When the trade deadline nears, so does buyout season. I expect Ainge to keep his first-rounders and go after some of those buyout candidates, getting them for practically free via the TPE.
This benefits our trading partner because they save money buy not having to agree to a buyout. And it gives us that player's bird rights for the future.
If I'm Ainge I'm letting teams know to call me before the deadline if they plan on buying a player out.
He's not giving up our picks unless a really good player becomes available.
Major Tommy point for this. Very smart idea and I’d be shocked if the team isn’t considering it.
No other contending teams, to my knowledge, have a large TPE or cap space. That means the Celtics should in theory be able to trade a nothing pick (say, a top-55 protected 2nd) for whichever buyout candidate they choose, as long as he fits salary wise.
Of course, if the team can simply take on buyout types without giving up assets, it makes you wonder who they’d be able to obtain if they actually throw in some meaningful draft capital. I do not think the team will need to expend multiple 1sts, for instance, for a decent player, because they are in a unique position to take on salary.
To take an example, if the Magic are in the mood to part with Evan Fournier and his $17m expiring contract, which other teams are willing and able to package enough guys to match that salary? For this reason I think players like that can be had at the deadline for relatively little in terms of draft capital. It’s basically the next tier up from buyout candidates.
With all that said, I still think the most likely thing that Ainge and company do is to wait until the offseason before using the Hayward TPE.