Boston Celtics Rumors | Hoops Rumors

2018 NBA Offseason Salary Cap Digest: Boston Celtics

May 28th, 2018 at 10:35am CST by Luke Adams

After adding Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward during the 2017 offseason, the Celtics were widely viewed as one of the two favorites to come out of the East, along with the Cavaliers. Those two teams ultimately did meet in the Eastern Conference Finals, despite the fact that Irving and Hayward had long been absent due to injuries. Although Boston couldn’t get past Cleveland and no longer has cap room available, the team remains in great shape going forward, with plenty of extra draft picks in hand and its injured stars set to return in 2018/19.

Here’s where things currently stand for the Celtics financially, as we continue our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series for 2018:

Guaranteed Salary

Gordon Hayward ($31,214,295)
Al Horford ($28,928,710)
Kyrie Irving ($20,099,189)
Jayson Tatum ($6,700,800)
Marcus Morris ($5,375,000)
Jaylen Brown ($5,169,960)
Terry Rozier ($3,050,390)
Guerschon Yabusele ($2,667,600)
Semi Ojeleye ($901,965) — Partial guarantee. Non-guaranteed portion noted below.¹
Abdel Nader ($450,000) — Partial guarantee. Non-guaranteed portion noted below.²
Demetrius Jackson ($92,857) — Waived via stretch provision
Total: $104,650,766

Player Options

None

Team Options

None

Non-Guaranteed Salary

Daniel Theis ($1,378,242)³
Abdel Nader ($928,242) — Partial guarantee. Guaranteed portion noted above.²
Semi Ojeleye ($476,277) — Partial guarantee. Guaranteed portion noted above.¹
Total: $2,782,761

Restricted Free Agents

Marcus Smart ($6,053,719 qualifying offer / $13,614,060 cap hold): Bird rights
Jonathan Gibson ($1,699,698 qualifying offer / $1,699,698 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
Total: $15,313,758

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

Greg Monroe ($6,000,000): Non-Bird rights
Aron Baynes ($5,193,600): Non-Bird rights
No. 27 overall pick ($1,640,266)
Shane Larkin ($1,499,698): Non-Bird rights
Total: $14,333,564

Projected Salary Cap: $101,000,000

Projected Cap Room: None

After carrying cap room and vying for the top free agents during the last couple offseasons, the Celtics head into the summer of 2018 over the cap room. Even if they renounce all their free agents, they’d still be over the projected $101MM cap line due to their $104MM+ in guaranteed salaries. With their eight fully guaranteed contracts, plus Theis, Ojeleye, Nader, and the cap hold for their first-round pick, the Celtics’ total team salary increases to $109,073,793.
If they don’t bring back Smart, the Celtics would have plenty of breathing room below the tax line, clearing the way for the team to use the full mid-level exception and possibly the bi-annual exception too. However, re-signing Smart for a starting salary of $10-12MM would complicate that equation.

Footnotes:

Ojeleye’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after July 15.
Nader’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after August 1.
Theis’ salary becomes fully guaranteed after July 10.

Note: Rookie scale cap holds are estimates based on salary cap projections and could increase or decrease depending on where the cap lands.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

East Finals Roundup: LeBron, Tatum, J. Green

May 28th, 2018 at 9:44am CST by Luke Adams

While LeBron James‘ upcoming free agency will be the biggest storyline of the NBA offseason, James himself has avoided discussing his future all season long, and the Cavaliers – including owner Dan Gilbert – are following suit. After the Cavs’ Game 7 win over the Celtics on Sunday night, Gilbert told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin that the organization is completely locked in on its next series, not on the summer.

“We’re just focused – and it’s the truth, it’s not avoiding the question – we’re literally focused on (the now),” Gilbert said. “It’s just so intense in the playoffs and getting to the Finals and now the Finals, I don’t think – and I know he doesn’t – I don’t think even our guys are talking (about anything other than) what’s in front of them. … So, everybody knows, obviously what we want to happen and we’ll take the Finals first and take it from there.”

While the Cavaliers will head into the Finals as the underdogs, pulling off the upset could have a major impact on the club’s upcoming offseason plans — it would be hard for James to leave Cleveland right after leading the Cavs to another championship.

