Any Trade Ideas For PF/C Involving Hauser, Simons And/Or Niang + Picks?

[Celtics4ever]

We will be lucky if they sign Bassey let alone do a trade for a big.

[Roy H.]

That trade has Boston adding long-term salary for mediocre players in Martin and Hardy.  I don't think the Celtics have any desire to clog up their cap sheet with non-building blocks right now.

[slamtheking]

That trade has Boston adding long-term salary for mediocre players in Martin and Hardy.  I don't think the Celtics have any desire to clog up their cap sheet with non-building blocks right now.

agreed.  I think it's a safe bet that Simons is traded by the deadline for a big that makes less money and would be a solid rotation player (I don't see them getting a good starting center unless they trade one of White or Brown and I don't see that happening) the following year when Tatum comes back. 

We'll no doubt be disappointed with whatever return Brad gets for Simons and Niang (and any other lesser players on the roster) since he'll be looking to get under that second apron before the end of the season -- if not below the first apron as well.

[slightly biased bias fan]

Celtics: Kevin Love

Jazz: Niang, 2026 2nd round pick

Kevin Love is making half of what Niang is earning. Although Love is washed, he does offer spacing and solid rebounding. The Celtics could easily flip him at the trade deadline to a contender for another second round pick.

[boscel33]

Celtics: Kevin Love

Jazz: Niang, 2026 2nd round pick

Kevin Love is making half of what Niang is earning. Although Love is washed, he does offer spacing and solid rebounding. The Celtics could easily flip him at the trade deadline to a contender for another second round pick.

I'd do this!

[Moranis]

That trade has Boston adding long-term salary for mediocre players in Martin and Hardy.  I don't think the Celtics have any desire to clog up their cap sheet with non-building blocks right now.

They need salary to acquire anyone good via trade.  Those guys would be better filler options than PP or Hauser, and the 4 of them might mean you don't have to trade White for a big contract player. 

Boston just doesn't havent much wiggle room to make moves going forward.  They need useful players on tradable contracts to actually acquire anyone.  Even if they just let Simons walk, they are well over the cap next summer.  They can't sign anyone for more than the tax payer MLE.  They need contracts to trade to actually make the team better.

[Roy H.]

That trade has Boston adding long-term salary for mediocre players in Martin and Hardy.  I don't think the Celtics have any desire to clog up their cap sheet with non-building blocks right now.

They need salary to acquire anyone good via trade.  Those guys would be better filler options than PP or Hauser, and the 4 of them might mean you don't have to trade White for a big contract player. 

Boston just doesn't havent much wiggle room to make moves going forward.  They need useful players on tradable contracts to actually acquire anyone.  Even if they just let Simons walk, they are well over the cap next summer.  They can't sign anyone for more than the tax payer MLE.  They need contracts to trade to actually make the team better.

They're better off using their $22.5 million trade exception next off-season, than than taking on $16 million  per season in useless contracts.

[Vermont Green]

Just a little info on hard caps:

https://www.salaryswish.com/hard-cap-tracker/2026

Dallas, Denver, and NY are hard capped at the second apron, and more than a dozen teams are hard capped at the first.

Yes, great info.  These are some key restriction that could impact BOS:

1st Apron
S&T: Acquire a player through a sign-and-trade (pretty much rules out any S&T)
Past-Season TPE: Uses a traded player exception generated during the previous off-season or regular season  (Can't use Porzingis TPE after this season)

Either of these would hard cap BOS at the 1st Apron, not something I see BOS doing.

Being hard capped at the 2nd apron is probably not so much of an impact as I don't expect BOS to be over that for the next few seasons in any case.  There is some flexibility to be able to go over the 2nd apron along the way (as we are now) but then get back under by the end of the season.

Edit:

Thinking about this some more, I believe this also means that if we trade Simons (for example) at the deadline for a TPE, that we could not use that TPE in the following season.  That does not seem like it would do much good.

[Vermont Green]

That trade has Boston adding long-term salary for mediocre players in Martin and Hardy.  I don't think the Celtics have any desire to clog up their cap sheet with non-building blocks right now.

They need salary to acquire anyone good via trade.  Those guys would be better filler options than PP or Hauser, and the 4 of them might mean you don't have to trade White for a big contract player. 

