Boston Celtics Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Notes: Beal, Brown, Brogdon, Harden, Towns

June 14th, 2023 at 11:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics made inquiries about Bradley Beal in the past, but they’re unlikely to pursue the high-scoring Wizards guard now, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said Wednesday on “NBA Today” (video link). Boston had thoughts of teaming up Beal with his long-time friend Jayson Tatum, but Windhorst doesn’t believe it’s realistic with the team’s current salary structure.

“My feel from talking to sources is that the Celtics are not necessarily in on this one,” Windhorst said. “Their intention is to get Jaylen Brown on a contract extension this year. Even if they got Jaylen Brown done, the idea of bringing in Bradley Beal would be extraordinarily difficult because of the three contracts together. I don’t think any conversation that involves trading Jaylen Brown is something the Celtics are super interested in right now.”

Brown became eligible for a super-max contract by earning All-NBA honors this season. Beal signed a maximum contract last summer and will make nearly $208MM over the next four years, while Tatum will be eligible to sign a super-max extension in 2024.

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

With the Celtics hoping to trim salary this summer, Brian Robb of MassLive suggests potential deals involving Malcolm Brogdon. The reigning Sixth Man of the Year had a productive first season in Boston, but he’s owed $22.5MM in each of the next two years and that money may be needed elsewhere. Robb proposes trades involving the Knicks, Clippers, Lakers, Raptors and 76ers.
The Sixers prefer to re-sign James Harden, but they shouldn’t be viewed as desperate, according to Windhorst, who says in his latest podcast that Philadelphia has alternatives lined up if the veteran guard returns to Houston. “While they absolutely want James Harden back, and I think there’s a way they can play together and still be highly successful, the Sixers have other moves they can make,” Windhorst said. “If Harden walks, they have cap space. They have tradable contracts. They have things they can do. Harden is important, but not the end-all and be-all for the 76ers.”
Rico Hines will be an assistant to new Sixers head coach Nick Nurse, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Hines worked under Nurse with the Raptors last season.
The Knicks would have numerous ways to match Karl-Anthony Towns‘ salary in a trade if the Timberwolves make him available, per Ian Begley of SNY.tv. Because Towns’ extension doesn’t start until 2024/25, he will make $36MM next season. Sending out Julius Randle ($25.6MM) or Mitchell Robinson ($15.6MM), either of whom might be redundant on the same team with Towns, gives New York plenty of remaining options to reach a matching figure, Begley notes.

Pritchard's Situation Being Monitored By Rivals

June 13th, 2023 at 7:44pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Payton Pritchard will be a restricted free agent next summer and rival teams are keeping tabs on the Celtics point guard, who is seeking more playing time, according to Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com, who spoke to multiple executives about Pritchard’s value. The 25-year-old’s $4MM salary for next season could be included as part of a bigger trade. He was disappointed when he wasn’t dealt prior to the February trade deadline.

Draft Notes: Rockets, Thompsons, Black, Green Room Invites, Osunniyi, Burton

June 13th, 2023 at 5:38pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Rockets hold the No. 4 pick and they were visited this week by three candidates who could potentially be selected at that spot. The Overtime Elite brother duo of Amen Thompson and Ausar Thompson and Arkansas’ Anthony Black met with Houston’s brass. Amen and Ausar are currently ranked No. 4 and No. 5, respectively, on ESPN’s Best Available list with Black slotted at No. 8. The Thompsons reportedly met recently with the Pistons, who hold the No. 5 pick. They’ve also visited the Hornets (No. 2) and Trail Blazers (No. 3). There has been much less intel on Black’s pre-draft visits.

