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

[Atzar]

How does this help the cap?  Do the guys coming in simply make less than what’s going out?

Yes.  Hernangomez made $6.9M this season.  Bol and Dozier make about $4M combined. 

It doesn't quite get us under the luxury tax, as far as I'm aware, but one more minor move - trading Schroder for somebody making the vet min, for example - would do it. 

[Celtics2021]

How does this help the cap?  Do the guys coming in simply make less than what’s going out?

Yes.


Bit surprised there isn't a bit more excitement about Bol. He's had a couple of extremely good games...

His trade to the tanking Pistons was voided last week because he didn’t pass medical review, so it’s reasonable to think he won’t provide anything.

[colincb]

PJ Dozier was a 2-way for us a few years ago that I was sad we let get away.  I hope he gets healthy and can stick with us this time around.

I thought he had potential, but his numbers suck.

His box score numbers suck, but he led the Nuggets last year in +/- and on-off, which is a pretty impressive feat given some of the players on that roster.  There’s a lot of noise in that stat, but to lead your team in it generally means you don’t suck.  I thought of him as a guy with Tony Allen-type potential.  If he comes back from this to stick in the league, I think he’ll get some All-Defense votes in the future.  I really hope we keep him in the summer with his Bird rights.

His advanced numbers don't support his candidacy for All-Defense. Also don't know what +/- stats you're seeing, but these don't support the claim that he led DEN in +/-. Maybe you have something better.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/DEN/2020.html#pbp::11

[Atzar]

How does this help the cap?  Do the guys coming in simply make less than what’s going out?

Yes.


Bit surprised there isn't a bit more excitement about Bol. He's had a couple of extremely good games...

Well he's out hurt.  He was going to be traded to Detroit, but a failed physical killed the trade.  Now he's going to miss the next 2-3 months.  And he's a free agent after this season.  So we may get a month-long audition from him at best. 

We simply swapped one guy who won't see the court for two other, less-expensive guys who won't see the court. 

[Celtics2021]

PJ Dozier was a 2-way for us a few years ago that I was sad we let get away.  I hope he gets healthy and can stick with us this time around.

I thought he had potential, but his numbers suck.

His box score numbers suck, but he led the Nuggets last year in +/- and on-off, which is a pretty impressive feat given some of the players on that roster.  There’s a lot of noise in that stat, but to lead your team in it generally means you don’t suck.  I thought of him as a guy with Tony Allen-type potential.  If he comes back from this to stick in the league, I think he’ll get some All-Defense votes in the future.  I really hope we keep him in the summer with his Bird rights.

His advanced numbers don't support his candidacy for All-Defense. Also don't know what +/- stats you're seeing, but these don't support the claim that he led DEN in +/-. Maybe you have something better.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/DEN/2020.html#pbp::11

You’re off by a season.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/DEN/2021.html

[colincb]

PJ Dozier was a 2-way for us a few years ago that I was sad we let get away.  I hope he gets healthy and can stick with us this time around.

I thought he had potential, but his numbers suck.

His box score numbers suck, but he led the Nuggets last year in +/- and on-off, which is a pretty impressive feat given some of the players on that roster.  There’s a lot of noise in that stat, but to lead your team in it generally means you don’t suck.  I thought of him as a guy with Tony Allen-type potential.  If he comes back from this to stick in the league, I think he’ll get some All-Defense votes in the future.  I really hope we keep him in the summer with his Bird rights.

His advanced numbers don't support his candidacy for All-Defense. Also don't know what +/- stats you're seeing, but these don't support the claim that he led DEN in +/-. Maybe you have something better.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/DEN/2020.html#pbp::11

You’re off by a season.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/DEN/2021.html

You are correct!! Stupid mistake, but his RAPTOR numbers which I had also looked at indicated he was 6th in Total RAPTOR, but there isn't a way to produce a postable link for some reason. His BOX+/- for 2021 isn't rating him as highly either .

https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/DEN/2021.html#advanced::25

[SparzWizard]

Expectations: Getting guys like Harrison Barnes, Jeff Green, Chris LeVert...rotational guys who could at least help push team to playoffs

Reality: Bol Bol and PJ Dozier...guys who'll just warm up the bench and do nothing at most

 

[trickybilly]

How does this help the cap?  Do the guys coming in simply make less than what’s going out?

Yes.


Bit surprised there isn't a bit more excitement about Bol. He's had a couple of extremely good games...

