Boston Celtics Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Southwest Notes: Davis, Motiejunas, Bertans, Bonner

January 8th, 2017 at 12:58pm CST by Arthur Hill

Anthony Davis won’t be leaving New Orleans until at least 2020, according to Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald. The Celtics may dream of packaging their draft picks and young talent for an elite player, but Davis is apprently not an option. Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry made that clear when asked about the possibility before the two teams met Saturday night. “Let me tell you, I learned a long time ago — and this is my 28th year in the league — that you don’t trade great for good, no matter how many you get,” Gentry said. “Having one great player really makes your team better than having three good players. And they’ve proven that. … So we love what we have in him, and it’s just a matter of time. I think if we were healthy, you would see us be a better team anyway, and we’re getting to the point where we are healthy, and we’re playing better basketball.” Davis is in the first season of a five-year, $145MM extension he signed in 2015.

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

After signing contracts with the Nets and Rockets last month, Donatas Motiejunas made his season debut Saturday with the Pelicans. He played 20 minutes in a reserve role and contributed 11 points and five rebounds. “He gave us some huge minutes,” Davis told Jim Eichenhofer of NBA.com. “He’s going to continue to get better and find his role in our system.” (Twitter link).
With David Lee sidelined by knee problems, Spurs rookie Davis Bertans stepped in with a season-high 21 points in Saturday’s win over the Hornets, relays Jabari Young of The San Antonio Express-News. The Latvian power forward saw 18 minutes of playing time, which was his highest total in more than a month. “It’s basketball,” he said afterward. “I played for many years already. It’s just a regular basketball game.”
Coach Gregg Popovich said he was moved by the retirement video posted by longtime Spur Matt Bonner, relays Jeff McDonald of The News-Express. The 12-year veteran spent the past 10 years of his career in San Antonio. “He was a special teammate for everybody,” Popovich said. “He always gave everything that he had every night, every practice. He was a consummate pro. And on top of that, obviously his personality and humor were very much appreciated by all of us. He was super and that’s why it’s great to keep him in the family.” Bonner will begin work as a pregame and postgame analyst on Spurs broadcasts.

Celtics May Have Interest In Millsap

January 8th, 2017 at 9:58am CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics might be interested in Hawks forward Paul Millsap, but only if he guarantees not to opt out of the final year of his contract, according to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Atlanta is reportedly listening to offers for the 31-year-old power forward and wants a “quality” draft pick in return. Millsap can opt out of his nearly $21.5MM salary for next season and become a free agent this summer. Washburn speculates that any deal would involve one of the Nets‘ picks that Boston owns plus Amir Johnson and another starter to match salaries. A trade would reunite Millsap with Al Horford, but it would push Horford to center, where he would prefer not to play.
Celtics guard Marcus Smart is emerging as more than just a defensive force, writes ESPN’s Chris Forsberg. Boston has already exercised its 2017/18 option on the 22-year-old.

Boston's Superstar Debate Continues

January 6th, 2017 at 5:56pm CST by Austin Kent

Lost in the headlines coming out of Atlanta are rumors that the Bulls may look to shop Jimmy Butler. Such an idea isn’t particularly new – the All-Star was said to be on the block during the 2016 NBA Draft – but the impact of such a deal would be significant. Two Atlantic Division teams, the Celtics and Sixers, have been linked to the Bulls swingman and may or may not be in the mix of clubs looking to attain him.

While Keith Pompey of The Inquirer thinks that Butler would be a good fit with the Sixers alongside Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, A. Sherrod Blakely of Comcast SportsNet speculates that the Celtics may not have enough to get a deal done. The C’s have been said to be seeking a star, but Blakely suggests that Chicago will be looking for a “major haul” that Boston wouldn’t be able to meet.

The Raptors and Celtics already had a tough road ahead of them in the Eastern Conference, but Sports Illustrated’s Ben Golliver writes that the recent acquisition of Kyle Korver could spur them to be bolder as the trade deadline approaches.
We wrote about Isaiah Thomas‘ emergence as a star earlier this week, but Comcast SportsNet has recently put together five reasons why the point guard should be considered a max contract player. The Celtics could soon renegotiate the contract that he first signed with the Suns in 2014.

