential for other players on our roster to be high-end players. That’s going to be part of our philosophy and part of our development and player wellness. But we are going to be very aggressive in looking at any and all opportunities to add talent to this base.”

The Wolves would have to pay a high price to move up seven slots, and Pelicans executive David Griffin has said he wants a young veteran with star potential in return. Krawczynski suggests a package including the No. 11 pick and either Josh Okogie or Robert Covington, but acknowledges the Hawks and Celtics could easily beat those offers.

“A high-end talent that is available we’re always gonna be looking at,” Rosas said. “We’re always gonna be making calls; whether it’s the trade route, high picks in the draft, or even as we prepare for free agency as well.”

Nets Debating Whether To Sign Irving Without Durant

June 19th, 2019 at 8:42pm CST by Arthur Hill

Brooklyn is believed to be Kyrie Irving‘s top choice in free agency, but Nets officials aren’t unanimous in wanting him if they don’t sign Kevin Durant as well, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post.

Adding Irving would mean giving up on restricted free agent D’Angelo Russell, who is a younger and less expensive option and who blossomed into a star during his two years in Brooklyn.

Irving is eligible for a four-year, $141MM contract with a starting salary of $32MM, while a max deal for Russell would pay him $117MM over four years, starting at $27MM. Russell also strongly wants to stay in Brooklyn, telling Lewis he hopes to be a “Net for life.”

“If we’re being completely honest, I enjoyed the team that we had this whole season,” Russell said. “I’m not going to say I didn’t enjoy our team and the pieces we had around.”

Lewis notes that some teams expected to pursue Irving have backed away because of the turmoil that surrounded him in Boston.

With Russell’s cap hold in place, the Nets have about $46MM in cap space, but that number grows to nearly $68MM if he is renounced, enough for two max offers. Lewis adds that if they don’t land Irving and Durant, then Sixers forward Tobias Harris and Celtics big man Al Horford could be considered for those deals.

Latest On The Mike Conley Trade

June 19th, 2019 at 6:38pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Jazz had been targeting Mike Conley for months before pulling off today’s trade with Memphis, writes Tony Jones of The Athletic. Utah made a strong push to get Conley before the February deadline, offering Ricky Rubio, two first-round picks and other expiring contracts that would have provided the Grizzlies with cap relief this summer.

Jones cites “frustration” among Jazz management, which believed Conley would be a difference maker in the postseason, when the offer wasn’t accepted. Utah finished with the fifth seed and a first-round playoff ouster.

“What we found out this year,” Jazz executive Dennis Lindsey said after the season ended, “is that while we were a good team, we weren’t a great team.”

The organization sees Conley as a path to becoming great, viewing him as one of the best pick-rand-roll guards in the league and a strong leader in the locker room. The Jazz were willing to pay a heavy price in the deal, giving up Jae Crowder, Kyle Korver and Grayson Allen, plus this year’s first-round pick and a future conditional first-rounder. Sources tell Jones the Grizzlies insisted on Allen because they wanted “a young player with upside” and were impressed by how he improved during the season.

There’s more fallout from today’s trade:

The Pistons and Pacers were both contenders for Conley, but were unwilling to surrender two first-round picks, reports Zach Lowe of ESPN. Sources tell Lowe that even if the Pistons had agreed to meet that price, they might have insisted that Memphis take back Reggie Jackson and his $18MM contract. The Pacers, meanwhile, refused to give up the picks plus first-year guard Aaron Holiday.
The Jazz needed to send enough salary to Memphis to enable them to guarantee Derrick Favors‘ $16.9MM contract for next season without going over the salary cap, Lowe adds. He states that the decision to include Crowder in the deal instead of Dante Exum shows a lot of faith in the 23-year-old guard.
Lowe also notes that the trade will have a ripple effect on free agency. Utah no longer has the cap space for a max-level offer, which means one less suitor for the Sixers’ Tobias Harris. Point guards who had been hoping for an offer from Utah will also be disappointed. In addition, the trade increases the likelihood that the pick the Grizzlies owe the Celtics won’t convey until 2021, when it will be unprotected. The selection has top-six protection next year.
Donovan Mitchell is thrilled to have Conley as his new backcourt partner, tweets Eric Woodyard of The Deseret News. “He’s a great player,” Mitchell said. “He’s very underrated in my opinion. He does a lot of getting into the lane and being able to find guys and also I can learn a lot from him so as far as being a point guard.”