Well he's out hurt.  He was going to be traded to Detroit, but a failed physical killed the trade.  Now he's going to miss the next 2-3 months.  And he's a free agent after this season.  So we may get a month-long audition from him at best. 

We simply swapped one guy who won't see the court for two other, less-expensive guys who won't see the court.

Well, he's restricted. So v unlikely he gets an offer.

Put him in the gym until Summer League next year...

[droopdog7]

https://twitter.com/John_Karalis/status/1483671531079274496?t=5vhDcGcUpj7wGzAMYVesiw&s=19

So is Karalis saying we could flip these two guys to OKC, along with cash, to avoid the line that way?  If so, we essentially be done.

Can we even turn around and trade them right away?

[Jvalin]

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

[Celtics2021]

PJ Dozier was a 2-way for us a few years ago that I was sad we let get away.  I hope he gets healthy and can stick with us this time around.

I thought he had potential, but his numbers suck.

His box score numbers suck, but he led the Nuggets last year in +/- and on-off, which is a pretty impressive feat given some of the players on that roster.  There’s a lot of noise in that stat, but to lead your team in it generally means you don’t suck.  I thought of him as a guy with Tony Allen-type potential.  If he comes back from this to stick in the league, I think he’ll get some All-Defense votes in the future.  I really hope we keep him in the summer with his Bird rights.

His advanced numbers don't support his candidacy for All-Defense. Also don't know what +/- stats you're seeing, but these don't support the claim that he led DEN in +/-. Maybe you have something better.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/DEN/2020.html#pbp::11

You’re off by a season.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/DEN/2021.html

You are correct!! Stupid mistake, but his RAPTOR numbers which I had also looked at indicated he was 6th in Total RAPTOR, but there isn't a way to produce a postable link for some reason. His BOX+/- for 2021 isn't rating him as highly either .

https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/DEN/2021.html#advanced::25

RAPTOR is sort of 50-50 Box +/- and on-off, so it stands to reason it would be in the middle of those two.

I’m not trying to argue Dozier is a world beater.  But I enjoyed watching him play, and when I caught the occasional Nuggets game it seemed like he was always getting called for making something happen defensively.  I was actually surprised to see he was tops on his team in on-off tho — I expected he’d be positive, but more like 2-3 points, not 7.6 points and best on his team.

I also hate when guys who’ve finally found a spot in the league after going undrafted/playing in the G league get hurt the season before theyre eligible for a real deal.

[Celtics2021]

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

I mean, yes, that’s a way to look at it.  But if you can save salary and tax to move a guy you aren’t using and won’t use, you do that.  They didn’t have to give up a pick for it, and the team is 23-22.  I’d see what happens at the deadline before making any final judgments, although if we’re still in the same place, I wouldn’t expect him to add to the payroll.

[Celtics2021]

https://twitter.com/John_Karalis/status/1483671531079274496?t=5vhDcGcUpj7wGzAMYVesiw&s=19

So is Karalis saying we could flip these two guys to OKC, along with cash, to avoid the line that way?  If so, we essentially be done.

Can we even turn around and trade them right away?

Ask Luke Ridnour.

That said, I think they’ll remain on the roster until after the All-Star game roster is announced. If Jaylen makes it, we’re a couple million over, but if he misses out, it’s a few hundred thousand over, and the cost of moving them will be less (would only need to trade one of them, so less outgoing salary.)

I’m hopeful that our deadline dump is Enes to Charlotte for a 2nd.

[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.

[colincb]

ESPN Grade:

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.

Boston is still there, for the moment. Per Marks, Boston's team salary is $2.8 million above the luxury tax line despite a nearly identical amount of savings from this trade. However, that includes $1.9 million in likely incentives that Jaylen Brown might not earn. He has to play 65 games and make the All-Star team to hit his likely bonuses, meaning he can miss no more than three games the remainder of the season.

Assuming Brown is not chosen an All-Star, the Celtics can get comfortably out of the tax by moving a minimum-salary player (Bol, Dozier or backup center Bruno Fernando) before the deadline. Cash or the kind of distant second-round pick the Nuggets sent San Antonio should be enough to accomplish that, whereas offloading Hernangomez's entire salary might have been more costly.

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. The voided trade to the Pistons indicated Bol still had some value around the league when healthy. 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.

For the time being, the Celtics are healthy enough that they can afford to let Bol and Dozier rehab without their empty roster spots being the same kind of issue as in Denver.

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.