Boston Celtics Rumors | Hoops Rumors

How Early Hot, Cold Streaks May Impact Traded Draft Picks

November 9th, 2018 at 2:55pm CST by Luke Adams

The Raptors, Nuggets, Bucks, Grizzlies, and Kings are among the NBA teams that have made the strongest impression in the first month of the 2018/19 season, outperforming expectations early in the year. On the other end of the spectrum, the Cavaliers and Mavericks have been among the league’s worst teams, underperforming expectations that weren’t all that high to begin with.

These teams all have something in common — they’ve traded away their 2019 first-round picks, often with protections on them. We still have about 70 games to go in ’18/19, so it’s way too early to determine exactly where those picks will fall, or even whether or not they’ll changes hands in many cases. However, based on what we’ve seen from those teams so far, we have a better idea of what to expect the rest of the way than we did a month ago.

Let’s take a look at how some of those early-season trades may affect 2019’s traded first round picks…

Toronto Raptors (11-1)
First-round pick traded to Spurs (top-20 protected)

Even with top-20 protection, this pick looks like a very safe bet to change hands. If the season ended today, it would be No. 30, since Toronto has the NBA’s best record.

Denver Nuggets (9-2)
First-round pick traded to Nets (top-12 protected)

After a season in which the Nuggets narrowly missed the playoffs, it wasn’t unreasonable for Brooklyn to hope this pick would fall in the mid-teens. Instead, with Denver looking like one of the Western Conference’s best teams so far, it may land well into the 20s.

Milwaukee Bucks (9-2)
First-round pick traded to Suns (top-3 protected; 17-30 protected)

The unusual protections on this pick will likely to prevent it from changing hands for a second consecutive year, since it projects to fall in the 17-30 range. If Milwaukee’s 2019 first-rounder doesn’t convey, the Bucks would owe the Suns their 2020 first-rounder, with top-7 protection.

Memphis Grizzlies (6-4)
First-round pick traded to Celtics (top-8 protected)

After finishing last season with a 22-60 record, the Grizzlies were no lock to take a major step forward in 2018/19. In the early going though, the club looks like a legitimate playoff contender. Assuming Memphis can remain in the postseason mix, even if it’s just on the outskirts, this pick should stay out of the top eight and get sent to Boston.

Sacramento Kings (6-5)
First-round pick traded to Sixers (if it’s No. 1 overall or if it’s less favorable than Sixers’ pick) or Celtics (if it’s more favorable than Sixers’ pick and isn’t No. 1 overall)

The Kings, who were expected to be one of the NBA’s worst teams entering the season, would generate some fascinating drama between the Sixers and Celtics if their pick ends up in play for No. 1 overall. However, Sacramento’s young roster has created more problems than anticipated for opponents so far, with the team occupying a playoff spot for now.

Despite the Kings’ hot start, a finish in the lottery still seems likely, but if Sacramento keeps exceeding expectations, the team’s first-round pick will almost certainly end up in Boston instead of Philadelphia, avoiding that No. 1 spot.

Los Angeles Clippers (6-5)
First-round pick traded to Celtics (top-14 protected)

This could be one to watch all season long — the Clippers currently hold a playoff spot in the West by one game, but teams like the Jazz, Lakers, Pelicans, and Rockets are right on their tail. If the Clips eventually fall out of the top eight in the West, they’ll keep their 2019 pick and would owe Boston their top-14 protected 2020 first-rounder. If L.A. keeps winning, the Celtics have a real shot at ending up with four first-rounders next spring.

Dallas Mavericks (3-8)
First-round pick traded to Hawks (top-5 protected)

After drafting NBA-ready prospect Luka Doncic and signing DeAndre Jordan, the Mavericks hoped to contend for the postseason and expected to lose this pick. Given the way Dallas has struggled so far, that no longer looks like a sure thing. I don’t view the Mavs as a bottom-five team in the NBA, but if they don’t turn things around soon, an aggressive second-half tank is a possibility. The Hawks would love for this pick to land in the back half of the top 10.

Cleveland Cavaliers (1-10)
First-round pick traded to Hawks (top-10 protected)

While Atlanta may luck out with the Mavs’ pick, the Hawks will probably have to wait at least one more year to get anything from the Cavaliers, who have the NBA’s worst record so far and aren’t exactly in position to turn things around. If the Cavs keep their 2019 first-rounder, they’ll owe the Hawks their top-10 protected 2020 pick.