We have more draft-related info:

Green Room invites have been sent out and the first batch includes Victor Wembanyama, Brandon Miller, Scoot Henderson, the Thompson twins, Cam Whitmore, Jarace Walker, Black, Taylor Hendricks and Gradey Dick. The second group to receive invites include Bilal Coulibaly, Cason Wallace, Nick Smith, Dereck Lively, Kobe Bufkin, Jalen Hood-Schifino, Jett Howard, Jordan Hawkins and Keyonte George, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony (Twitter links).
Iowa State big man Osun Osunniyi will work out for the Hawks on Wednesday, according to Adam Zagoria (Twitter link). He has also visited the Bulls, Spurs and Celtics, among others. He averaged 8.2 points and 3.9 rebounds last season.
The Hawks are also working out Pittsburgh guard Jamarius Burton on Wednesday, Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets. The All-ACC First Team selection will soon visit the Celtics.

2023 NBA Offseason Preview: Boston Celtics

June 12th, 2023 at 7:47am CST by Rory Maher

After coming within two games of winning their 18th championship in 2021/22 under first-year head coach Ime Udoka, the Celtics had both a promising and strange offseason last year.

On the plus side, they traded for guard Malcolm Brogdon, who went on to win Sixth Man of the Year, and signed veteran forward Danilo Gallinari. Unfortunately, Gallinari tore his ACL while playing with the Italian national team last summer, and then Udoka was suspended for the ’22/23 season last September for violating “organizational guidelines” after a consensual affair with a female staffer.

Despite the dramatic circumstances that unexpectedly thrust Joe Mazzulla into the lead coaching role, Boston’s on-court results actually improved during the regular season. The team won six more games en route to a 57-25 record, the second-best mark in the NBA.

The Celtics had all the hallmarks of a championship-caliber club entering the playoffs, holding the league’s second-best offense and defense and the top overall net rating (plus-6.7).

Things quickly went awry in the postseason, however, with the Celtics unexpectedly dropping a couple of games in their first-round series against the Hawks before facing a 3-2 deficit in their second-round series against the Sixers. Boston pulled through by winning the final two games, advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals, only to immediately lose three straight against the Heat and face the unprecedented task of trying to win four consecutive elimination games.

The Celtics staged an admirable comeback, winning three in a row to even the series, but got blown out at home in Game 7, with Jayson Tatum suffering an ankle injury on the game’s first play and Jaylen Brown struggling mightily, going 8-of-23 from the field along with eight turnovers.

The Celtics’ Offseason Plan

While they obviously fell short of their ultimate goal of winning the title, it’s still impressive that the Celtics have advanced to at least the Conference Finals in five of the past seven seasons. That illustrates how close they’ve been to a breakthrough for several years now while also showing how incredibly difficult it is to win four consecutive playoff series in order to emerge with the Larry O’Brien trophy.

Only a handful of teams have just one unrestricted free agent this summer, at least right now, and Boston is one of them. However, that doesn’t mean the Celtics don’t have some important decisions to make in the coming weeks.

Brown became eligible for a super-max extension after his first All-NBA berth in ’22/23, earning a spot on the Second Team. Based on what president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said after they were eliminated, it sounds like the Celtics fully intend to offer Brown the projected five-year, $290MM+ contract, which would be the largest in NBA history.

Tatum will also be extension-eligible, but he’ll definitely wait a year to maximize his earnings. The 25-year-old will be in position to sign his own super-max contract in 2024 no matter how the upcoming season goes, having met the performance criteria by making the All-NBA First Team in each of the past two seasons. He just needs one more year of NBA experience to officially become super-max eligible.

Would the Celtics be open to trading Brown if the right opportunity arose? Perhaps. But he’s only 26, and they’ve obviously had a lot of success with him and Tatum. It seems far more likely that the club will continue to try to complement its stars rather than split them up.

Brown’s possible extension won’t kick in until ’24/25, so the Celtics have one season of leeway until things start to get really complicated from a financial standpoint. That said, bringing back the same core group next season — if that’s even the goal — won’t be cheap.

Forward Grant Williams will be a restricted free agent, and while his season was a little uneven (in part due to injury), he’s due for a big raise on the $4.3MM he made this past season. His numbers (8.1 PPG and 4.6 RPG in 25.9 MPG) look modest on the surface, but he has turned himself into a very good shooter and he’s a versatile defender as well, so his skill set has a lot of value, especially in a free agent class without much star talent available.

