How will the Celtics improve this off-season?

[gouki88]

I mentioned it quickly in the OP, but what are people's thought on trying to overwhelm Memphis with an offer for Valanciunas. Give them Timelord and Smart and some first rounders.

Now maybe Memphis laughs at that but it would definitely be worth a try.

Wow, we have totally different valuations of JV! I love JV, but I don't know if he's worth that. He expires in 21/22 and will likely demand money that Memphis won't give him given they have Clarke, JJJ and Tillman. I think picks would be the way to persuade Memphis to move JV, not players

[PhoSita]

I mentioned it quickly in the OP, but what are people's thought on trying to overwhelm Memphis with an offer for Valanciunas. Give them Timelord and Smart and some first rounders.

Now maybe Memphis laughs at that but it would definitely be worth a try.

I don't think it's ever really smart in the modern NBA to give up a ton of assets and use a lot of cap space on a center unless you're getting a guy who's going to be in the All-NBA conversation.

I'd rather have a center platoon like the Celts have now than give up a bunch of assets and use a big chunk of cap on a player like Jonas Valanciunas.  He's a nice piece to have, but he's not going to be the difference-maker.

[nickagneta]

I mentioned it quickly in the OP, but what are people's thought on trying to overwhelm Memphis with an offer for Valanciunas. Give them Timelord and Smart and some first rounders.

Now maybe Memphis laughs at that but it would definitely be worth a try.

Wow, we have totally different valuations of JV! I love JV, but I don't know if he's worth that. He expires in 21/22 and will likely demand money that Memphis won't give him given they have Clarke, JJJ and Tillman. I think picks would be the way to persuade Memphis to move JV, not players

Okay, so maybe keep Timelord and don't send multiple 1sts. Move Smart and a first and a future heavily protected first that converts to two seconds down the line.

Smart and Valanciunas make close to the same money and expire at the same time. I think if you are bringing back Fournier, Smart becomes dispensable, especially if Nesmith and Langford are kept to develop. You turn Smart into a legit starting center with size that can score, gobble rebounds and put a big body on guys like Embiid, Joker and Gobert.

That is worth moving Smart, especially if you feel like Smart might want huge money on his next deal.

[gouki88]

I mentioned it quickly in the OP, but what are people's thought on trying to overwhelm Memphis with an offer for Valanciunas. Give them Timelord and Smart and some first rounders.

Now maybe Memphis laughs at that but it would definitely be worth a try.

Wow, we have totally different valuations of JV! I love JV, but I don't know if he's worth that. He expires in 21/22 and will likely demand money that Memphis won't give him given they have Clarke, JJJ and Tillman. I think picks would be the way to persuade Memphis to move JV, not players

Okay, so maybe keep Timelord and don't send multiple 1sts. Move Smart and a first and a future heavily protected first that converts to two seconds down the line.

Smart and Valanciunas make close to the same money and expire at the same time. I think if you are bringing back Fournier, Smart becomes dispensable, especially if Nesmith and Langford are kept to develop. You turn Smart into a legit starting center with size that can score, gobble rebounds and put a big body on guys like Embiid, Joker and Gobert.

That is worth moving Smart, especially if you feel like Smart might want huge money on his next deal.

I am in full agreement with you on this. Smart next to Morant makes sense given Morant's improving 3PT shot (44% in April on 54 attempts) and can provide some of that winning experience. JV is that genuine strong 5 we've missed since Baynes left, but JV is better at everything!

[knuckleballer]

As others have said, our biggest improvements will come from within.  A healthy, normal offseason and training camp where Langford and Nesmith can improve a lot and the team can build chemistry while understanding their roles.

Ideally, keep Fournier and add a legit power forward for the bench.

[PhoSita]

The more I think about this question, the more I think the answer is:

They won't, other than hopefully getting healthier.


Really feels like a team like the Celts that has dedicated a huge portion of its cap to players the team drafted should get some kind of a break under the luxury tax, if not the salary cap overall.  It sucks that the Celts are going to be so limited in what they're able to do because they drafted well and will be paying huge money to two young stars.  Some of that is due to the cap remaining static as a result of COVID, but still. 

Home-grown players should count less against the cap, at least for luxury tax purposes.  That's my CBA "hot take."

[Walker Wiggle]

The Celtics need to be looking for the next Harden, ie the next max-level player whose value is way above his contract. All of the other details are inadequate in terms of vaulting them into contention. They’re just not close as currently constituted. Players like Siakem or Valanciunas don’t move the needle, at least not enough to make this team a contender.