NBA Super-Max Candidates To Watch In 2018/19

November 9th, 2018 at 12:05pm CST by Luke Adams

The Designated Veteran Extension, as we explain our glossary entry on the subject, is a relatively new addition to the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. It allows players with 7-9 years of experience, who would normally qualify for a maximum starting salary of 30% of the cap, to qualify for a “super-max” contract that starts at 35% of the cap, a level normally reserved players with 10+ years of experience.

A player who has seven or eight years of NBA service with one or two years left on his contract becomes eligible for a Designated Veteran Extension if he meets the required performance criteria and hasn’t been traded since his first four years in the league. A Designated Veteran contract can also be signed by a player who is technically a free agent if he has eight or nine years of service and meets the required criteria.

The performance criteria is as follows (only one of the following must be true):

The player was named to an All-NBA team in the most recent season, or in two of the last three seasons.
The player was named the NBA MVP in any of the three most recent seasons.
The player was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year in the most recent season, or in two of the last three seasons.

With those criteria in mind, it’s worth keeping an eye on several players who could qualify for a super-max veteran contract with their play this season. Let’s dive in and examine a few of those guys…

Players who already qualify for a super-max contract:

Anthony Davis (Pelicans)

Davis can’t yet sign a Designated Veteran Extension, but his All-NBA appearances over the last two seasons have ensured that he’ll qualify, even if he somehow doesn’t earn another All-NBA nod in 2018/19.

As of next July, the Pelicans will be able to offer Davis a contract extension that tacks an additional five years onto his $27.09MM salary for 2019/20. Based on the NBA’s latest cap projection for 2020/21 ($118MM), that five-year extension would be worth a staggering $239.54MM.

Players who could qualify for a super-max contract by meeting the criteria in 2018/19:

Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks)
Bradley Beal (Wizards)
Andre Drummond (Pistons)
Draymond Green (Warriors)
Damian Lillard (Trail Blazers)
Klay Thompson (Warriors)
Kemba Walker (Hornets)

Technically, any player who earns an All-NBA spot in 2018/19 and meets the contract criteria can qualify for a super-max, but the players listed above are probably the only legitimately viable candidates. And even in this group, guys like Beal and Drummond are a real stretch — if they were to improbably make an All-NBA team, their clubs still probably wouldn’t put Designated Veteran Extension offers on the table, since they’re not bona fide superstars.

Thompson and Walker will both be unrestricted free agents in 2019, so if they meet the DVE criteria, they’d be eligible for five-year contracts with their respective teams worth up to a projected $221.27MM. Lillard and Green are still under contract for at least one more year beyond this season, but they’d qualify for super-max extensions if they meet the criteria — Lillard could get an extra four years, while Green could get five.

A team can only give Designated Veteran Extensions to two players, so the Warriors wouldn’t be able to offer both Thompson and Green super-max contracts, since Stephen Curry already has one. On the plus side, Kevin Durant won’t figure into this equation for Golden State, since he has 10+ years of experience. A deal starting at 35% of the cap for Durant wouldn’t count toward the Dubs’ super-max limit.

Finally, while Antetokounmpo can qualify for a super-max by earning All-NBA honors this season, he wouldn’t actually be able to sign such a deal until 2020, since he’ll only have six years of experience at the end of the 2018/19 campaign. Essentially, he’d be in the same spot that Anthony Davis is in now.

Players who can no longer qualify for a super-max contract because they were traded:

Jimmy Butler (Timberwolves)
Kyrie Irving (Celtics)
Kawhi Leonard (Raptors)

Butler, Irving, and Leonard are probably more worthy of a super-max investment than most of the players in the above group, but they no longer qualify because they were traded while on their second contracts — Butler from the Bulls, Irving from the Cavaliers, and Leonard from the Spurs. They’ll need to reach 10 years of NBA experience before qualifying for a starting salary worth up to 35% of the cap.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Poll: Terry Rozier’s Future In Boston

November 9th, 2018 at 9:48am CST by Luke Adams

Terry Rozier‘s name has popped up in several headlines this week, starting on Wednesday when a pair of separate reports suggested that the Celtics‘ backup point guard was unhappy with his playing time and that he was being monitored by at least seven teams from around the NBA.

Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge dismissed those reports on Thursday, as did Rozier. However, while Ainge and Rozier denied that the 24-year-old has complained about his playing time, they also both acknowledged that he’d like more minutes.

Rozier’s desire for a larger role is not unique among NBA players, according to Ainge, who suggested that it’s probably a desire shared by many players on the Celtics, not to mention across the league: “I know for sure that Terry would love to be playing more more minutes but there’s a lot of guys on the team that would love to be playing more minutes.”

Still, while it may be normal for a player to want more playing time than he’s getting, there are reasons to believe it could become an issue in this case. Rozier is eligible for restricted free agency in 2019, and the Celtics appear committed to paying lucrative salaries to Kyrie Irving and Marcus Smart for the next several years. The opportunity for more playing time may never materialize for Rozier in Boston, and it might not make sense for the C’s to invest even more heavily into the point guard position if they lock up Irving to a new long-term deal.

The Celtics have denied that they’re looking to move Rozier, and multiple reports have indicated that an in-season deal is highly unlikely. After all, the team still intends to contend for a championship in 2018/19, and it may be hard to find a trade package that would make the C’s a better team right away. Plus, Boston will control Rozier’s free agency process in 2019, since he won’t be unrestricted, and re-signing him would be in the team’s best interests if things drastically change on the Irving front within the next seven or eight months.

On the other hand, if the Celtics don’t plan on matching a lucrative offer sheet for Rozier next summer, it might make sense to get what they can for him at the deadline. They don’t want to lose a talented young player for nothing, and it’s possible they could land a player who doesn’t make the team worse in the short term while providing a better fit in the long term. Alternately, moving Rozier for a first-round pick could give the C’s the flexibility to trade one of their other future picks in a separate deal to acquire a rotation player who could provide immediate help.

What do you think? Will Rozier play out the season with the Celtics? Will he remain in Boston a year from now? What do you think the future holds for the former first-round pick? Vote below, then head to the comment section to share your two cents.

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.

Atlantic Notes: Rozier, Siakam, Fisher, Raptors

November 8th, 2018 at 10:57pm CST by JD Shaw

Celtics guard Terry Rozier is still getting adjusted to his role off the bench, competing with Kyrie Irving, Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown for minutes in Boston’s crowded backcourt. He was the team’s starting point guard in the spring when Irving was sidelined, but has been limited to just 22.7 minutes per game in 10 contests this season.

“I go from starting in the playoffs to coming off the bench … I’m pretty sure it’s not easy for nobody,” Rozier said, according to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. “But I’m not complaining. And, if you know me, I would never be the one to complain about it.

“I would never go to the media or bring out the unhappy thing. Like I said, people that know me know I wouldn’t do that. I’ve never been a selfish type of person, selfish player. You can tell the way I play I’m all about team.

“Everything will be all right. It’s not as bad as people make it seem.”

Bill Simmons of The Ringer tweeted Thursday that Rozier was unhappy with his playing time and that Boston could look to trade him before February’s deadline. At least seven teams would have interest in trading for Rozier, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, but Rozier seems content to stay in Boston for now.

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Pascal Siakam‘s early season play has changed the Raptors, playing a key role in the team’s hot 10-1 start, Anisa Jamal of FanSided writes. Siakam has averaged 12.5 points and seven rebounds in 27.9 minutes per game, starting in every contest but one.
Derek Fisher wouldn’t have accepted the Knicks‘ head coaching job if he knew running the triangle offense was mandatory, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. “I wasn’t smart enough to ask the right questions going into taking and accepting the job,” Fisher said.
The Raptors have remained flexible with their starting lineups, a key component to their success this season, Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times writes. “We’ve got maybe eight starters and we’re giving them a chance to start every once in a while,” said coach Nick Nurse, who labeled the importance of being versatile.

Danny Ainge Unlikely To Retire Soon

November 8th, 2018 at 5:18pm CST by JD Shaw

Danny Ainge doesn’t imagine retiring in the near future, writes Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald. Ainge has served as the Celtics’ president and general manager for over a decade, and explained that he loves his current job. Ainge has constructed several contending teams during his 10 years with the organization, a list that will likely include this season’s roster.

Latest On Terry Rozier

November 8th, 2018 at 11:01am CST by Luke Adams

On Wednesday, one report indicated that Terry Rozier was unhappy with his playing time so far this season and another suggested that seven teams were monitoring him to see if the Celtics will start listening to trade inquiries. However, the C’s are downplaying the idea that Rozier is dissatisfied with his role or that he’ll be on the trade market this season.

