Bol Bol and PJ Dozier to Celtics, sources tell ESPN.

[pearljammer10]

Celtics now only $850k above the lux tax line (if Brown’s incentives don’t kick in which will probably be the case) what’s the next move to get under?

Moving Fernando or Dozier for nothing gets us there.

Side note: Apparently Dozier is Reggie Lewis’ cousin.

[Vermont Green]

Forbes is the only decent player in that deal and we didn't get him.

It's interesting how we valued assets here.

Forbes salary is $4.5 million

Bol + Dozier combined make approximately $4.1 million.

So, for roughly $400k and a second rounder, we chose the two useless players over the one guy who could potentially help.

This is a fair question.  I don't buy at all the insinuation that we didn't develop JHern right or whatever but the question of whether or not Forbes could have helped us is fair.  I am not that worried about Forbes.  We already have a bit of a log jam at the PG/combo guard slot but Forbes is probably a little better than Pritchard.  Of course then people would be complaining about how we aren't playing Pritchard enough.

I am fine with this trade.  We have all the flexibility in the world at this point.  Let's see what happens.

[Celtics2021]

Forbes is the only decent player in that deal and we didn't get him.

It's interesting how we valued assets here.

Forbes salary is $4.5 million

Bol + Dozier combined make approximately $4.1 million.

So, for roughly $400k and a second rounder, we chose the two useless players over the one guy who could potentially help.

We’re starting to run short on 2nds.  We’ve already traded our 2024, 2025, and 2027 picks.  We do have two in 2023, but we’re down a net two over the next six years.  I’m not sure Forbes would have been the best use of what is becoming a rare commodity for us.  Maybe if we weren’t a only a game over .500 without a winning streak of more than 3 games this year the Celtics would have outflanked the Nuggets, but better to save that bullet for when you’re actually in range of your target.

[Who]

Brian Robb

PJ Dozier has torn ACL but he played for Celtics and Brad Stevens during 2018-19 season as a two-way player before developing into a useful reserve for Nuggets during past three seasons.

C's will have Bird Rights on him this offseason as he hits unrestricted FA.

Another former player of CBS that PBS has acquired.

[Moranis]

Forbes is the only decent player in that deal and we didn't get him.

It's interesting how we valued assets here.

Forbes salary is $4.5 million

Bol + Dozier combined make approximately $4.1 million.

So, for roughly $400k and a second rounder, we chose the two useless players over the one guy who could potentially help.

Would Forbes even play in Boston?  I get Bol Bol and Dozier are both injured, but I can actually see both potentially playing down the line for the team (Dozier is obviously out for the year, but next year I could see him being in the rotation).

[RJ87]

This is a snooze of a move, but it should set everyone's expectations for the trade deadline. Management's priority is to save money and duck the tax.

[slamtheking]

no issue with them ducking the tax in a year where the team is flailing to play 500 ball.  less excuses in the next few years in terms of avoiding deals that put them in tax territory

[PAOBoston]

If they get a 7 mil TPE out of it like I’ve read, then it’s a smart way to get closer to under the tax and keep Juancho’s “salary” to use in a future trade.

I’m sort of indifferent on the trade. None of those players really move the needle anyways and just like Juancho, neither of them likely play this year. I guess if you are going to swing big on an end of bench type of guy, Bol would be the type of player to do it on.

Maybe the first domino to fall by Stevens. Who knows.

[Celtics2021]

I think a side effect of this trade is that Schröder is no longer going to be a salary dump.  It’s now going to be pretty easy for the C’s to get under the tax line.  Doesn’t mean that Schröder won’t be traded, but if he is, it won’t be simply a move to reduce salary, but rather because the Celtics are getting to best value for him in return, be that someone who helps the team this year, or a pick/prospect that helps down the road.  They can take back a reasonable amount of salary in a trade involving him, so pretty much every team in the NBA is a potential trade partner, as opposed to a handful who have some sort of exception that can match up. 

[droopdog7]

Yet another confirmation that Wyc is cheap. Instead of trying to improve the team, we're trying to duck the tax.

If there were a clear way to improve the roster for the long term/set us on track toward contention, I think it gets done.  Problem is, there isn’t such a move out there.

You can't possibly know that before the deadline. Trades are like the game of chicken: Whomever backs down first loses the game. Teams usually wait till the last possible moment before engaging in serious negotiations. This is why the vast majority of trades happen at the deadline.

Basketball-wise, Juancho sucks. Cap-wise, he's a useful expiring contract to have at the deadline. We didn't even give ourselves a chance to use him as salary filler. What this means is we don't care to improve the team. At the very least, our #1 priority is to avoid the tax.

No one knows anything with 100% certainty.  But it’s plainly obvious (to me at least) that we don’t have the assets to make a trade of consequence. In the end, you expect to get what you give anyway.

And that chicken analogy makes no sense at all.  No team has to make a trade at all. 

[Moranis]

Yet another confirmation that Wyc is cheap. Instead of trying to improve the team, we're trying to duck the tax.

If there were a clear way to improve the roster for the long term/set us on track toward contention, I think it gets done.  Problem is, there isn’t such a move out there.

You can't possibly know that before the deadline. Trades are like the game of chicken: Whomever backs down first loses the game. Teams usually wait till the last possible moment before engaging in serious negotiations. This is why the vast majority of trades happen at the deadline.