The big thing this team can do is either to move Kemba into cap space, if there’s a team out there who wants him and has the money, or trade Kemba plus a boatload of draft capital for a Harden-level player as mentioned above.

Remember that every year there is a new guy or guys who get fed up and request trades. A year ago no one was anticipating Harden on the Nets. The Celtics have a young stud center and all of their future draft picks, and that’s the type of move they need to have their eye on.

[GreenlyGreeny]

I like the idea of moving Smart’s and Timelord’s expiring contracts, along with picks, for a solid defensive veteran with championship experience, and a 2nd-3rd year prospect whose stock is temporarily down for whatever reason. I’m not hot on using our 2021 draft picks, so I’d bundle them for these two pieces. Ideally, I’d love to see this:

https://tradenba.com/trades/xU273C7Tr

Then re-sign Fournier, bring in Madar, and get a couple reclamation projects like Dragan Bender (drafted one pick behind Jaylen Brown) and Dante Exum (drafted one pick before Marcus Smart):

Walker/Pritchard/Madar
Brown/Langford/Exum
Tatum/Fournier/Nesmith
Green/Parker/Williams
TT/Wiseman/Bender

Firmly believe that’s a championship starting five and one of the best benches in the league, with a solid youth core to carry us into dynasty territory (and luxury tax relief when Kemba comes off the books). Let’s do it!

[GreenlyGreeny]

The Celtics need to be looking for the next Harden, ie the next max-level player whose value is way above his contract. All of the other details are inadequate in terms of vaulting them into contention. They’re just not close as currently constituted. Players like Siakem or Valanciunas don’t move the needle, at least not enough to make this team a contender.

The big thing this team can do is either to move Kemba into cap space, if there’s a team out there who wants him and has the money, or trade Kemba plus a boatload of draft capital for a Harden-level player as mentioned above.

Remember that every year there is a new guy or guys who get fed up and request trades. A year ago no one was anticipating Harden on the Nets. The Celtics have a young stud center and all of their future draft picks, and that’s the type of move they need to have their eye on.

I agree. I think the prime candidate is Kawhi Leonard. He’s unpredictable and cannot be happy with this season and last unless they go all the way this year. Imagine pairing Kawhi with Brown and Tatum? 🤤

We’d be looking at a sign-and-trade where Kawhi controls all the power since the Clippers mortgaged their entire future for him/George (he could give the Clippers the ultimatum “I’m either going to desired team X in a sign-and-trade, helping you replenish draft picks in the process, or I’m signing with the Knicks and you get nothing. Good day, sir!”). This could probably do it (assuming we got Kawhi signed up for four years), especially if swaps are made on the in-between years:

https://tradenba.com/trades/6gWcDI8kA

Smart/Pritchard/Madar
Brown/Langford
Leonard/Fournier/Nesmith
Tatum/Parker/Williams
TT/Timelord

Definitely winning it all.

[Somebody]

Optimising our coaching and letting our young players improve. In terms of roster moves I'd sign veteran depth to fill out the rotation, I wouldn't trade one of our core players unless we're getting a star in return.

[nickagneta]

I like the idea of moving Smart’s and Timelord’s expiring contracts, along with picks, for a solid defensive veteran with championship experience, and a 2nd-3rd year prospect whose stock is temporarily down for whatever reason. I’m not hot on using our 2021 draft picks, so I’d bundle them for these two pieces. Ideally, I’d love to see this:

https://tradenba.com/trades/xU273C7Tr

Then re-sign Fournier, bring in Madar, and get a couple reclamation projects like Dragan Bender (drafted one pick behind Jaylen Brown) and Dante Exum (drafted one pick before Marcus Smart):

Walker/Pritchard/Madar
Brown/Langford/Exum
Tatum/Fournier/Nesmith
Green/Parker/Williams
TT/Wiseman/Bender

Firmly believe that’s a championship starting five and one of the best benches in the league, with a solid youth core to carry us into dynasty territory (and luxury tax relief when Kemba comes off the books). Let’s do it!

Gee, this post looks familiar!🤔😁

[jambr380]

Home-grown players should count less against the cap, at least for luxury tax purposes.  That's my CBA "hot take."

It is an interesting take. As it stands right now, home-grown players who succeed can actually decimate a team because of the super-max. In any other situation, Tatum would be maxed out at 25% of the cap, but his All-NBA bid could push him to 30%. And that is nothing compared to what happened with someone like John Wall. CHA was basically forced to let Kemba go because he made All-NBA.

