Boston Celtics Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Rockets Won’t Re-Sign Jason Terry

July 20th, 2016 at 7:10pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jason Terry won’t return to the Rockets next season, the veteran point guard said this evening in an interview on Sirius XM NBA Radio (Twitter link). Terry, who will turn 39 in September, said Houston officials told him several days ago that he’s not in their plans for the future.

Terry has spent the past two seasons with the Rockets, primarily as a backup to Patrick Beverley. He appeared in 72 games this season, starting seven, and averaged 5.9 points and 1.4 assists per night. He was a key contributor to the Rockets team that reached the Western Conference finals in 2014/15.

Terry, who made a little less than $1.5MM this season, has been with six teams during his 17-year NBA career. All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas recently campaigned for the Celtics to sign Terry.

Keeping Zeller Unsigned Provides Flexibility

July 20th, 2016 at 5:04pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics are leaving themselves the maximum amount of flexibility as they work to pull off a major deal, writes Kevin O’Connor of CSNNE. None of the draft picks has been signed, O’Connor notes, and nothing has been done with Tyler Zeller, who is a restricted free agent after receiving a qualifying offer last month. The Celtics can withdraw that $3.7MM offer any time before Saturday if they need more cap space. If a team submits an offer sheet to Zeller before then, Boston can match, but O’Connor writes that there are only seven teams left with enough cap room to make an enticing offer, and most of them are already set at center. A sign-and-trade deal involving Zeller is possible if the Celtics find the right trade.

Celtics Notes: Ainge, Okafor, Trades

July 19th, 2016 at 6:29pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Celtics are eager to make a deal, but other teams simply are not looking to swap top players for prospects and draft picks, A. Sherrod Blakely of Comcast Sportsnet writes. “You win with players, not picks,” an anonymous assistant GM told Blakely. “Boston has lots of picks and some good players. But there’s not a great player on that roster. And the players you [media] guys keep writing and talking about that they’re interested in, are great players. [Danny Ainge] will tell you, it’s not easy making trades. And when it comes to great players, it’s even harder to acquire them no matter how many picks you offer up.”

Here’s more from Boston:

The consensus around the league is that if the Celtics can make a big deal, it will be for Jahlil Okafor, as Blakely passes along in the same piece. “From the moment Philly drafted Ben [Simmons], everyone around the league knew that they would have to trade a big, either Okafor or Nerlens [Noel],” an NBA scout told Blakely. “Okafor is the better scorer; it’s not even close really. But Nerlens has that ability to run the floor and can protect the rim. Those two qualities . . . you can’t have enough guys in the frontcourt who call those two skills, strengths. That’s why Okafor is the more expendable player.”
Another executive told Blakely that Ainge is waiting for an opportunity to snag a player whom no one thought would be available. “I have no idea who that big fish is,” the executive said. “But Danny knows there have to be certain circumstances in play that make guys available who wouldn’t be if you just went by talent. That’s how they got Ray Allen. That’s how they got KG (Kevin Garnett). Even Isaiah Thomas a couple years ago was about circumstance more than anything else. He’s looking for something like that now.”
While the Celtics are looking to acquire another star via trade, Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com wonders if the next prime-time player is already on the roster. Forsberg makes the argument that Marcus Smart will elevate his game to an All-Star level next season and the scribe expects Smart to take on much of Evan Turner‘s previous role now that the Ohio State product has signed with Portland.

Community Shootaround: Eastern Playoff Team Most Likely To Slide?

July 18th, 2016 at 5:09pm CST by Luke Adams

Last week, one of our Community Shootaround discussions focused on this year’s non-playoff teams in the East, asking which of those clubs had done the most to improve its roster so far this summer. The Knicks and Sixers received the most support, but several lottery teams got positive reviews from Hoops Rumors commenters for their offseason work.

Today, it’s time to look at the other eight teams in the East. The Cavaliers, Raptors, Heat, Hawks, Celtics, Hornets, Pacers, and Pistons all earned spots in the postseason. How many of those teams will be back in 2017, and how many will drop out?

The Heat had the most notable departure of any of those eight playoff teams, when Dwyane Wade left Miami to sign with his hometown Bulls. But Miami wasn’t the only club to lose a notable player. The Hawks saw Al Horford depart, and the Raptors parted ways with breakout rim-protector Bismack Biyombo.

The Hornets and Pistons, meanwhile, managed to re-sign their own key free agents, including Nicolas Batum and Andre Drummond, and added some complementary pieces. But Charlotte, at least, will have to deal with some notable departures as well, including Al Jefferson, Jeremy Lin, and Courtney Lee.