Basketball-wise, Juancho sucks. Cap-wise, he's a useful expiring contract to have at the deadline. We didn't even give ourselves a chance to use him as salary filler. What this means is we don't care to improve the team. At the very least, our #1 priority is to avoid the tax.

No one knows anything with 100% certainty.  But it’s plainly obvious (to me at least) that we don’t have the assets to make a trade of consequence. In the end, you expect to get what you give anyway.

And that chicken analogy makes no sense at all.  No team has to make a trade at all.

This trade doesn't change your analysis in any way though because Hernangomez had no value in a trade other than as salary filler and Boston can still make trades and still has the large Fournier TPE (and now has the Hernangomez TPE). 

[nickagneta]

no issue with them ducking the tax in a year where the team is flailing to play 500 ball.  less excuses in the next few years in terms of avoiding deals that put them in tax territory

But what if the team goes on a run? The upcoming schedule sure looks like they could string together 6-7 more straight wins. If they are 29-21 at month's end, does that change your opinion about them possibly doing what they can to avoid the tax this year? If they are say 33-23 on deadline day, do you think staying under the cap should be something they should worry about this year? Or should getting help for a playoff run be the priority?

I know, big if in that statement, but there are a whole bunch of extremely winnable games by the deadline and some teams like Sacramento, Indiana, Atlanta, San Antonio, New Orleans and Portland might lose a bunch before the deadline and go into full tank/rebuild mode making for some interesting players becoming available that could fit into a TPE the team has.

[todd_days_41]

If they get a 7 mil TPE out of it like I’ve read, then it’s a smart way to get closer to under the tax and keep Juancho’s “salary” to use in a future trade.

I’m sort of indifferent on the trade. None of those players really move the needle anyways and just like Juancho, neither of them likely play this year. I guess if you are going to swing big on an end of bench type of guy, Bol would be the type of player to do it on.

Maybe the first domino to fall by Stevens. Who knows.

Here are excerpts from ESPN's analysis:

Boston Celtics: B+

A trade involving Hernangomez was a near certainty leading up to the deadline. The veteran forward, making $6.9 million this season including likely incentives in his contract, had played just 96 minutes so far, and his salary helped push the Celtics into the luxury tax.

Wojnarowski reported Tuesday night that Boston doesn't currently plan to waive either Bol or Dozier, though both are in the last year of their contracts.
 Bol will be a restricted free agent, and his rights might be worth keeping. Dozier would have less value as an unrestricted free agent whose injury is likely to sideline him to start the 2022-23 season.

As a small bonus, Boston can use part of the trade exception from the Kemba Walker deal to take back the salaries of Bol and Dozier, allowing the Celtics to create a trade exception for the value of Hernangomez's salary that will outlast their current three exceptions -- all of which expire this summer.

Pelton also points out that if Brown misses his All-Star incentive, and the Cs move one min salary player at the deadline which should be easy for just cash, the Cs will get under the tax.

[todd_days_41]

no issue with them ducking the tax in a year where the team is flailing to play 500 ball.  less excuses in the next few years in terms of avoiding deals that put them in tax territory

But what if the team goes on a run? The upcoming schedule sure looks like they could string together 6-7 more straight wins. If they are 29-21 at month's end, does that change your opinion about them possibly doing what they can to avoid the tax this year? If they are say 33-23 on deadline day, do you think staying under the cap should be something they should worry about this year? Or should getting help for a playoff run be the priority?

I know, big if in that statement, but there are a whole bunch of extremely winnable games by the deadline and some teams like Sacramento, Indiana, Atlanta, San Antonio, New Orleans and Portland might lose a bunch before the deadline and go into full tank/rebuild mode making for some interesting players becoming available that could fit into a TPE the team has.

No. Avoiding the tax this year provides flexibility going forward, if i'm not mistaken. And this trade certainly does nothing to affect their ability to perform on the court.

[droopdog7]

Yet another confirmation that Wyc is cheap. Instead of trying to improve the team, we're trying to duck the tax.

If there were a clear way to improve the roster for the long term/set us on track toward contention, I think it gets done.  Problem is, there isn’t such a move out there.

You can't possibly know that before the deadline. Trades are like the game of chicken: Whomever backs down first loses the game. Teams usually wait till the last possible moment before engaging in serious negotiations. This is why the vast majority of trades happen at the deadline.

Basketball-wise, Juancho sucks. Cap-wise, he's a useful expiring contract to have at the deadline. We didn't even give ourselves a chance to use him as salary filler. What this means is we don't care to improve the team. At the very least, our #1 priority is to avoid the tax.

No one knows anything with 100% certainty.  But it’s plainly obvious (to me at least) that we don’t have the assets to make a trade of consequence. In the end, you expect to get what you give anyway.

And that chicken analogy makes no sense at all.  No team has to make a trade at all.

This trade doesn't change your analysis in any way though because Hernangomez had no value in a trade other than as salary filler and Boston can still make trades and still has the large Fournier TPE (and now has the Hernangomez TPE).

Not really sure what you’re saying but this trade accomplishes something that should be of interest to the fans, even if they don’t know that it’s good for the team.  Setting the clock on the repeater tax for this team would be infinitely stupid.

And I’m not worried about aggregating juanchos salary with anything because like I said, I don’t see a reasonable trade where we’re going to send out a bunch a salary and bring back some kind of a star or anything close to that.  That idea is nothing more than fan wishful thinking.