Boston just doesn't havent much wiggle room to make moves going forward.  They need useful players on tradable contracts to actually acquire anyone.  Even if they just let Simons walk, they are well over the cap next summer.  They can't sign anyone for more than the tax payer MLE.  They need contracts to trade to actually make the team better.

They're better off using their $22.5 million trade exception next off-season, than than taking on $16 million  per season in useless contracts.

See my not below (above?).  I don't believe we can use the Porzingis TPE in the following off season without being hard capped at the the 1st Apron.  This would also apply to a TPE generated by trading Simons (if I am interpreting this correctly).

Looks like BOS would need to trade Simons for actual players, if we want to keep the salary slot.  Hopefully better players than Gafford et al.  But if BOS decides to trade Simons, and wants to keep the salary slot available, it would have to be a trade for players.

[Moranis]

That trade has Boston adding long-term salary for mediocre players in Martin and Hardy.  I don't think the Celtics have any desire to clog up their cap sheet with non-building blocks right now.

They need salary to acquire anyone good via trade.  Those guys would be better filler options than PP or Hauser, and the 4 of them might mean you don't have to trade White for a big contract player. 

Boston just doesn't havent much wiggle room to make moves going forward.  They need useful players on tradable contracts to actually acquire anyone.  Even if they just let Simons walk, they are well over the cap next summer.  They can't sign anyone for more than the tax payer MLE.  They need contracts to trade to actually make the team better.

They're better off using their $22.5 million trade exception next off-season, than than taking on $16 million  per season in useless contracts.

See my not below (above?).  I don't believe we can use the Porzingis TPE in the following off season without being hard capped at the the 1st Apron.  This would also apply to a TPE generated by trading Simons (if I am interpreting this correctly).

Looks like BOS would need to trade Simons for actual players, if we want to keep the salary slot.  Hopefully better players than Gafford et al.  But if BOS decides to trade Simons, and wants to keep the salary slot available, it would have to be a trade for players.

which is partially the point of the trade I proposed.  Boston needs actual contracts to acquire anyone.  Very similar to the Detroit trade i proposed earlier in this thread as well. And yes Gafford and Stewart are not great players, but they are rotation level big men, something Boston has none of on the roster. They also have decent salary to trade next year in the larger trades or can slot as a back up big if the team is able to find someone better.  Trades also reduce salary this year and provide for easier means to reduce further

[Who]

I'd rather have D Gafford than I Stewart.

Gafford is a decent starter to high level backup. Stewart is just a bench player. Too small to start at center. Not skilled enough to play PF full time. Above average bench player but that is his ceiling.

[Moranis]

I'd rather have D Gafford than I Stewart.

Gafford is a decent starter to high level backup. Stewart is just a bench player. Too small to start at center. Not skilled enough to play PF full time. Above average bench player but that is his ceiling.

I would as well, though the Detroit trade drops way more salary this year so gets the team closer to out of tax.

That one was

Stewart, Reed, Sasser

for

Simons, Tillman, Walsh


Stewart worse than Gafford, but I do like Sasser and Reed better than Hardy and Martin (at least collectively) and the savings is better.

But those are the type of trades I think Simons is going to bring without draft picks.  I just don't think he has much value.  Now maybe during the season his value increases or teams decide they want to trade future salary for the expiring contract, but over the summer I think that is where we are.  So maybe it just isn't worth making the trade now, but the 4 and 5 rotation is just so bad, I don't see the point of keeping White and/or Brown, if you aren't going to try to win with them. 

[Who]

I'd rather have D Gafford than I Stewart.

Gafford is a decent starter to high level backup. Stewart is just a bench player. Too small to start at center. Not skilled enough to play PF full time. Above average bench player but that is his ceiling.

I would as well, though the Detroit trade drops way more salary this year so gets the team closer to out of tax.

That one was

Stewart, Reed, Sasser

for

Simons, Tillman, Walsh


Stewart worse than Gafford, but I do like Sasser and Reed better than Hardy and Martin (at least collectively) and the savings is better.

But those are the type of trades I think Simons is going to bring without draft picks.  I just don't think he has much value.  Now maybe during the season his value increases or teams decide they want to trade future salary for the expiring contract, but over the summer I think that is where we are.  So maybe it just isn't worth making the trade now, but the 4 and 5 rotation is just so bad, I don't see the point of keeping White and/or Brown, if you aren't going to try to win with them.

I like Sasser too. Good player. Two way player. Good defense. Good outside shooter on offense. He will be a good role player in the league.