Finally, the Cavaliers, Celtics, and Pacers have all received solid reviews for their summer decisions — in Cleveland’s case, it’s simply enough to bring back most of the team that beat the 73-win Warriors for the championship. For Boston and Indiana, the changes are more notable — the C’s added Horford and No. 3 pick Jaylen Brown, while the Pacers brought in Jefferson, Thaddeus Young, and Jeff Teague, among others.

What do you think? Which of the Eastern playoff teams is most likely to slide down the standings in 2016/17? How many of these eight clubs do you expect to finish in the lottery next year? Is Miami the most obvious candidate to take a step or two backwards, or is there another team more in danger of underachieving?

Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the Cavs, Raptors, Heat, Hawks, Celtics, Hornets, Pacers, and Pistons. We look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Young Battles Commitment Concerns

July 17th, 2016 at 10:41pm CST by Arthur Hill

Life in the NBA hasn’t been what Jahlil Okafor expected, but he tells Bob Cooney of The Philadelphia Inquirer that he wants to change that, and he hopes to do it with the Sixers. Okafor’s rookie season was plagued by off-court incidents and injuries that limited him to 53 games. He has spent the offseason listening to trade rumors, along with talk that his style of play doesn’t fit the modern NBA game. “[The trade talk] is definitely all stupid with a lot of speculation,” Okafor said. “I see where people will write what I’m feeling and I haven’t even spoken to them. A lot of stuff is made up and it’s annoying. But for the most part, it’s fine. For me, at a certain point, I got upset when another story came out that said we were upset with the team and that just wasn’t the case. But I’m just looking forward to the season now.” Okafor is still rehabbing from surgery in February to repair a torn meniscus, but he hopes to be cleared for five-on-five play soon.

There’s more news out of the Eastern Conference:

After getting his first taste of the NBA during summer league, Ben Simmons plans to work on “everything” before training camp, relays Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The No. 1 pick played six summer league games, averaging 10.8 points, 7.7 rebounds and 5.5 assists. But there were concerns about his turnover rate — 3.8 per game — and a habit of standing around when he didn’t have the ball. “It’s just everyday education,” said Sixers summer league coach Lloyd Pierce. “It’s just learning the NBA, basic timing, position, execution. I can throw out every basketball term in the book. He’s just got to learn the game.”
The Magic should take another shot at Hawks power forward Paul Millsap next summer, writes Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel. Orlando talked to Millsap in 2015 before he decided to re-sign with Atlanta, and with a player option for 2017/18, he might be a free agent again in 12 months. Millsap tops a list of potential 2017 free agent targets Schmitz listed for the Magic. Others mentioned are Gordon Hayward, J.J. Redick, Jeff Teague and Kyle Lowry.
Whispers about James Young‘s commitment to the game continue to haunt him as he battles for a roster spot with the Celtics, according to Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald. Young came into the league with people doubting his work ethic, and now there are concerns that he hasn’t developed as much as he should. “I’ve seen that for 35 years in the NBA,” said president of basketball operations Danny Ainge, who wasn’t specifically talking about Young. “They don’t understand the urgency. They feel like they’ve made it, and they don’t understand that staying in the NBA should be their objective and not just making it here.”

Atlantic Notes: Kaun, Sixers, Raptors, Nets

July 17th, 2016 at 4:45pm CST by Will Joseph

In a move that was expected, the Sixers announced they waived Sasha Kaun days after acquiring him. The Sixers acquired Kaun in a deal from the Cavs on Friday. Kaun, 31, played his college ball at Kansas and was selected with the 56th overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft. Kaun agreed to a two-year contract with the Cavaliers last summer, and still has one season remaining on that deal — he’s owed $1,333,420 in 2016/17. In his lone season in Cleveland, Kaun didn’t see much action, averaging only 3.8 minutes in 25 games.

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

The Celtics, who have 13 players under guaranteed contracts if restricted free agent Tyler Zeller is not included, may have an opening on their roster because first-round picks Guerschon Yabusele and Ante Zizic are expected to stay overseas, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe writes. Boston GM Danny Ainge said a decision should be made this week, Washburn relays.
The first year of Anthony Bennett‘s two-year deal with the Nets is guaranteed, but the second is not, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets.
The Nets‘ Plan B after their offers for Tyler Johnson and Allen Crabbe were matched has not looked especially pretty and it seems new Nets GM Sean Marks had to scramble after his initial plan fell through, Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders opines.
DeMar DeRozan didn’t bother to meet with other teams and decided to likely take less money to stay with the Raptors, which speaks to his loyalty, Doug Smith of the Toronto Star writes in a mailbag response.

