Kyrie 21.3m + Horford 30.1m = 51.3m.
Celts will have enough cap room for D-Lo if that 51.3m is off the payroll.
Total salary after Kyrie and Horford walk would be $71.8 million. Then you have cap holds for the three draft picks and an empty roster slot. That's slightly over $8 million. So let's call salary and holds total $80 million. You would then need to renounce Rozier, Theis, Wanamaker and Morris to clear open $29 million in cap space.
Not sure which free agent you could sign but I heard Jrue Holiday wasn't keen on staying in New Orleans without Davis and his salary would fit into our cap, so maybe try to convince Griffin to salary dump Holiday to us.
And Holiday was just a suggestion, perhaps Danny tries to trade for a big under the same circumstances by absorbing salary via trade into the cap space.
Ya but then you have the issue of subtracting Horford and adding a 29 year old Holiday is really just a lateral move. I mean pretty much anybody we could reasonably sign would be, unless you are playing the restricted free agent game.
Oh I am not advocating for such things to happen. My preference is to keep Horford long term. Try to convince Al to opt out and sign a new 4 year, $73 million deal that starts at $20 million and decreases by 8% a year for the next three years.
Why would you want Horford on a rebuilding team?
Horford is better off chasing a ring than baby sitting guys like Tatum and Brown.
The Celts are not contenders anymore.
Because he is an excellent player, one of the best role models around for young players, a great locker room presence, and because his total skillset is one of the most sought after in the league. Without Horford, our front line is rubbish.
Replacing Horford with Holiday while also having to completely move on from Morris, Rozier, Theis and Wanamaker is a major step backwards, IMO. If you are doing that, may as well go full blow up mode and strip the team down to Brown Tatum Smart and just add a bunch of rookies, suck for a few years and stock the team with high draft picks.
I mean to be fair his "great locker room presence" didn't prevent our team chemistry from being a dumpster fire last year. And his skill set, tho impressive, is subject to probable decline entering his age 33 season. Not saying we should let him go like n the above scenario, but it makes some sense to move him for value if we can.
I would have no trouble trading Horford for value. I just think it's really bad business to dump him for nothing, while also not having the chance to possibly keep Morris, Rozier, Wanamaker and Theis. Much rather Horford opt in and then Danny uses his $30 million salary to attract something really great in a trade. And then, if Ainge wants to return any of our free agents, he can still retain them.
Horford opting in means the Celts won't be able to do anything significant this summer.
It's better if the Celts cut their losses and start the rebuild process right away.
Ainge's plan backfired.
Time to move on.
Besides, it's hard to move a 30m contract without getting a bad contract in return.
Rozier is an option, if the Celts truly believe he's a starting PG in the NBA.
But Theis, Wanamaker, and Morris are better off joining teams that have a shot at winning.
Right now the Celts, without Kyrie and AD, are irrelevant.