Can Celts manage salaries to make a play for LeBron?

[samjones]

Perk, Kevin, and Paul, and Rajon are signed through 2010/2011 season, and counting the qualifying offer for Rajon, the total comes to nearly $45,000,000. How far down would the total salaries need to be kept in order to be able to make the maximum offer to LeBron? Contract extensions would be needed for Powe, Davis, Posey, and possibly House before then, and a contract for this year's first round draft pick. But is there a realistic way for the Celts to remain championship favorites for the next two years, yet leave the door open to make a play for LeBron in 2010? Would the Celts be limited to making two-year offers to Posey and House, and risk Powe and Davis walking out the door for no return?   

[pearljammer10]

Dont get your hopes up on this idea i dont see it happening. Paul and KG already have near max contracts and Rondo will get a pretty sweet extension at some point. Signing Lebron to the max would put us way over the luxury tax after signing the rest to fill out the roster. Plus three max contracts, rondo, and perk means 7 to 10 players who are making veterans min...Gives us a strong starting 5 but the bench would be filled with journey men.

[Finkelskyhook]

The Celtics would essentially become the same team the messiah is on now.
One great player, some decent role players and a bunch of players who don't belong in the NBA. 

I'd rather watch a TEAM than the most talented player in the game and "my guys", as the messiah always tells us.

[Roy Hobbs]

In a word, no.

Assuming we pay Rondo his qualifying offer (allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent the following season), our payroll in 2010/11 is $48,483,943. 

The salary cap for the 2010/11 season should be around $65 million or so.  That means we'd have $16.5 million under the cap, with four players under contract. 

Now, it would be possible to make it so every other player on the team's salary expired in 2009/10.  Then, theoretically, we could sign a free agent to a $16.5 million contract.  However, to do so we'd have to "renounce" the rights to all of our own free agents, meaning we wouldn't be permitted to resign them for more than the league minimum.

So, we'd be in a situation where our team is:

Perk
KG
Pierce
Free Agent
Rondo

With a bench of: rookie, minimum salary player, minimum salary player, minimum salary player, minimum salary player, minimum salary player, minimum salary player.

Also, it's unlikely that Lebron would be inclined to sign here.  He has a player option in 2010/11 for $17.15 million.  Thus, we'd be in all likelihood be asking him to take a pay cut to come here, to play alongside two aging superstars, a talented point guard, a decent center, and a bunch of crap.  When Paul and KG retired shortly thereafter, Lebron would be in a worse situation than he is now.

I just don't see it as realistic.  The only way we're going to get a young, talented player in here is to hope one becomes available next offseason, at which point we can put together a package based around Ray Allen and his expiring contract.  I'm not sure I want to go that route, but it's more realistic at present than trying to clear cap space.

[Frontierboy]

It is a very good possibility if we win another championship..... LeBron could sign on and that would pretty much guarentee another championship..... he could take over Ray's contract amount and then over Paul's and then carry on the torch....

[celticmaestro]

Dont get your hopes up on this idea i dont see it happening. Paul and KG already have near max contracts and Rondo will get a pretty sweet extension at some point. Signing Lebron to the max would put us way over the luxury tax after signing the rest to fill out the roster. Plus three max contracts, rondo, and perk means 7 to 10 players who are making veterans min...Gives us a strong starting 5 but the bench would be filled with journey men.

pretty much my thoughts.

[guava_wrench]

It is a very good possibility if we win another championship..... LeBron could sign on and that would pretty much guarentee another championship..... he could take over Ray's contract amount and then over Paul's and then carry on the torch....

No matter what we do, it will never be a "very good possibility".

He would still be way too young to do desperation moves to get a ring a la Karl Malone.

He also can't take over Ray's contract amount. That is not how the NBA works. He can only take what is left under the cap.

[Tr1boy]

don't say never. you can't tell me lebron would object with playing with kg(who will be only about 35) and a young exciting rondo in the same team.

2010 pierce i think has some kind of opt out deal and ray allen doesn't necessarily have to be resigned (at about 35 or 36 either player will prob want a 3 to 4 year plus deal close to 15-17 a year. (doubt ainge will do even if we win three in a row)

If both pierce and ray allen come off the books and rondo is at max given a 6 year 54 million(doubt his ceiling is much higher unless he can shoot the ball better) we could vy for lebron's service.