Gallinari is a near-lock to exercise his $6.8MM player option coming off a major injury. That would leave the Celtics with a $158MM+ payroll with 10 players on guaranteed contracts. The projected luxury tax line is $162MM, and the highly-restrictive second tax apron is at $179.5MM.

I’m not sure how much money Williams will receive, but for the sake of argument let’s say he re-signs with Boston on a four-year, $60MM contract, with a $15MM annual cap hit. That would put the team’s payroll at $173MM+ with 11 players under contract.

In that scenario, the Celtics could (barely) stay below the second apron as long as their three other players are on minimum deals, but they wouldn’t be able to use the mid-level exception to sign a free agent. They’d also have to decline their $3.5MM team option on Mike Muscala, which isn’t a deal-breaker or anything since he wasn’t in the playoff rotation.

If they’re not confident in Gallinari’s ability to bounce back from a second torn ACL (he’ll be 35 in August), they could offload his salary by attaching some draft capital. That should enable them to use the taxpayer MLE, though at $5MM it’s fair to wonder how impactful that addition might be.

Payton Pritchard requested a trade before the February deadline and was disappointed to not be dealt, so he’s an obvious candidate to be moved if the Celtics can find something they like. They definitely won’t just salary dump him because he wants a bigger opportunity though. If Boston is hesitant to use draft assets to move off Gallinari, the team could package Pritchard with him instead.

In the playoffs, one thing that really stood out to me was Robert Williams was not the all-over-the-place defensive force that he was in ’21/22. That makes sense, since he was slow to recover from a second knee procedure in training camp and was limited to just 35 games, but the Celtics certainly missed his roaming weak-side play-making and ability to change shots. Hopefully he’ll regain his prior form, but it’s worth monitoring how he looks to start next season, as his game is very reliant on athleticism.

It may seem like I’m implying the Celtics will have a quiet offseason, and that could end up being the case. However, Stevens has consistently been active in looking for roster upgrades, and he won’t hesitate to shake things up if he thinks it will improve their odds of winning their first championship since 2008.

Salary Cap Situation

Guaranteed Salary

Jayson Tatum ($32,600,060)
Jaylen Brown ($31,830,357)
Malcolm Brogdon ($22,500,000)
Marcus Smart ($18,583,713)
Derrick White ($18,357,143)
Robert Williams ($11,571,429)
Al Horford ($10,000,000)
Payton Pritchard ($4,037,278)
Sam Hauser ($1,927,896)
Total: $151,407,876

Dead/Retained Salary

Demetrius Jackson ($92,857)
Total: $92,857

Player Options

Danilo Gallinari ($6,802,950): Non-Bird rights
Total: $6,802,950

Team Options

Mike Muscala ($3,500,000): Non-Bird rights
Total: $3,500,000

Non-Guaranteed Salary

Luke Kornet ($2,413,304)
Justin Champagnie ($1,927,896)
- Note: Champagnie would receive a partial guarantee of $50K if he’s not waived on or before August 1; that partial guarantee would increase to $350K if he’s not waived on or before the first day of the regular season.
Total: $4,341,200

Restricted Free Agents

Grant Williams ($8,486,620 qualifying offer / $12,918,843 cap hold): Bird rights
Total (cap holds): $12,918,843

Two-Way Free Agents

JD Davison: Non-Bird rights
Mfiondu Kabengele: Non-Bird rights

Draft Picks

No. 35 overall (cap hold)

Extension-Eligible Players

Malcolm Brogdon (veteran)
Jaylen Brown (veteran)
Jayson Tatum (veteran)
Derrick White (veteran)
Payton Pritchard (rookie scale)

Note: These are players who are either already eligible for an extension or will become eligible before the 2023/24 season begins. Tatum is ineligible to sign the super-max extension he has qualified for until 2024.