Draft Rumors: Knicks, Barrett, Herro, Porter, More

June 19th, 2019 at 4:10pm CST by Luke Adams

Although they brought in Vanderbilt point guard Darius Garland for a last-minute workout today, the Knicks remain locked in on selecting Duke forward R.J. Barrett with the No. 3 overall pick, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).

With just over 24 hours to go until the 2019 NBA draft, rumors continue to trickle in about which prospects other teams might be targeting with their first-round picks. Jeremy Woo and Jake Fischer of SI.com suggest that league sources believe the Celtics – who hold Nos. 14, 20, and 22 – have serious interest in Kentucky sharpshooter Tyler Herro. The SI duo also reports that the Spurs – who pick at 19 and 29 – are among the teams with real interest in Croatian forward Luka Samanic.

Woo and Fischer share a few more tidbits in their latest mock draft, writing that the Hornets, Heat, and Celtics are all showing “a degree of interest” in USC’s Kevin Porter Jr., who could be in play to come off the board near the end of the lottery.

League sources also tell SI.com that the Magic have put the No. 46 pick on the trade block and could sell it, with the Lakers, Wizards, and Trail Blazers among the teams believed to have interest in purchasing a second-rounder.

Here’s more on the draft:

Kevin Porter Jr. (USC), Nicolas Claxton (Georgia), and Mfiondu Kabengele (Florida State) have received last-minute invites to the Green Room for Thursday’s NBA draft, reports ESPN’s Jonathan Givony (Twitter links). That increases the number of prospects expected to be in attendance in the Green Room to 23, Givony notes.
Speaking today to reporters, including Jake Fischer of SI.com (Twitter link), Texas center Jaxson Hayes said he only worked out for two teams, the Bulls and Hawks, during the pre-draft process. Those clubs hold three top-10 picks between them.
UNC guard Coby White also confirmed his pre-draft workouts today, as Gina Mizell of The Athletic relays (via Twitter). White worked out for four lottery teams, including the Suns and Bulls, who are both believed to be in the market for a point guard.
Terry Harris, the younger brother of pending free agent Tobias Harris, is seeing his stock rise, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer relays (Twitter link). The younger Harris has worked out for the Suns and Thunder, among many other teams.

Chris Crouse contributed to this post.

Teams Near Top Of Draft Wondering About Jaylen Brown's Availability

June 19th, 2019 at 3:11pm CST by Luke Adams

Some teams near the top of the draft are wondering about Jaylen Brown‘s availability, tweets Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. There has been no indication that the Celtics would make Brown available, but one report indicated that Boston is among the teams that has considered trading for the No. 4 pick. A player like Brown would likely be needed to make that happen.

Horford Anticipating Four-Year, $100MM Offer?

June 19th, 2019 at 8:27am CST by Luke Adams

In a surprising development, Al Horford is expected to leave the Celtics to sign with a new team in free agency, as we relayed on Tuesday night. As ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski explains in his story on the situation, the gap between what Boston was willing to offer and what Horford is seeking on a long-term deal was too significant to bridge. The Celtics and Horford’s agent Jason Glushon aren’t expected to re-open talks, Woj adds.

According to Marc Stein of The New York Times (via Twitter), there’s a belief in front office circles that Horford knows there will be a four-year offer worth $100MM+ waiting for him in free agency, which led to talks with the Celtics breaking down.

Celtics Preparing For An Offseason Of Change

June 18th, 2019 at 11:52pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Slightly over a year ago, the overachieving Celtics were competing with LeBron James and the Cavaliers in the conference finals. The landscape in the Eastern Conference has changed dramatically over the ensuing 13 months and Boston has not been left out of the league-wide shake-up.

