free agents to target this summer

[cordobes]

Unless Giddens or Walker blossom till the end of the season, our biggest need is a backup wing to complement Tony Allen. I'd make Grant Hill my priority.

[ssspence]

If we could get Sheed and Hill, I'd be estatic.

ditto. one interesting possibility who could be cheap is jemario moon. he could hold down the fort at the 3 behind pierce while walker grows. he could probably be had on a 2 year deal.

[Brickowski]

My guess is that you will be able to get the majority of those players for 2 years at the MLE or less.  That's half of what Posey got.

You will see the same dynamic as in baseball, but even more pronounced.  The days of players getting (1) more than the MLE, and (2) big contracts until they are 36-37 years old, are over.

Going forward, the max contracts will only go to true superstars (LeBron, DWade, Dwight Howard).  Players under 25 who are not superstars but who have that potential will get nice deals under the max, e.g. Al Jefferson money.  Everyone else will be at the MLE or less.

[CoachBo]

Unless Giddens or Walker blossom till the end of the season, our biggest need is a backup wing to complement Tony Allen. I'd make Grant Hill my priority.

The word I'd use is "replace" Tony Allen, but I like the idea of Grant Hill.

But ... I suspect finances are going to be a significant issue this summer for the Celtics, as they were last summer.

[JSD]

How do you handle this upcoming offseason?

Major "09" Free Agents:
Ron Artest
Mike Bibby
Ben Gordon
Jason Kidd
Allen Iverson
Antonio McDyess
Rasheed Wallace
Lamar Odom
Joe Smith
Shawn Marion

[Brickowski]

My top two targets would be Sheed and Artest, in that order.

[slamtheking]

For FA's, Sheed is the best target.  4/5 that can score and defend.  Would probably take 2 years at full MLE to get him.  I can't see him accepting less since he's still productive.  Any thoughts of signing another player with the MLE aren't likely.  Backup plan would be sign Mcdyess for part of the MLE and have some of that money for a backup wing or pg.

Moore could be resigned as another backup for Perk -- he's showing good energy in his one game with the C's and an ability to hit a jumper.  Wouldn't mind keeping him next year if he continues playing at this level.  Cheap vet minimum.

Resign BBD at let Powe walk.  BBD is hitting the jumper more consistantly and is the better defender.  Powe has regressed this year -- isn't scoring and has become a mess at the free throw line.  

That gives us a front court of Perk, KG, Sheed, BBD, Moore and Veal (who can play some 3 -- provided he isn't used as part of a deal).  Even if BBD and Powe both aren't signed, that's a pretty solid front court.

Keep Rondo, PP and Ray (don't use him as an expiring) and see what market is out there for House and TA (and possibly Veal or Pruitt) to get better combo guard.  House isn't likely to opt out in the current market so he's a trading chip as an expiring contract.  TA is too injury prone to count on.  Perhaps getting PHX to resign Hill for 2 years and trade him for a TA/House package.  

Keep Pruitt if no PG options are there.  Keep Giddens and Walker to continue developing and see if they pan out.  The C's don't have a #1 pick this year so might as well give these 2 another year of development.

This wouldn't be an unrealistic plan.
Perk, KG, PP, Ray, Rondo  with Sheed, BBD, Moore, Scal, Hill, Pruitt, Giddens, Walker for 13 players.  Add the 2nd round pick this year or better yet have Danny pick a Euro and stash them for the year.  This leaves 2 spots to sign a vet PG at minimum (just in case) and a last spot for any midseason waiver pickups.

[cordialb]

A lot of people are very quick to assume we trade Ray next year as an expiring contract as its a valuable asset.

Well, couldnt we keep it and it be our valuable asset?

Rays been our most consistant player this year, and the style of his game leads me to believe there should be minimal falloff next year.  Is it out of the realm of possibility to let him finish his contract here, then use his, scals, tony's, and eddies expiring contracts to be a player in the 2010 FA market?

[Bankshot]

Is anyone else worried about Rasheed's attitude?  I'm talking about ON the court.  He doesn't always play hard, takes a lot of ill advised 3's and now shys away from the paint.  Is that really want we want?  He's not a "hustle" player.  I don't see him hustle at all anymore.

[Roy Hobbs]

Is it out of the realm of possibility to let him finish his contract here, then use his, scals, tony's, and eddies expiring contracts to be a player in the 2010 FA market?

It's not out of the realm of possibility to keep Ray and let him play out his contract.  However, it won't be for purposes of being a player in 2010 free agency; even if we let all of the players expire, we still won't have any major room under the cap.

Here's an analysis I did elsewhere:

13) Looking at the above chart, it looks like the Celtics only have around $49 million in salaries committed for 2010.  If the cap goes up to around $65 million, does that mean they can spend $16 million on free agents?  Could they then resign Ray Allen with their Bird rights?

No and no.  Surprising to many, free agents continue to count against a team's salary cap until they're either signed or renounced.  This is called a "cap hold".  Free agents essentially count against the cap at a figure greater than their previous salary.

The amount of these cap holds varies significantly; for actual percentages, see here.  For purposes of the Celtics, Ray Allen would have a cap hold in excess of $20 million.  While the team could renounce Ray, if they did so they would only be able to pay him the minimum salary.

Of even more significance is the cap hold of Rajon Rondo.  As a restricted free agent, he carries a cap hold of 300% of his previous salary, or approximately $6.3 million.  Thus, under the above scenario, the Celtics actual cap room would be approximately $10 million, rather than the $16 million anticipated.  Further, there would be additional salary slots or cap holds for any other players on the roster.  For instance, teams must have 12 players on their roster; for every player less than 12, the team is charged a "cap charge" equal to the rookie minimum salary ($457,588 in 2010).  That's equal to $3,660,704.  That means our cap space is reduced to approximately $6.4 million, or an amount roughly equal to the MLE.  That's assuming we renounce *all* of our free agents.  Long story short, unless we're starting over with ten or more new players, we don't have significant cap room in 2010-11, even if we renounce Ray.

That analysis doesn't account for us re-signing BBD or Powe, or adding any other free agents.  Also, $65 million looks like a wild overestimate right now, with the way the economy is going; the salary cap in 2010 could be sub-$60 million, and some are predicting a cap closer to $50 million (which would be disastrous).

[cordialb]

Thanks for the explaination Roy. 

I guess i just dread putting Ray through all the trade talks and even losing him.  He is a very professional NBA player and the definition of Class.

I really wish the system did not penalize teams for keeping players on board throughout their contracts.  I'm sure its the side effect of some rule to fill some greater need, but it still sucks.  = p

[the_Bird]

Is anyone else worried about Rasheed's attitude?  I'm talking about ON the court.  He doesn't always play hard, takes a lot of ill advised 3's and now shys away from the paint.  Is that really want we want?  He's not a "hustle" player.  I don't see him hustle at all anymore.

My wanting 'Sheed in Boston is predicated on my belief that a lot of these issues will get resolved with him in a new address.  Remember the end of his tenure in Portland, how much improved he was just by going to Detroit?  I think of him as one of those guys who can only stay in one place for just so long.

He also strikes me as someone who had a hard time staying focused when he's not in a winning enviorment.  Putting him in Boston with KG and Pierce and Ray and Rajon, fighting for a title again...  that's kinda like when he first hooked up with Chauncey + Big Ben + Rip and Detroit became relevant.  He's just such an emotional player, for good and for bad.