Free agents to pursue?

[Moranis]

I don't know what his market will be like, but if we could TJ Warren for the tax payer MLE, I think I'd take a flyer on him actually getting healthy as he could quite easily outperform that contract as the 1st wing off the bench here.

[Vermont Green]

The amazing thing is we have our entire top 10 in our rotation back next year if we want.

This is what occurs to me as well.  Tatum, Brown, Smart, RWill, GWill, White, Theis, Pritchard, Nesmith, all coming back,  Horford gets an asterisk due to his contract situation.  The off season will probably pivot off of what we do with Horford.  If we bring him back, all we need is a vet back up wing, a good target with the MLE or maybe a modest trade with a TPE.  A lot of the names mentioned could fit this well.  There is not a clear pathway to potentially starting so this player would have to be fully satisfied with a bench role but that could still mean 24 ish minutes.

Now if we cut Horford loose and don't resign him, then we need a starting big to replace him.  GWill is having a great season, certainly showing me he is better than I thought, but I still don't see him as a starting PF and NO I don't want to go back to the 1-big line up that we did when we had Hayward. 

A starting PF is going to be a hard get with the MLE but I wonder about Thomas Bryant.  Before his injury, he was on a trajectory of a solid starting big (2019-2021 about 14 pts, 6.5 rebs 40% 3p%, albeit only 56 games due to injuries).  Since coming back this season, he has not done much.  So I wonder which is more representative and to what extent durability will be an issue moving forward.

[radiohead]

If we go on a deep playoff run I think we end up keeping Al. If so, Thad Young would be a nice back up/insurance for Horford.

[perks-a-beast]

Malik Monk, Jalen Smith, Kyle Anderson.

[Celtics2021]

If we go on a deep playoff run I think we end up keeping Al. If so, Thad Young would be a nice back up/insurance for Horford.

If we go on a deep enough run (finals or title) his contract guarantee increases substantially, which increases the likelihood of this happening from a salary cap perspective alone.

[LilRip]

What’s nice is this team has an identity now for being a defensive team and we’ve moved away from iso-ball that just seems like a chore of a system to play in. I think we can attract FA’s who think they can get playing time because they play defense. Would Robert Covington be in the cards for MLE? Idk. I think he’d be a great fit though

Also, I really like Thomas Bryant. High motor big, although not the most skilled.

[Celtics2021]

What’s nice is this team has an identity now for being a defensive team and we’ve moved away from iso-ball that just seems like a chore of a system to play in. I think we can attract FA’s who think they can get playing time because they play defense. Would Robert Covington be in the cards for MLE? Idk. I think he’d be a great fit though

Also, I really like Thomas Bryant. High motor big, although not the most skilled.

My gut says the Clippers will use their Bird rights to outbid on Covington, but they might run into some cost constraints.  Assuming Batum turns down his player option (as expected), they'd be $9 million over the tax line with only nine players under contract and three key free agents in Covington, Batum, and Hartenstein.  I'd be interested in any of those three, although I think Batum would be the one most likely in our price range at the taxpayer MLE.

[Surferdad]

What’s nice is this team has an identity now for being a defensive team and we’ve moved away from iso-ball that just seems like a chore of a system to play in. I think we can attract FA’s who think they can get playing time because they play defense. Would Robert Covington be in the cards for MLE? Idk. I think he’d be a great fit though

Also, I really like Thomas Bryant. High motor big, although not the most skilled.

My gut says the Clippers will use their Bird rights to outbid on Covington, but they might run into some cost constraints.  Assuming Batum turns down his player option (as expected), they'd be $9 million over the tax line with only nine players under contract and three key free agents in Covington, Batum, and Hartenstein.  I'd be interested in any of those three, although I think Batum would be the one most likely in our price range at the taxpayer MLE.

I would prefer Batum actually as he is skilled, but so is Covington.  Bryant is a big body and hard worker but would put him 3rd.

[Vermont Green]

Covington is not someone I have ever really been interested in.  Not sure if I am missing something.  He isn't skilled enough to play as a wing is he (or any more so than Grant Williams).  He is a tad bigger than GWill but is he really any better?  I don't see him as a Horford replacement in any case if that is the idea.