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

Blake Griffin ($1,989,698 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
Total: $1,989,698

Cap Exceptions Available

Taxpayer mid-level exception: $5,000,000
Trade exception: $1,836,090
Trade exception: $1,160,955

Note: The Celtics would lose the taxpayer mid-level exception if their team salary is above the second tax apron; they would gain access to the full mid-level exception and the bi-annual exception if their team salary remains below both tax aprons.

Celtics To Hire Charles Lee As Lead Assistant Coach

June 11th, 2023 at 10:48am CST by Arthur Hill

Charles Lee is finalizing an agreement to join the Celtics as their lead assistant coach, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Lee, 38, was one of the hottest names on the coaching market this spring. He was reportedly a finalist for the coaching vacancies in Detroit and Toronto and received consideration from the Bucks and Suns as well. He served as associate head coach under Mike Budenholzer in Milwaukee and worked with Budenholzer in Atlanta as well.

Lee is the latest high-profile addition for the Celtics, who were determined to rebuild Joe Mazzulla‘s coaching staff after a loss in the Eastern Conference Finals. The team also plans to add former Sixers assistant Sam Cassell, according to a report last week.

Mazzulla didn’t get the chance to build his own team of assistants after Ime Udoka was suspended shortly before the start of the regular season. Damon Stoudamire left Boston in March to become the new head coach at Georgia Tech, and assistants Ben Sullivan, Mike Moser, Garrett Jackson and possibly Aaron Miles are reportedly headed to Houston to join Udoka.

Trail Blazers Offering No. 3 Pick, Simons In Exchange For Star?

June 10th, 2023 at 11:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Numerous trade rumors are circulating about Damian Lillard, but league sources tell Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer that the Trail Blazers are more inclined to keep Lillard and try to build a contender around him.

According to O’Connor, Portland’s front office is exploring deals involving the No. 3 pick in the draft and would be willing to move Anfernee Simons as well. O’Connor names the Celtics‘ Jaylen Brown, the Raptors‘ Pascal Siakam and the Nets‘ Mikal Bridges as targets that would make sense for that package, but he also cautions that the Blazers might decide to keep their pick.

Simons is coming off his best NBA season, averaging 21.1 points, 2.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 62 games. The 24-year-old shooting guard has three seasons left on his four-year, $100MM extension.

The No. 3 pick also carries significant value in a draft that is projected to have three top players. Brandon Miller is widely expected to be taken second by Charlotte, leaving G League star Scoot Henderson available for any team that wants to deal for the third choice. However, Miller and Henderson could easily flip places.

In an interview this week, Lillard identified the Heat and Nets as teams he would be interested in joining if he requests a trade. O’Connor offers a few other suggestions, including the Raptors, who reportedly talked to Portland about an OG Anunoby deal last summer and again before the February deadline. O’Connor also mentions the Grizzlies if they decide to unload Ja Morant or teams rich in draft picks such as the Pelicans, Rockets and Spurs.

Lillard has stated repeatedly that he wants to compete for a championship, and O’Connor believes his best chance to reach that goal is to accept a trade. However, it appears the Blazers are going to make an effort to create an instant contender before they consider that option.

Celtics Notes: G. Williams, Offseason, Lillard, Paul

June 10th, 2023 at 10:15am CST by Luke Adams

Celtics forward Grant Williams, who underwent hand surgery on Friday, originally injured his hand in March but exacerbated the issue during Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals when he was battling Bam Adebayo for a rebound, sources tell Jared Weiss of The Athletic.

While it’s not unusual for NBA players to undergo minor surgeries after the season to address nagging injuries, the timing is unfortunate for Williams, who will still be recovering from the procedure when he reaches restricted free agency on July 1.

There’s no indication that the surgery will impact Williams’ availability for 2023/24, but the Celtics and any rival suitors will want to get a sense of how the 24-year-old’s recovery is going before committing big money to him. According to Weiss, Williams was also affected this past season by a ligament strain in his right elbow, but he’s expected to let that injury heal without undergoing a separate procedure.