[Finkelskyhook]

The messiah is not going to go to a team where he isn't the complete unequivocal face of the franchise. His ego won't allow it.  The C's won't be to that point by 2010.   

Financially, the C's won't be in a position for that, anyway.

[Celtics17]

I remember when Lebron was in high school still as a junior and Danny was quoted as saying there was only 2 or 3 players in the NBA that he wouldnt trade "right now" to get Lebron's draft rights in 2 or 3 years. I think Danny would do ANYTHING to get Lebron and that includes trading Paul or KG and even Rondo with one of those two. Now, assuming that Cleveland let's Lebron go to free agency, which they won't without a trade, then it could be another matter. Is is possible that a Ray (with his huge expiring contract) and Rondo along with 2 future 1sts could land Lebron? Guys like Lebron come along once in a generation and teams will do anything to get him. I think it's a definite, undisputed, possibility that he will at least look at Boston. My guess is though that he will end up in La La land.

[blake]

I thought he only got the Nike bonus if he was in NY or LA?  true untrue?

[Toine43]

I remember when Lebron was in high school still as a junior and Danny was quoted as saying there was only 2 or 3 players in the NBA that he wouldnt trade "right now" to get Lebron's draft rights in 2 or 3 years. I think Danny would do ANYTHING to get Lebron and that includes trading Paul or KG and even Rondo with one of those two. Now, assuming that Cleveland let's Lebron go to free agency, which they won't without a trade, then it could be another matter. Is is possible that a Ray (with his huge expiring contract) and Rondo along with 2 future 1sts could land Lebron? Guys like Lebron come along once in a generation and teams will do anything to get him. I think it's a definite, undisputed, possibility that he will at least look at Boston. My guess is though that he will end up in La La land.

There are a number of financial reasons why Lebron couldn't come to Boston, which have been covered extensively in this and other threads.

But even if you could somehow figure out a way to blow up the Celtics enough to create cap space for Lebron, it wouldn't happen. Why? Because we're not talking about Fantasy Basketball here. We're talking about real players on real teams, making real money. And in the real world, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett for Leborn James trades don't happen.

[I Am A Boston Celtic]

The Celtics would essentially become the same team the messiah is on now.
One great player, some decent role players and a bunch of players who don't belong in the NBA. 

I'd rather watch a TEAM than the most talented player in the game and "my guys", as the messiah always tells us.

Exactly my thoughts.

I'd rather watch a "Team" that on any given night, anyone of our starting five can play their own unique game and get us over the line.

The Cavs rest their hopes on the shoulders of one man, sooner or later the Cavs will come crashing down.

If you look back at our History, we've always had an awesome team concept, awesome team leaders.

So in summary, LeBron James = No.

[Fan from VT]

There are only 2 conceivable ways Lebron plays for the Celtics, and both are ridiculously unlikely and depend on his wanting to play in Boston over any other market.

Scenario 1:
After this season, Lebron outright states that he is going to drop his player option and become a free agent after next season. Instead of getting 1 more year out of Lebron then getting nothing, Cleveland decides to trade him. Lebron agrees in principle to an extension upon completion of a trade to Boston (like KG did), and Boston gives Cleveland the best available package (Ray's expiring deal, Rondo, Walker/Giddens, Powe, 2 future firsts).

Scenario 2:
Knowing that Lebron wants to play in Boston, Danny flips Ray for a player or players with equivalent contract value(s) whose contract(s) expire(s) one year later than Ray's does. Then, after next season (Lebron's last guaranteed year in Cleveland), Lebron drops his player option and agrees to a sign and trade of Lebron for "Expiring Contract(s) equaling Ray's but one year later," Rondo, Power, Picks, etc.


There is no way at all Lebron will sign in Boston as a free agent unless Pierce and KG are traded for expiring deals and Ray is not resigned and Lebron decides that Boston is his choice over any city.

[zerophase]

i don't think lebron would want to play for us even if we could clear enough money and stay under the cap.