Celtics Will Listen To Offers For Nets’ Pick

January 5th, 2017 at 12:24pm CST by Luke Adams

With an 8-25 record so far this season, the Nets currently hold the top spot in our 2016/17 NBA Reverse Standings. If Brooklyn remains in that position at season’s end, the team’s pick will be a guaranteed top-four selection, with a 25% chance of it being No. 1 overall. Nonetheless, the Celtics, who have the rights to that pick, will listen to offers for it, according to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com (Twitter link).

General manager Danny Ainge indicated today that, while nothing is “close or imminent,” he has had some trade calls, per Blakely. This year’s deadline is about six weeks away, so Ainge has plenty of time to continue scouring the market and fielding inquiries.

The Celtics don’t technically hold the Nets’ first-round pick in the 2017 NBA draft, but they have the ability to swap first-rounders with Brooklyn, and given how the first half of the season has played out, they’ll certainly be taking advantage of those swap rights. Boston’s own pick – which the Nets would receive – currently projects to be No. 23.

If they were to deal away the rights to the Nets’ 2017 pick, the Celtics would be left without a first-rounder in this year’s draft, and the ’17 class is expected to be a deep and talented one. Still, Boston would be well-stocked for future years — the team owns the Nets’ 2018 first-round pick outright, and is owed first-rounders from the Clippers and Grizzlies in 2019.

The Celtics have been linked to a number of potential trade candidates already this season. According to multiple reports though, the team is intent on finding a deal for a star player, rather than settling for a complementary piece, so it makes sense that the Nets’ pick is in play. If Ainge and the C’s are unable to land that sort of impact player, they could circle back to someone like Andrew Bogut or Nerlens Noel closer to the deadline, but Brooklyn’s 2017 pick would almost certainly be off the table in that sort of deal.

Community Shootaround: Crowder’s Fan Comments

January 4th, 2017 at 8:50pm CST by Austin Kent

The Celtics wrestled a hard-fought victory away from the Jazz on Tuesday, thanks largely in part to the contributions of small forward Jae Crowder. Crowder’s 21 points tied his season high, but the takeaway from the evening would prove to be neither his production nor the result on the scoreboard but rather his unexpected comments about the fans in attendance.

Supporters at the TD Garden could be heard cheering for rival forward Gordon Hayward, writes Christopher L. Gasper for The Boston Globe and it’s this to which Crowder took offense.

“[It’s] a sign of disrespect to me from the fans,” Crowder told the media, before doubling down on his unconventional reaction over Twitter.

The C’s have long been rumored to be interested in Hayward (here in 2014, for example, and here in October), but it’s the Butler alum’s connection to head coach Brad Stevens that gives the notion continued validity. As the 26-year-old wing approaches free agency via his player option for 2017/18, speculation about Hayward joining the Celtics and theoretically supplanting Crowder in the starting lineup has gained traction.

Given the circumstances, is Crowder’s reaction warranted? Is it bad form for fans to cheer for opposing team players? You tells us in the comments below.

Hawks Nearly Dealt Millsap On Two Occasions

January 3rd, 2017 at 7:45pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Hawks were going to send Paul Millsap to the Raptors during the offseason if Al Horford re-signed with the team, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (audio link). The team wanted to pair free agent addition Dwight Howard with Horford, but the former Florida Gator decided to sign with the Celtics, which led to Atlanta keeping Millsap.

Windhorst added that the team had a deal lined up to send Millsap to the Nuggets at last year’s trade deadline. Atlanta also had separate deal lined up to trade Jeff Teague at the time, though the franchise opted to keep both players on the roster through the end of the season.

Earlier today, Millsap reiterated his desire to remain in Atlanta. The Hawks are reportedly entertaining trade offers for the power forward, but the team doesn’t necessarily feel it has to make a move.

Celtics Already Have Star In Isaiah Thomas

January 2nd, 2017 at 9:21pm CST by Austin Kent

When Danny Ainge traded Marcus Thornton and a draft pick to the Suns for Isaiah Thomas, few regarded it as a franchise-altering deal. Fast forward to 2017, however, and the 5’9″ scoring point guard has made a name for himself as both the Celtics’ most dependable option and perhaps the team-leading star they’re so often said to be seeking.