The supermax was instituted so that teams could keep a player they drafted, but they didn't look at how these contracts would affect a team's salary structure. Personally, I hate that a guy that barely slips into All-NBA 3rd Team one season is eligible for the supermax, but that is another story.

[slamtheking]

I like the idea of moving Smart’s and Timelord’s expiring contracts, along with picks, for a solid defensive veteran with championship experience, and a 2nd-3rd year prospect whose stock is temporarily down for whatever reason. I’m not hot on using our 2021 draft picks, so I’d bundle them for these two pieces. Ideally, I’d love to see this:

https://tradenba.com/trades/xU273C7Tr

Then re-sign Fournier, bring in Madar, and get a couple reclamation projects like Dragan Bender (drafted one pick behind Jaylen Brown) and Dante Exum (drafted one pick before Marcus Smart):

Walker/Pritchard/Madar
Brown/Langford/Exum
Tatum/Fournier/Nesmith
Green/Parker/Williams
TT/Wiseman/Bender

Firmly believe that’s a championship starting five and one of the best benches in the league, with a solid youth core to carry us into dynasty territory (and luxury tax relief when Kemba comes off the books). Let’s do it!

no more reclamations.  there's better players available that'll take the vet min.  The fascination with Wiseman is still a mystery to me

[slamtheking]

The Celtics need to be looking for the next Harden, ie the next max-level player whose value is way above his contract. All of the other details are inadequate in terms of vaulting them into contention. They’re just not close as currently constituted. Players like Siakem or Valanciunas don’t move the needle, at least not enough to make this team a contender.

The big thing this team can do is either to move Kemba into cap space, if there’s a team out there who wants him and has the money, or trade Kemba plus a boatload of draft capital for a Harden-level player as mentioned above.

Remember that every year there is a new guy or guys who get fed up and request trades. A year ago no one was anticipating Harden on the Nets. The Celtics have a young stud center and all of their future draft picks, and that’s the type of move they need to have their eye on.

I agree. I think the prime candidate is Kawhi Leonard. He’s unpredictable and cannot be happy with this season and last unless they go all the way this year. Imagine pairing Kawhi with Brown and Tatum? 🤤

We’d be looking at a sign-and-trade where Kawhi controls all the power since the Clippers mortgaged their entire future for him/George (he could give the Clippers the ultimatum “I’m either going to desired team X in a sign-and-trade, helping you replenish draft picks in the process, or I’m signing with the Knicks and you get nothing. Good day, sir!”). This could probably do it (assuming we got Kawhi signed up for four years), especially if swaps are made on the in-between years:

https://tradenba.com/trades/6gWcDI8kA

Smart/Pritchard/Madar
Brown/Langford
Leonard/Fournier/Nesmith
Tatum/Parker/Williams
TT/Timelord

Definitely winning it all.

I don't see the Clips doing a straight up deal for Kemba for Kawhi regardless of the picks.  I suspect they'd want a young player or two with some picks even though Kawhi is signed for less years and misses almost as much time on the court as Kemba.  also, I don't see Smart as the starting PG (or starter for that matter) for a title team --> too much hotdogging with passes and not solid enough of a ball handler.  also not enough of an offensive threat to open up the offense. 

[Moranis]

I like the idea of moving Smart’s and Timelord’s expiring contracts, along with picks, for a solid defensive veteran with championship experience, and a 2nd-3rd year prospect whose stock is temporarily down for whatever reason. I’m not hot on using our 2021 draft picks, so I’d bundle them for these two pieces. Ideally, I’d love to see this:

https://tradenba.com/trades/xU273C7Tr

Then re-sign Fournier, bring in Madar, and get a couple reclamation projects like Dragan Bender (drafted one pick behind Jaylen Brown) and Dante Exum (drafted one pick before Marcus Smart):

Walker/Pritchard/Madar
Brown/Langford/Exum
Tatum/Fournier/Nesmith
Green/Parker/Williams
TT/Wiseman/Bender

Firmly believe that’s a championship starting five and one of the best benches in the league, with a solid youth core to carry us into dynasty territory (and luxury tax relief when Kemba comes off the books). Let’s do it!

Gee, this post looks familiar!🤔😁

GS wouldn't do that trade anyway.  Takes them farther from a title.  You took Wiggins instead of Green, then maybe they consider it.