Here are a few more items worth rounding up from the Eastern Conference Finals:

Jayson Tatum couldn’t lead the Celtics to the NBA Finals, but he received plenty of praise from James as his impressive rookie season came to an end, per Chris Forsberg of ESPN. “I just love everything about (Tatum), the way he plays the game, his demeanor, where he comes from,” James said. “I just know he’s built for stardom. He’s built for success. And that’s both on and off the floor.”
James was also complimentary of the Cavaliers teammates who are headed to the Finals despite hearing for weeks that they weren’t doing enough to help LeBron. “I know I get a lot of the headlines – win, lose or draw, whatever the case may be – but in order to be successful, it’s a team game,” James told ESPN’s Doris Burke after the Game 7 win (link via Andrew Joseph of USA Today). “That’s why we’re going to another Finals — because my teammates played a hell of a game.”
One of those teammates, Jeff Green, spoke after the game about not taking anything for granted after undergoing open-heart surgery in 2012. Jeff Zilgitt and AJ Neuharth-Keusch of USA Today have the story on Green, who was the Cavaliers‘ second-best player in Game 7.
Their disappointing Game 7 performances will likely haunt Celtics youngsters Terry Rozier and Jaylen Brown for a while, but that may not be the worst thing in the world, according to A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston, who writes that this year’s loss can be a learning experience for Rozier and Brown as they continue to develop.

Marcus Smart: I’m Worth More Than $12-14MM

May 28th, 2018 at 8:41am CST by Luke Adams

In the wake of their Eastern Conference Finals loss to the Cavaliers, the Celtics will face a number of important roster decisions this offseason, with Marcus Smart‘s looming restricted free agency among the issues on the club’s docket. Asked about the possibility that the C’s might not be able – or willing – to pay $12-14MM per year to retain him, Smart told ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan that price may actually be too low for him.

“To be honest, I’m worth more than $12-14 million,” Smart said. “Just for the things I do on the court that don’t show up on the stat sheet. You don’t find guys like that. I always leave everything on the court, every game. Tell me how many other players can say that.”

Smart, 24, has never been a reliable shooter or scorer since entering the NBA. His .367 FG% in 2017/18 matched a career high, and his .301 3PT% was only a little better than his career rate. Battling a thumb injury in the Eastern Finals, Smart shot .328/.226/.722 against Cleveland, including 1-for-10 in the decisive Game 7.

Still, Smart’s play on the defensive end of the court and his on-court leadership resulted in many of his teammates defending his 1-for-10 showing on Sunday night and calling him the heart of the Celtics, as MacMullan writes.

“That’s what people say,” Smart said. “I’m not sure if you can put a price on that.”

Since Smart will be a restricted free agent, the Celtics will be able to match any offer sheet he signs this summer, and there are no cap rules restricting what Boston can pay him. However, Smart and the C’s discussed an extension last fall and were too far apart in terms of dollar figures, sources tell MacMullan, so it will come down to how much the club is willing to invest in the former sixth overall pick.

The club is already on the hook for expensive deals for Gordon Hayward and Al Horford, with raises for key players like Kyrie Irving, Jayson Tatum, and Jaylen Brown coming down the road. Terry Rozier is also extension-eligible this offseason, and Boston seems unlikely to commit to long-term contracts for both Rozier and Smart.

Frank Urbina of HoopsHype examined potential landing spots for Smart if he leaves the Celtics, suggesting that teams like the Nets, Spurs, and Clippers could be fits.

Horford Can Exercise Past Playoff Demons

May 27th, 2018 at 3:08pm CST by marksuleymanov

As the Celtics prepare for a Game 7 showdown against the Cavaliers, Al Horford‘s story of redemption in the postseason is an intriguing storyline, Chris Mannix of Yahoo! Sports writes. In 2015, then a member of the Hawks, Horford thought he was headed for the NBA Finals after two quick postseason series victories. A sweep at the hands of the Cavaliers that year ended those dreams.

Horford has now become a key part of the Celtics’ core and once again, he will need to get past LeBron James and the Cavaliers if he wants to reach the NBA Finals. A disappointing series aside, Horford has been a positive influence on a young Celtics roster that has faced injuries to several of its star players.

Community Shootaround: Game 7 Prediction

May 26th, 2018 at 10:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

It seems like Boston has fielded two teams in the postseason. There are the Home Celtics, who have been unbeatable, and the Away Celtics, who can’t beat hardly anyone.

Fortunately for Boston fans, it’s the Home Celtics who will be playing the Cavaliers tomorrow for a spot in the NBA Finals. Boston is 10-0 at the TD Garden during the postseason, but just 1-7 on the road. The Celtics have an offensive rating of 107.7 in their home games, about 10 points higher than away from home.