Appearing on the radio show Toucher & Rich today, Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said that Rozier hasn’t complained about his playing time at all to Ainge (link via Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston).

“I talk to Terry quite a bit and I haven’t heard any of those types of things. So I don’t know how reliable any of the sources or rumors are,” Ainge said, per Forsberg. “Terry knew going in this year what his situation, what his role was going to be, and he was as excited and enthusiastic as anybody on our team for the upcoming season. I know for sure that Terry would love to be playing more more minutes but there’s a lot of guys on the team that would love to be playing more minutes.”

Ainge said he believes Rozier would come to him or head coach Brad Stevens if he were upset at all, and that hasn’t happened so far. The C’s president added that no teams have called him about Rozier since the regular season started, and he doesn’t know anything about the seven clubs reportedly monitoring him.

Meanwhile, Jeff Goodman of Stadium tweets that he talked to Rozier about his role in Boston last week and the point guard showed “a ton of maturity.” According to Goodman, the 24-year-old said he’d obviously like to play more, but he knew coming into the season that minutes would be hard to come by in a loaded Celtics rotation, as Ainge indicated.

Finally, a league source tells Brian Robb of BostonSportsJournal.com that a Rozier trade before February’s deadline is “extremely unlikely.”

If Rozier is truly unhappy with his situation in Boston and wants to be dealt, it would hurt the team’s leverage in potential negotiations, so it’s no surprise that Ainge and the Celtics would be eager to dismiss the idea that anything is amiss. On the other hand, it also would make sense that the franchise genuinely wants to hang onto Rozier through the 2018/19 season, even if re-signing him as a restricted free agent in 2019 is far from a sure thing.

The Celtics, despite a modest 6-4 start, are still one of the deepest and most talented teams in the NBA, and making an in-season deal that includes a key rotation player like Rozier could impact the team’s chemistry and/or depth. Additionally, even though Kyrie Irving has verbally committed to re-signing with the club in 2019, that won’t be official until he puts pen to paper in July — trading his backup in February may be an unnecessary risk for the C’s, especially if no team is willing to offer a substantial package for Rozier.

This situation is definitely worth watching over the next couple months, but for now it seems more likely than not that Rozier remains a Celtic through the trade deadline.

Celtics Notes: Rozier, Irving, Lottery, Morris

November 7th, 2018 at 8:58pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics should resist the temptation to trade backup point guard Terry Rozier, writes Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston. A report surfaced this morning that Rozier is dissatisfied with his reduced role and several teams are waiting to see if Boston decides to deal him.

Rozier had a breakthrough performance in the postseason after Kyrie Irving was sidelined by knee surgery. Rozier averaged more than 36 minutes per night, posted a 16.5/5.3/5.7 line and helped the Celtics reach Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals. With Irving back on the court, Rozier is playing fewer than 23 minutes a game and his numbers have fallen across the board, which is bad news as he heads toward free agency.

Given Irving’s injury history, Rozier still has a lot of value in Boston, and even if he remains a reserve, he may be the most explosive scorer the Celtics can bring off their bench. Boston’s front office is confident it will eventually get value for Rozier, Forsberg adds, even if it’s in a sign-and-trade next summer.

There’s more Celtics news to pass along:

Irving has pledged to remain with the Celtics when he opts out of his current contract, but ESPN analyst Jalen Rose isn’t convinced that it’s a good fit, relays Adam London of NESN. Appearing on “Get Up!,” Rose said Irving is among the 12 most talented players in the league, but questioned whether his isolation style works on a team that emphasizes passing and cutting. He also suggested that Irving’s presence may be holding back younger players such as Rozier, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
In the wake of last night’s outstanding performance by Duke freshmen R.J. Barrett and Zion Williamson, Forsberg tweets the lottery odds for the Kings’ first-rounder that will likely go to the Celtics. Despite Sacramento’s respectable start, Forsberg finds that it has a 99.9% chance of ending up in the lottery, an 82.1% chance of falling between picks two and 10, a 25% chance of being between two and five and a 7.5% shot at being No. 1. Boston will get the higher pick between the Sixers and Kings, but the choice is protected if it’s first overall.
Marcus Morris credits an offseason regimen of flexibility training, deep-tissue massage and meditation for his hot start to the new season, relays Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. At age 29, Morris is putting up career highs in scoring and rebounding, along with career bests in shooting from the field, foul line and 3-point range.