The franchise is now operating as if Kyrie Irving and Al Horford won’t be back. Irving has been in communication with the Celtics since the season ended and the point guard has been “forthright” about his intentions, sending both public and private signals that he’ll be departing in free agency, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets. Brooklyn will likely be Irving’s next destination.

Early in the season, Irving declared to a packed crowd at the TD Garden that he would be re-signing the club once his contract expired. That was before a 2018/19 season in which ‘chemistry’ became a buzzword akin to the words ‘disrupter’ or ‘synergy’ in corporate speak.

A number of factors contributed to the uneasiness in Boston’s locker room. Jackie MacMullan (via Dane Delgado of NBC Sports) hears that coach Brad Stevens’ dedication to Gordon Hayward caused some issues. Stevens wanted Hayward to regain confidence and he gave the wing opportunity after opportunity on the court to show his pre-injury form.

Stevens has a history with Hayward from their Butler University days, though the coach would have taken the same approach with any player coming back from a major injury. Hayward continued to struggle, proving he wasn’t ready for the minutes and with many mouths left unfed, the crabs-in-a-barrel mentality festered.

Next season, different elements will contribute to the team’s locker room chemistry. Hayward will outlast Irving in Boston, as the veteran wing has two more years left on his deal (the final year is a player option worth slightly less than $34.2MM). Horford appears set to be elsewhere, and new faces will surround the tandem of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown as the team hopes of remaining competitive in an enhanced Eastern Conference.

Last spring, the narrative out of Boston centered around how the team was ready to compete in the present but was also built for the future. The Celtics’ story is a lesson in never underestimating how much things can change in just one year.

Al Horford Expected To Sign Elsewhere

June 18th, 2019 at 6:43pm CST by ChrisCrouse

In a major turn of events, Al Horford is expected to sign a four-year deal with a team outside of Boston, according to Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald. Bulpett reports that Horford’s representation has ceased discussions with the Celtics on a new contract.

The big man decided to turn down his $30.1M player option for next season and was expected to entertain a three-year deal with the Celtics. The franchise was looking to bring Horford back on a lower annual salary in 2019/20 than he was scheduled to make in order to gain more cap flexibility. Boston believed the three-year deal was a fair trade-off.

The organization apparently has concerns about giving the 33-year-old Horford a four-year deal, so he will hit the free agent market looking to find that type of contract. The Celtics had been expected to lose Kyrie Irving in free agency, and are now preparing for both players to leave this summer, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

The Celtics will have roughly $70.2MM in guaranteed salaries on their books for the 2019/20 season with $32.7MM of that figure going to Gordon Hayward.

Atlantic Notes: Morris, Kawhi, Knicks, Sixers

June 18th, 2019 at 4:44pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Marcus Morris is not ruling out coming back to Boston next year, Yahoo Sports contributor Keith Smith hears (Twitter link). The combo forward enjoyed his time on the Celtics and believes he’ll have a major role on the team if he returns.

While a re-signing remains a possibility, Morris intends to test the free agent market to see what’s available for him. The Philadelphia native made slightly under $5.4MM during the 2018/19 season.

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Fred VanVleet said there is “nothing more” that the Raptors can do to re-sign Kawhi Leonard, ESPN relays. “The best way to recruit somebody is to just be yourself over the course of the year, and I would assume that he knows what is here and what makes this place special,” VanVleet said. “If it’s enough then it’s enough. If it’s not then it’s not.”
The Knicks are expected to add veteran coach Mike Miller to David Fizdale‘s coaching staff, Ian Begley of SNY.tv reports. Miller most recently served as the head coach of the club’s G League affiliate, the Westchester Knicks.
Darius Bazley was scheduled to work out for the Sixers today, but Villanova’s Joe Cremo will participate in drills instead, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. The Sixers own the No. 24 overall pick in addition for four second-rounders.