“I truly believe it’s our fans,” Al Horford explained to Jack McCluskey of The Ringer. “I feel like our guys feed off of them and it really just drives us as a group. … You get on the road and you’re just out there against everybody else. Here, I just think that our guys just feel comfortable and good. It’s a credit to the atmosphere that’s here.”

On the other side is LeBron James, who has been brilliant no matter where he has played. James is averaging close to a triple double with 33.9 points, 8.9 rebounds and 8.8 assists in 17 playoff contests and kept Cleveland alive with a 46/11/9 performance in Friday’s Game 6.

The Cavs will be short-handed for tomorrow’s game with Kevin Love already ruled out because of a concussion. Love has been one of the few reliable scorers alongside James, averaging 13.9 points per game in the postseason.

The edge in playoff experience easily goes to the Cavs, who have been to three straight Finals [eight straight for LeBron], while the Celtics field a young roster with few players who have ever experienced this level of postseason pressure.

There are many things that could decide Game 7, but we want to get your take. Who pulls out what James called one of the best two-word phrases in sports and represents the East in the NBA Finals? Please leave your responses in the comments section below.

Eastern Finals Notes: Tatum, Horford, James, Love

May 26th, 2018 at 7:33pm CST by Arthur Hill

Cleveland will have to play Game 7 without Kevin Love, but Boston’s Jayson Tatum came away from Friday night’s collision relatively unscathed. Coach Brad Stevens told reporters that doctors checked on Tatum today and said he’s in “great” condition, tweets ESPN’s Chris Forsberg. Tatum will continue to be monitored up to tomorrow’s game, but right now the team isn’t worried about his availability.

Tatum was defending Love when they bumped heads in the first quarter and said it took him a while to shake off the effects, relays A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston.

“They asked me if I was dizzy, if I had a headache,” said Tatum, who underwent concussion testing on the sidelines. “I’m fine.”

There’s more on the eve of Game 7:

Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson, who barely played when the postseason began, has helped turn the series around with his defense on Al Horford, notes Adam Himmeslbach of The Boston Globe. Cleveland is outscoring Boston by 3.2 points per 100 possessions when they are on the court together, but the Celtics have a 19.2 edge when Horford plays without Thompson. Boston’s big man was visibly frustrated after Friday’s game, which included a healthy dose of double teaming. “If you were watching the game, I was getting doubled as soon as I caught the ball,” Horford said to reporters. “Every time, I didn’t really have one-on-one position. So they did a good job of really doubling me and making it hard.”
As bad as the Love injury news was for Cavaliers fans, things could have been worse, relays Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Larry Nance Jr. collided with LeBron James during the fourth quarter on a play that reminded McMenamin of an incident that caused Kevin Durant to miss a significant part of last season. “I just felt someone fall into my leg, and my leg kind of went in,” said James, who was limping when he left the arena. “I felt some pain throughout my entire right side of my ankle into my leg. I was just hoping for the best, obviously, because I’ve seen so many different injuries, and watching basketball with that type of injury, someone fall into one’s leg standing straight up. Luckily, I was able to finish the game.”
Love’s injury means James will likely have to improve on his already-superhuman effort, writes Justin Verrier of The Ringer. Love is averaging 13.9 points and 10.0 rebounds in the postseason, but he hasn’t been especially effective against the Celtics, Verrier notes. He has a minus-7.4 net rating in the series, worst on the team other than Rodney Hood.

Atlantic Notes: DeRozan, Lowry, Nets, Theis, Burroughs

May 25th, 2018 at 4:58pm CST by marksuleymanov

DeMar DeRozan was named to the All-NBA team on Thursday, joining Vince Carter as the only Raptors players in history to make several All-NBA teams. While it’s a special honor for DeRozan, it does not mean he is a lock to return to Toronto next season, Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun writes.

The Raptors began an overhaul after another early postseason exit, firing head coach Dwane Casey. Wolstat writes that Casey’s dismissal may not be the only significant move the team makes, but there is a strong chance that DeRozan remains. Sources tell Wolstat that the team will “explore all options.”

DeRozan earned All-NBA honors for good reason, as he enjoyed arguably his best season to date. He averaged 23.0 PPG, good for 11th in the NBA, to go with a career-best 5.2 APG and 3.9 RPG in 80 games. The one-two punch of Kyle Lowry and DeRozan has led Toronto to several successful regular seasons — including the best record in the Eastern Conference this season — but after repeated early playoff exits, general manager Masai Ujiri will look everywhere to improve.

