Is rebuild over if we sign Durant?

[vjcsmoke]

I believe the cap goes up again in 2017, so we'll go after another big free agent to add with Durant.  So that will be another amazing situation.  Who wouldn't want to join Durant, IT, and Horford?

[kozlodoev]

I believe the cap goes up again in 2017, so we'll go after another big free agent to add with Durant.  So that will be another amazing situation.  Who wouldn't want to join Durant, IT, and Horford?

Cap goes up but so does the max contract...

[ssspence]

It will be rather difficult to trade for someone else making a max contract, due to the fact you have to approximately match salaries, and Avery Bradley is our third most expensive player at $8.1 mil.  What would be more possible is to trade for a young budding star entering year 3 or 4 of his contract.

But with KD, the rebuild is absolutely done, and we're obviously a title-oriented team.

Crowder, Smart and Young plus picks for Butler works.

[wdleehi]

Let the team play and see where the weaknesses are.  Then use the assets to fix the issues.

No need to just collect big names if Durant agrees.

[Surferdad]

It will be rather difficult to trade for someone else making a max contract, due to the fact you have to approximately match salaries, and Avery Bradley is our third most expensive player at $8.1 mil.  What would be more possible is to trade for a young budding star entering year 3 or 4 of his contract.

But with KD, the rebuild is absolutely done, and we're obviously a title-oriented team.

Crowder, Smart and Young plus picks for Butler works.

I still think that's too much for Butler, you gut the team of good defensive players (except Bradley).  I would do Crowder, 2017 BKN pick plus salary filler, but not Smart.

[chiken Green]

IF Durant comes here it would be because of what we are already Growing here. This to him has to look like the makings of what The spurs have done with Timmy.
This is why Marcus and Kelly were both at the meeting.
IF Durant didn't care about culture or legacy or longevity and just wanted to play on a Pure win at all cost Contending team he would choose GS or Spurs.. With him they would be set to challenge next year..

We are not Re-building Just simply building.. If he comes that would be the thing that brings him.

[hwangjini_1]

If Durant does sign with us, I believe part of the sales pitch is that Danny won't sacrifice the ability to be amazing just to overpay fringe players to put around durant. Durant most likely wants to compete for as long as possible. He saw lebrons window in Miami only last a few years, and he also can see that lebron went back to the cavs for the promise of youth.

This isn't to say that Danny won't give up the farm for legit players if they arise. I just don't think Danny is going to give up everythibg for butler. Or giving up 2 BKN picks for someone like hayward. I think their best way forward for both Durant and the team is to trade future minor assets (non brk picks) for role players to make an amazing supporting cast for durant. Then if some great trade comes up to help put more stars around durant you do it.

Or option 3. You continue to draft with the BKN picks which for 4 years they are worth their weight in gold. If you draft players, you give yourself even more flexibility in free agency (boston would have to be viewed positively in this light after what theoretically would have happened) due to the rock bottom cap holds of draft picks.

Agreed that Ainge will not overpay for mediocrity. That is the road to salary cap hell.

In the past, Ainge always picks up cheap vets - posey, house, et al. And he doesn't think twice about letting players walk instead of over paying- turner, perk, posey, et al.

The young kids are on cheap rookie contracts. I think Ainge values them as well.

[hwangjini_1]

I believe the cap goes up again in 2017, so we'll go after another big free agent to add with Durant.  So that will be another amazing situation.  Who wouldn't want to join Durant, IT, and Horford?

Cap goes up but so does the max contract...

This raises a question for me. Perhaps folks on the board know the answer.

As the cap goes up, do the salaries of players stay the same or do max salaries rise?  That is, max contracts are a percentage of the cap.  But, if the max contracts do NOT rise as the cap expands, then that gives Ainge more cap space down the line.

Thoughts please.

[saltlover]

I believe the cap goes up again in 2017, so we'll go after another big free agent to add with Durant.  So that will be another amazing situation.  Who wouldn't want to join Durant, IT, and Horford?

Cap goes up but so does the max contract...

This raises a question for me. Perhaps folks on the board know the answer.

As the cap goes up, do the salaries of players stay the same or do max salaries rise?  That is, max contracts are a percentage of the cap.  But, if the max contracts do NOT rise as the cap expands, then that gives Ainge more cap space down the line.

Thoughts please.

Max contracts are "max" only in the year in which they are signed.  But they also have built in raises, a maximum of 4.5% if you don't sign with Bird rights, or 7.5% if you do.  Some years the cap didn't rise by the amount of those raises, so a year 2 max from a prior year might be more than a year 1 max in a current year.  In the current cap climate, however, the max contract is far outpacing raises.

Getting both KD and Horford on long-term deals would create some cap flexibility down the line, but not too much, as Olynyk has a cap hold next season of almost $5 million more than his salary this year, and his new salary should far exceed his cap hold (thank you Ryan Anderson).

[PhoSita]

Yes. Signing Durant means the team is a contender and has contender expectations.  No more moral victories.

The team is already halfway there. No more first round exit moral victories now that Horford is on board.  Anything less than 50 wins is a disappointing season.

Danny has made his move. Now it gets really interesting.

[tyrone biggums]

It's already over. The team on paper has exceeded where it ended when KG/Pierce/Rondo final season. Now they have the expectation of either going out and closing Durant or going out and using the Nets picks to get an established star.

[CelticPride2016]

The rebuild was over last year...

I don't always agree with this Celtics blogger, but he has been making a lot of sense since the draft.

The basic rebuild was over once we got Jae Crowder and Isaiah Thomas and made the playoffs. Now everything else is about the passing of time.

Getting Al Horford was fireworks and Durant would triple that, but the true fireworks happened when Danny fleeced the Nets.

I'm glad to be one of the few people on this board who doesn't get hysterical or over the top contrarian and is patient.