Cavs Rumors: Rozier, Korver, Smith, Rotation

November 7th, 2018 at 1:20pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers are among the teams with interest in Celtics point guard Terry Rozier, league sources tell Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net. As we relayed earlier today, there are reportedly at least seven teams around the NBA monitoring Rozier, who is said to be unhappy with his playing time. It sounds like it’s safe to assume that Cleveland is one of those seven teams.

Of course, the Cavs used the No. 8 overall pick in the 2018 draft on Collin Sexton, a player they hope will be capable of developing into their point guard of the future. Sexton’s still very early in his developmental process though, and plenty of teams around the NBA use lineups that feature more than one point guard, so that doesn’t mean that Rozier couldn’t be a fit in Cleveland.

Here’s more on the Cavs:

During a recent appearance on The Jump (video link; hat tip to AmicoHoops.net), ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said that he expects trade interest to be much stronger for Kyle Korver than J.R. Smith, but cautions that Korver would be more attractive as a trade chip if he was on a true expiring contract, rather than having a partial guarantee for next season. Wojnarowski expects the Cavaliers to be able to move both players, but suggests they shouldn’t expect more than a second-round pick for either, and may have to take on some money.
The Cavaliers don’t seem to view Larry Nance Jr. as a potential four, and Channing Frye only works in certain matchups, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, who suggests that the team may lean more heavily on smaller power forwards with Kevin Love and Sam Dekker sidelined. Cedi Osman, Korver, and Smith are among the candidates.
Cavaliers veterans are happy that the team agreed to renegotiate Larry Drew‘s contract, creating some certainty at the head coaching position for this season, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic. “It’s just good to know they made a decision, for me,” Nance said. “It lets you go forward. I think some progress can be made.”

Terry Rozier Unhappy With Playing Time?

November 7th, 2018 at 11:12am CST by Luke Adams

Celtics point guard Terry Rozier has been unhappy with his playing time so far this season, according to Bill Simmons of The Ringer (Twitter link). Simmons suggests that word of Rozier’s discontent has “gotten around the league,” and that a trade of the 2019 free-agent-to-be may be necessary.

Simmons isn’t an NBA reporter in the traditional sense, but he’s plugged in, particularly in Boston, so there’s no reason to believe his intel is off here. Rozier himself admitted earlier in the season that his fluid role off the Celtics’ bench was “not the easiest” to embrace, and a report prior to last month’s rookie scale extension deadline suggested that Rozier would likely seek the “minutes and money” of a starter on his next contract

Last season, Rozier averaged 25.9 minutes per game during the regular season for the Celtics before playing an impressive 36.6 MPG during the postseason when Kyrie Irving was unavailable. With Irving and Marcus Smart both fully healthy so far this season, Rozier has seen his role reduced — he’s averaging 22.7 MPG through 10 games and has struggled to make an impact, with 7.5 PPG on 35.5% shooting.

Irving has verbally committed to re-signing with the Celtics and Smart is in the first year of a long-term deal, so the C’s may not be willing to invest heavily in a third point guard when Rozier reaches restricted free agency next summer. Still, the club will control the process and would have the opportunity to match any offer Rozier receives, potentially with an eye toward trading him later. As such, a deal before February’s deadline is far from a sure thing.

If the Celtics do make Rozier available, the Suns are one team that would have interest. An October report indicated that Phoenix would have “loved” to acquire Rozier during the offseason, as both Ryan McDonough and new interim GM James Jones attempted to make a deal. However, he was viewed at the time as “very unlikely” to be traded.

The Suns are hardly the only team that would be interested in landing Rozier. Shams Charania of The Athletic hears from sources that at least seven clubs around the NBA have been monitoring the situation and waiting to see if the Celtics will begin fielding trade calls on their backup point guard. For now, Charania notes, Boston seems happy with its roster.

Kyrie Irving Fined $25K By NBA

November 6th, 2018 at 3:59pm CST by Luke Adams

Celtics guard Kyrie Irving received a $25K fine for throwing the ball into the stands at the end of Monday’s loss to Denver, the NBA announced today in a press release. Irving’s toss came after Jamal Murray took a last-second shot in an attempt to break the 50-point mark after the Nuggets had already secured the victory.