Check out more Atlantic Division notes:

Speaking of Lowry, the Raptors point guard missed out on several “unlikely” incentives in his contract by not making an All-NBA team, Blake Murphy of Raptors Republic details. Lowry could have maxed out his incentives at $2.17MM but will instead pocket just $200K in bonuses.
The Nets will have several choices to make when it comes to the roster for next season as several players are headed for either restricted or unrestricted free agency. Michael Scotto of The Athletic (subscription required) breaks down the Nets’ pending free agents and their individual likelihood of returning to Brooklyn.
Daniel Theis joined the Celtics roster hoping to be a valuable contributor to a potential championship winning team. Unfortunately, a torn left meniscus ended his season early and he just recently joined the Celtics as a spectator on the bench. Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe detailed Theis’ recovery and the progress he has made. Theis hopes to join the German team for the FIBA World Cup before joining the Celtics for training camp next season. “It’s a good preparation for me, too,” Theis said. “I think I can start basketball like full contact in August. Then if I can play high level in, like, September it’s good for me, it’s good for the team to see how I’m progressing in terms of training camp in September.”
Eugene Burroughs won’t return to the sidelines to coach the Sixers‘ G League affiliate next season, sources tell Adam Johnson of 2Ways10Days. In two seasons as a head coach, Burroughs compiled a 42–58 record.

Jordan Barnett Works Out For Celtics

May 25th, 2018 at 1:30pm CST by Luke Adams

After working out for the Lakers earlier this week, Missouri forward Jordan Barnett auditioned today for the Celtics, tweets Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com. Barnett’s session with the Lakers also included Jordan Caroline (Nevada), Drew Eubanks (Oregon State), Jock Landale (Saint Mary’s), Daryl Macon (Arkansas), and Shamorie Ponds (St. John’s), according to the team.

Details On 2018 NBA Playoff Pool Money

May 25th, 2018 at 12:28pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA’s playoff pool money has increased to $20MM this season, up from $15MM for the last two years and $14MM for the two years before that, tweets Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. This pool represents money awarded to teams for certain achievements, which is then divvied up among the club’s players.

According to Zillgitt, the breakdown for 2018’s playoff pool money is as follows:

Regular season achievements:

Best record in NBA (Rockets): $576,843
No. 1 seeds in each conference (Rockets, Raptors): $504,737 each
No. 2 seeds (Warriors, Celtics): $405,684 each
No. 3 seeds (Trail Blazers, Sixers): $302,843 each
No. 4 seeds (Thunder, Cavaliers): $238,001 each
No. 5 seeds (Jazz, Pacers): $198,317 each
No. 6 seeds (Pelicans, Heat): $135,263 each

Postseason achievements:

Teams participating in first round (all playoff teams): $298,485 each
Teams participating in Conference Semifinals (Rockets, Warriors, Jazz, Pelicans, Celtics, Cavaliers, Sixers, Raptors): $355,159 each
Teams participating in Conference Finals (Rockets, Warriors, Celtics, Cavaliers): $586,898 each
Losing team in NBA Finals (TBD): $2,346,947
Winning team in NBA Finals (TBD): $3,541,896

Draft Notes: Wright-Foreman, Davis, Clippers, Kings

May 24th, 2018 at 10:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Hofstra’s Justin Wright-Foreman is returning to school for his senior year, he announced on Twitter. The 6’1” point guard averaged 24.4 PPG and 3.2 APG in his junior season. Ole Miss guard Terence Davis is also going back to school for his senior campaign, Jeff Goodman of ESPN tweets. The 6’4” Davis averaged 13.8 PPG and 6.2 RPG in his junior year.

In other draft-related news:

The Clippers and Lakers worked out forwards Omari Spellman (Villanova) and Terry Larrier (UConn) on Thursday, Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog.com tweets. Larrier also has workouts lined up with the Nets (June 5), Knicks (June 6) and Mavericks (June 14), Zagoria adds in another tweet. Spellman is ranked No. 49 by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony on his Top 100 prospects list.
Seton Hall big man Angel Delgado will work out for the Jazz in the near future after visiting the Lakers on Thursday, according to Zagoria (Twitter link).
The Kings will bring in centers Jock Landale (St. Mary’s) and Dusan Ristic (Arizona); forwards Todd Withers and Billy Preston; and guards Joel Berry (North Carolina) and Jordan McLaughlin (USC) on Friday, James Ham of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets.
Rhode Island guard E.C. Matthews has worked out for the Nets, Knicks and Celtics, Zagoria tweets.