Here’s more on the Celtics:

In a mailbag for The Athletic, Weiss discusses several Celtics-related topics, including whether or not Jaylen Brown is a legitimate trade candidate this offseason and what Williams’ restricted free agency could look like. Weiss explains that Boston’s ideal outcome would be to re-sign Williams and continue developing his offensive game so that he’s a more reliable presence on that end of the court.
If Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard were to request a trade out of Portland, the Celtics wouldn’t be on his list of preferred destinations, according to Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report and TNT (hat tip to RealGM). Asked during an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show about a hypothetical trade of Lillard to Boston, Haynes stopped Patrick before he could finish his question. “He’s not doing Boston,” Haynes said. “… I think that’s pretty safe to say.”
Chris Paul is the sort of seasoned backcourt veteran the Celtics could use, so they should show interest in him if he’s waived by Phoenix, opines Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Despite Paul’s age, he remains one of the NBA’s best “offensive orchestrators” when he’s healthy, Washburn writes, adding that the point guard could help Boston capitalize on its championship window.

Suns Rumors: Harden, Lillard, Paul, Irving, Russell, More

June 9th, 2023 at 8:04pm CST by Rory Maher

There have been rumors linking James Harden to Phoenix. John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM shut down that notion (via Twitter), writing that there’s a “zero percent chance” the Suns would pursue the former MVP.

Gambadoro also said it was “highly unlikely” the Suns would have interest in Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard, pointing out that his large salary might be unpalatable for a roster that’s already top-heavy (Twitter link). On his Burns and Gambo radio show (Twitter link), the plugged-in local reporter stated in stronger terms that the Suns won’t pursue Lillard.

“They’re not getting James Harden, and they’re not getting Damian Lillard,” Gambadoro said.

Here are more rumors on the Suns:

Gambadoro’s reporting on Lillard was seemingly in response to a new piece from Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, who hears from sources who say that the Trail Blazers have shown interest in Deandre Ayton in the past. However, Fischer also downplays Phoenix’s chances of landing Lillard, noting that the Suns don’t have the requisite assets to land a player of his caliber. The Blazers, meanwhile, still hope to build a contender around their all-time leading scorer, and remain intent on re-signing Jerami Grant, sources tell Fischer.
Fischer’s article focuses on Chris Paul‘s uncertain future with the Suns and how it might have a ripple effect around the NBA. Although Lillard and Harden might be unrealistic targets, Fischer writes that the Suns remain intrigued by Kyrie Irving, who is entering unrestricted free agency. As Fischer notes, Irving would basically have to ask the Mavericks for help in a sign-and-trade. Dallas hasn’t shown any interest in helping the Lakers land Irving in a sign-and-trade for D’Angelo Russell, but Fischer wonders if Paul might be more appealing.
Could the Lakers and Suns explore a sign-and-trade involving Russell and Paul? The Suns pursued the 27-year-old impending free agent ahead of the February trade deadline when he was still on the Timberwolves, sources tell Fischer. Big man Naz Reid, who’s also set to hit unrestricted free agency, was another player Phoenix desired in talks with Minnesota, Fischer adds.
Hornets guard Terry Rozier has been linked to Phoenix in the past, but the Suns didn’t pursue him ahead of the trade deadline, sources tell Fischer. Knicks guard Immanuel Quickley, Celtics guard Payton Pritchard, Kings guard Davion Mitchell, and Heat guard Gabe Vincent are among the other backcourt options the Suns have monitored, per Fischer.
Agents that Fischer has talked to believe Paul could get at least part of — if not the full — mid-level exception if he’s waived and becomes an unrestricted free agent. While Paul has been linked to his former club, the Clippers, Fischer notes that they can only offer the veteran’s minimum, and there’s “mutual interest” in a reunion between Russell Westbrook and the Clips.