Bass Reps Contacted Celtics

July 17th, 2016 at 1:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

Representatives for Brandon Bass contacted the Celtics before he reached an agreement with the Clippers, according to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Bass spent four seasons in Boston before signing with the Lakers last summer.

Celtics Notes: Okafor, Griffin, Yabusele

July 16th, 2016 at 9:31pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge would still like to add one more big piece and he will make one of the Brooklyn’s picks available for the right player, a source tells Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. “Danny will make it available in the right situation, but he’s not going to give it up with core players, too,” the source told Bulpett. “That’s going to be a good draft, and that’s going to be a high pick.”

Executives within the league believe Ainge will end up making a significant trade with one rival GM telling Bulpett that Jahlil Okafor may best fit on the trade market. “I still wouldn’t be surprised if something happened [with the Celtics and Okafor],” the anonymous GM said.

Here’s more from Boston:

There is still no traction between the Celtics and Clippers for a deal that would send Blake Griffin to Boston, Bulpett adds in the same piece. Furthermore, a source tells Bulpett that teams are having concerns over Griffin’s health. “I still think there’s a concern with his leg,” an opposing team executive told Bulpett. “We looked into him, and we’re hearing that’s a pretty serious thing. I’m not saying you don’t go after him, but you’d better be really sure about that leg before you go making any big commitments.”
The Celtics were willing to offer the No.3 overall pick and one player from their rotation, but the Bulls wanted two players and Ainge wasn’t willing to make that deal, a source tells Bulpett in that same piece.
Whether or not No.16 overall pick Guerschon Yabusele will play overseas is dependent upon the Celtics making a trade and opening up a roster spot, a source tells Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe (Twitter links). Yabusele could play overseas during the 2016/17 campaign even if there is a trade, Himmelsback adds.
James Young is on the Celtics‘ roster bubble, Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald writes. “I think James is doing fine, but we have a lot of decisions to make,” Ainge said. “A lot is dependent on what deals we’re able to do or not do, like do we sign or not sign another free agent?”
Out of all the Celtics whom participated in summer league, Young made the weakest case for a roster spot, Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com contends.

"Nothing Tanigble" To Westbrook/Celtics Rumors Yet

July 15th, 2016 at 4:27pm CST by Arthur Hill

There’s “nothing tangible” yet to reports linking the Celtics to Thunder guard Russell Westbrook, says ESPN’s Chris Broussard (video link). It’s worth stressing that, while Westbrook, Blake Griffin, and the Celtics have been the subjects of trade speculation at the Las Vegas Summer League, much of that speculation is coming from rival general managers and execs — not from sources within the Celtics or Thunder, or from specific player agents.

Clippers Notes: Griffin, Wilcox, Marble, Redick

July 15th, 2016 at 11:33am CST by Arthur Hill

Trading away Blake Griffin would mean a sharp change of direction for the Clippers, writes Dan Woike of The Orange County Register. Rumors of a possible Griffin deal surfaced Thursday when Sean Deveney of The Sporting News reported that the Celtics have targeted him and that there’s a feeling around the league that Boston is ready to make a major move. Deveney cited a possible three-team trade that would send Griffin to the Celtics and Rudy Gay from the Kings to the Clippers, but Woike sees a team built around Gay, Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan as less likely than the current roster to be a contender in the West. Griffin has two seasons and about $41.5MM left on his contract.

There’s more news out of Los Angeles:

The Clippers made a much-needed move to clear some cap space Thursday when they traded C.J. Wilcox to Orlando, according to Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com. Wilcox played just 268 minutes in his two seasons with Los Angeles and was owed more than $1.2MM next season with a $2,183,328 team option for 2017/18. In return, the Clippers received a second-round draft pick in 2020 and Devyn Marble, whose contract is non-guaranteed until today at 5 p.m. Eastern time. Waiving Marble would open up money to sign Raymond Felton, who agreed to terms with L.A. on Thursday.
The Clippers are right against the luxury tax line with 13 players on guaranteed contracts, tweets Bobby Marks of The Vertical.
Clippers guard J.J. Redick responded to Commissioner Adam Silver’s warning about “super teams” being bad for the league, writes Kurt Helin of NBCSports.com. In a series of tweets, Redick notes that five teams have won titles since LeBron James joined the Heat in 2010, that the Celtics formed their dominant team through trades and that free agents have earned the right to decide where they want to play. Redick, who has been with the Clippers since 2013, is entering the final season of his contract.