Bird signed a two-year contract for the league minimum this summer with a guarantee for the first season. If the NBA rules that he has violated its domestic violence policy, his contract could be voided and the Celtics would have no further financial obligation. If Boston waives Bird before the league makes a decision, his contract will remain on the cap and will continue to affect the luxury tax. The Celtics plan to keep Bird on the inactive list until his case is resolved.
Hoops Rumors is breaking down the 2018 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, revisiting the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll evaluate each team’s moves from the last several months and look ahead to what the 2018/19 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the Boston Celtics.
Signings:
- Standard contracts:
- Marcus Smart: Four years, $52MM. Includes likely incentives. Re-signed using Bird rights.
- Aron Baynes: Two years, $10.65MM. Second-year player option. Re-signed using Non-Bird rights.
- Jabari Bird: Two years, minimum salary. Second year non-guaranteed. Re-signed using minimum salary exception.
- Brad Wanamaker: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Two-way contracts:
- Non-guaranteed camp contracts:
- Justin Bibbs: One year, minimum salary (waived).
- Marcus Georges-Hunt: One year, minimum salary (waived).
- Nick King: One year, minimum salary (waived).
- Jeff Roberson: One year, minimum salary (waived).
Trades:
- Acquired Rodney Purvis from the Thunder in exchange for Abdel Nader and cash ($450K).
- Note: Purvis was later waived.
Draft picks:
- 1-27: Robert Williams — Signed to rookie contract.
Departing players:
- Kadeem Allen (two-way; waived)
- Jonathan Gibson
- Shane Larkin
- Greg Monroe
- Abdel Nader
Other offseason news:
- Kyrie Irving announced that he plans to re-sign with the Celtics next July.
- Jabari Bird arrested, arraigned on assault charges; away from team.
- Assistant coach Jerome Allen faces suspension.
Salary cap situation:
- Remained over the cap.
- Carrying approximately $126.75MM in salary.
- Projected tax bill of $6.03MM.
- Full taxpayer mid-level exception ($5.34MM) still available.
Check out the Boston Celtics’ full roster and depth chart at RosterResource.com.
Story of the summer:
During the 2016 and 2017 offseasons, no NBA team added more All-Stars to its roster than the Celtics, who signed Al Horford and Gordon Hayward before trading for Kyrie Irving. For good measure, the club used a pair of third overall picks to draft Jaylen Brown in 2016 and Jayson Tatum in 2017.
However, the Celtics never really got to see that five-man core in action during the 2017/18 season. Hayward went down with a gruesome season-ending ankle injury during the club’s first game of the year, and Irving’s season ended early due to knee issues.
For the Celtics then, the 2018 offseason wasn’t about going out and getting another All-Star — it was about making sure that their current ones got back to full health to see what the entire group looks like on the court.
Boston’s front office was hardly dormant during the summer of 2018. Restricted free agent negotiations with Marcus Smart were tough, Aron Baynes needed to be re-signed, and the team made a few other tweaks around the edges of its roster before also securing a verbal commitment from Irving, a 2019 free-agent-to-be.
However, the Celtics enter the 2018/19 as the Eastern Conference favorites not because of which players they added over the offseason, but rather because of which players they’re bringing back. With Hayward and Irving healthy and Tatum and Brown continuing to develop, this roster has far more upside than last year’s group, even without any significant changes.