Covington:   8 pts   5.5 rebs    35% 3pt   in 28 min  (combined LAC and POR)
GWilliams:   8 pts   3.5 rebs    44% 3pt   in 24 min

Batum is interesting though, I hadn't really considered him.  Only 33 (seems to have been around for ever) and has been remarkably consistent the last couple of seasons:

Batum:   8 pts   4.5 rebs    40% 3pt   in 26 min  (on average last 2 seasons)

Batum I see principally as a back up wing but has versatility to be a swing forward.  Seems like he would be really good to slot in as our 3rd wing behind Tatum and Brown.  He can see most of his minutes as a wing, his natural position, but could be used in a number of other ways to supplement that.  Not a bad idea/target.

[Roy H.]

If we go on a deep playoff run I think we end up keeping Al. If so, Thad Young would be a nice back up/insurance for Horford.

I think that Theis is our backup / insurance for Al.

[spikelovetheCelts]

Jalen Smith he could replace Horford.
I also give a flyer to Dennis Smith. I watched some Portland games and I think he has a few good year in him

[liam]

What’s nice is this team has an identity now for being a defensive team and we’ve moved away from iso-ball that just seems like a chore of a system to play in. I think we can attract FA’s who think they can get playing time because they play defense. Would Robert Covington be in the cards for MLE? Idk. I think he’d be a great fit though

Also, I really like Thomas Bryant. High motor big, although not the most skilled.

My gut says the Clippers will use their Bird rights to outbid on Covington, but they might run into some cost constraints.  Assuming Batum turns down his player option (as expected), they'd be $9 million over the tax line with only nine players under contract and three key free agents in Covington, Batum, and Hartenstein.  I'd be interested in any of those three, although I think Batum would be the one most likely in our price range at the taxpayer MLE.

Hartenstein would be a perfect fit here.

[sgrogan]

Covington is not someone I have ever really been interested in.  Not sure if I am missing something.  He isn't skilled enough to play as a wing is he (or any more so than Grant Williams).  He is a tad bigger than GWill but is he really any better?  I don't see him as a Horford replacement in any case if that is the idea.

Covington:   8 pts   5.5 rebs    35% 3pt   in 28 min  (combined LAC and POR)
GWilliams:   8 pts   3.5 rebs    44% 3pt   in 24 min

Batum is interesting though, I hadn't really considered him.  Only 33 (seems to have been around for ever) and has been remarkably consistent the last couple of seasons:

Batum:   8 pts   4.5 rebs    40% 3pt   in 26 min  (on average last 2 seasons)

Batum I see principally as a back up wing but has versatility to be a swing forward.  Seems like he would be really good to slot in as our 3rd wing behind Tatum and Brown.  He can see most of his minutes as a wing, his natural position, but could be used in a number of other ways to supplement that.  Not a bad idea/target.

I've always liked RoCo, he's kind of the typical 3&D guy. For his career he's a league average 3pt shooter, although streaky. On offense he is a stand in the corner guy that doesn't attack close-outs. He's a good defender with 1 all-defense selection.

I think the comparison to Grant is fair, as I think they would play a similar role. Grant is the more efficient offensive player, but , even at 32 I think RoCo is better defensively, guarding both up and down better than Grant. As a tandem I think they could handle handle the PF spot. RoCo wouldn't be my first choice, but I wouldn't hate him being here.

I do agree that what happens with Al is the linchpin to off-season.

[sgrogan]

If we go on a deep playoff run I think we end up keeping Al. If so, Thad Young would be a nice back up/insurance for Horford.

I think that Theis is our backup / insurance for Al.

I'm comfortable with the back-up center part of the role, but can Theis and RWIII play together as much as Rob and Al do?

[Ed Monix]

I highly doubt it would happen, but I’d love to get three injury discounted Australians.

Joe Ingles, Aron Baynes, Dante Exum.

Ingles would be our MLE, which would be a much less than his current contract. He currently has a players option, which I’m curious if he would accept given Portland may be rebuilding and it would take his fate out of his own hands. I would imagine he wants a chance at a title too.

Baynes has confirmed he wants to play in the NBA next season. I’d love to have Baynes as a 10 min option against guys like Embiid, Adebayo, Ayton and Lopez. Udoka would be familiar with Baynes because of his time with Spurs.

Exum would be a cheap rotation guy who seems to have figured it out currently playing for Barcelona. I’m sure he still wants to prove himself and would suit Udoka’s switching defensive scheme.

—————————

Williams III
Horford
Tatum
Brown
Smart

White, Ingles, Williams, Theis, Baynes, Nesmith, Prichard, Exum