Even with the addition of Al Horford, who signed a max contract to play in Boston last summer, Thomas has stepped up and carried the team on a regular basis. According to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe, he’s the biggest source of star power in Beantown since the end of the Big Three era.

Perhaps most interesting about Thomas’ ascent as an All-Star in Boston, however, is his abnormally cheap contract — especially considering the raises that have been doled out in the years since the point guard signed his deal with Phoenix in 2014.

As Washburn explains, Thomas’ contract comes in the form of an extremely team-friendly $6.6M salary, with that value even dropping slightly in 2017/18. He’ll be eligible to sign a contract extension this summer, but a straight extension would only allow for a 20% pay increase, a pittance of what he’d be worth on the open market. If Boston has cap room available, the team could renegotiate the deal, giving Thomas a larger raise.

“It may not be in Thomas’s best interest to sign an extension now,” Washburn adds, “but it’s worth it for the Celtics to begin talks, and it would give Thomas the impression that the organization believes in him long term“.

Worth noting is that Ainge has long been a fan of Thomas’, even before the 2015 trade through which he acquired him. As Thomas told Josue Pavon of WEEI 93.7FM, Ainge was the first executive to come calling during the 2014 free agency period.

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 1/2/17

January 2nd, 2017 at 7:40pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Monday’s D-League assignments and recalls from across the NBA:

7:40pm:

The Kings have sent rookies Skal Labissiere and Georgios Papagiannis to their D-League affiliate in Reno, tweets Jason Jones. The two had most recently played sparingly for Sacramento on New Year’s Eve.

12:27pm:

Forward Joel Bolomboy is headed back to the Salt Lake City Stars, according to a press release issued by the Jazz. In Bolomboy’s last game for Utah’s D-League affiliate, on Friday, he posted 18 points and 12 boards to help lead the Stars to a double-overtime win.
The Celtics have recalled a pair of players, Jordan Mickey and Demetrius Jackson, from the D-League, the team announced today (via Twitter). The duo could be active tomorrow for the C’s, depending on the health of a few Boston players.
The Spurs have recalled rookie guard Bryn Forbes from Austin, writes Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. Forbes has played well for the NBADL Spurs this season, averaging 23.4 PPG in seven games.

Thomas Offered Inspiration To Felder

December 30th, 2016 at 3:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Since he was in college, Cavaliers guard Kay Felder has been getting advice from the Celtics’ Isaiah Thomas, relays Chris Fedor at cleveland.com. An All-Star despite his 5’9″ stature, Thomas has been an inspiration to other small guards. “Basically said be you,” Felder said of Thomas’ message. “Do what you do. Do what got you here. I’m a scorer and assist type of guy so don’t let anybody change my game.”

And-Ones: Thunder, CBA, Lee, Smith-Rivera

December 29th, 2016 at 3:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Although the Thunder have put together a reasonably strong supporting cast around Russell Westbrook, there’s no simple way for the team to add a second star to complement the standout point guard, writes Chris Mannix of The Vertical. According to Mannix, Oklahoma City has received zero indications that Blake Griffin is interested in coming home in free agency next summer, and the team would be hard-pressed to create the cap room for another max player anyway.

Still, with players like Victor Oladipo, Steven Adams, and Domantas Sabonis locked up on long-term deals, it makes plenty of sense for Westbrook to stick with the Thunder, particularly if the team takes advantage of the designated veteran extension to offer him a five-year pact next summer, Mannix writes.

Here’s more from around the NBA:

In an informative piece for The Vertical, former NBA front office executive Bobby Marks takes an in-depth look at how the NBA’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement will affect salary and cap situations for teams around the league next summer.
Damion Lee, who was one of the Celtics‘ training camp invitees and D-League affiliate players this fall, has torn his ACL and will miss the rest of the season, tweets Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. After going undrafted out of Louisville this year, Lee had been averaging 17.8 PPG and 6.3 RPG in 16 games with the Maine Red Claws.
Speaking of training camp invitees, D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera, who was in camp with the Bulls this fall, has a new home. As Scott Agness of VigilantSports.com details, Smith-Rivera was acquired from the D-League player pool by the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the Pacers‘ NBADL affiliate.