Celtics’ Grant Williams Undergoes Left Hand Surgery

June 9th, 2023 at 4:08pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

4:08pm: The Celtics confirmed Williams had surgery to repair a tear of the radial collateral ligament of the third metacarpo-phalangeal joint on his left hand. He is expected to make a full return to basketball activities in six-to-eight weeks, per the team.

3:32pm: Reserve Celtics power forward Grant Williams went under the knife for hand surgery today, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

The surgery was considered successful, according to Wojnarowski, who says the team anticipates Williams will be available in time for the start of training camp this fall.

The 24-year-old incurred the injury in March, per Woj, but opted to play through it to finish out the season. Williams found himself in and out of Boston’s playoff rotation en route to an eventual Game 7 Eastern Conference Finals loss against the Heat.

Williams is a restricted free agent this summer, and is coming off a career regular season run. In 25.9 minutes per game, the 6’6″ vet out of Tennessee posted averages of 8.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists across 79 appearances.

Because he played over 2,000 minutes in 2022/23, Williams has met the league’s “starter criteria” for restricted free agents, and has thus seen his qualifying offer get a $2MM uptick, to $8,486,620. There has been speculation that Boston may look to offload one of its three combo guards, Malcolm Brogdon, Marcus Smart or Derrick White, in an effort to retain Williams this summer.

Atlantic Notes: Brown, Mitchell, Raptors, Niang, Nurse

June 8th, 2023 at 8:31pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Having made the All-NBA Second Team this year, Celtics All-Star Jaylen Brown is eligible for a five-year, $290MM super-max contract extension. According to Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com, Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas, a longtime Brown advisor, has some pointed advice for the young star.

“Take the money,” Thomas said. “He’s had a great career there, and he’s become one of the best players in the league. They’ve done well, and he’s done well there. It’s been a win-win, I think, for him and for the Celtics.”

Thomas went on to suggest that the departure of 2021/22 head coach Ime Udoka and lead assistants Will Hardy and Damon Stoudamire seems to have had an adverse influence on Brown, who had an uneven performance in the 2023 playoffs.

“Hey, I don’t care how talented your team is, when half of your coaching staff walks out of the door, that’s going to affect you,” he said. “That’s just how it goes. You lose your head coach and your top two assistants, you’re going to be impacted by that.”

There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

The Knicks may still pursue a trade for Cavaliers shooting guard Donovan Mitchell at some point, writes Peter Botte of The New York Post. Botte notes that New York team president Leon Rose will likely explore other options when it comes to trying to trade for a superstar this summer, but that Mitchell, a native New Yorker, could remain a target down the line. The Knicks eliminated Mitchell’s higher-seeded Cavaliers in a five-game first round playoff series.
Sixers forward Georges Niang offered up a rave review for Philadelphia’s new head coach Nick Nurse on ESPN’s Hoop Collective podcast (YouTube video link). “Obviously (the Sixers are) bringing in a guy that is a basketball savant,” Niang said (h/t to Kyle Neubeck of The Philly Voice for the transcription). “He knows how to junk up games, he knows how to draw ATOs, run offense, and then junk defenses, how to play defense, he’s done a great job. His Toronto teams were always tough to guard, and they were always tough to score against. So I was extremely pleased to see that they hired him and see they’re moving in that direction.” Niang, an unrestricted free agent this summer, clearly still seems interested in the future his current club.
The Raptors are currently the lone team still in the market for a new head coach. Per Marc Stein, Toronto nixed plans for a second face-to-face conversation with Virtus Bologna head coach Sergio Scariolo due to his team’s continued presence in the Lega Basket Serie A finals. Scariolo could be out of commission until June 23 if the series lasts seven games. The Raptors had hoped to have a new head coach in place in time for June 22’s NBA draft. According to Stein, there’s speculation in league circles that Scariolo could have something of an edge for the job, while others believe Warriors assistant coach Kenny Atkinson is the favorite. Grizzlies assistant Darko Rajakovic is considered the third favorite, per Stein, with all three gaining separation from Kings assistant Jordi Fernandez.