Next years free agents and the Celtics cap situation

[nickagneta]

Here's a look at the salary situation for next year:

Players Definitely Returning Barring Trades

Kevin Garnett          $21,247,044
Paul Pierce             $15,333,334
Ray Allen                 $10,000,000 (Ray is definitely picking up this option)
Rajon Rondo          $10,045,455
Jermaine O'Neal    $6,226,200
Avery Bradley          $1,524,480

Total                        $64,376,513

Players The Celtics Hold Options On
Shaquille O'Neal      Player option but probably retiring
Jeff Green                  Restricted free agent with a $5,908,641 qualifying offer  
1st round pick           A salary of about $1.3 million guaranteed

And that's it, everyone else is an unrestricted free agent. Now obviously there will be some changes to the CBA but irregardless of that the Celtics are more than likely going to be over any cap limit that is going to be determined just from the players they have under contract.

Let's assume the new CBA will be either exactly like the current one of very similar. That leaves the Celtics with being able to resign their own unrestricted free agents at any cost and also the mid level exemption of about $5.5 million and the bi annual exemption of about $2 million to use on free agents.

So if Doc is advocating keeping the team intact and adding some athleticism and youth, what does Danny do? My guess is except for Green he isn't handing out any multiple year contracts to any of our unrestricted free agents as none of them have earned it and Ainge wants to keep 2011-12 clear unnecessary salary for cap space.

So which unrestricted free agents and what restricted free agents should he look at, both currently on and off the team? Is Jeff Green that keeper or do you sign and trade him? Who should Ainge look to bargain basement shop on? Is there someone out there worth a full MLE type contract of money and years that you give a contract to?

    
        
So here is a list of all the free agents for next year:

A
Jeff Adrien    Partially guaranteed
Arron Afflalo    Restricted
Alexis Ajinca    Unrestricted
Malik Allen    Unrestricted
Ray Allen    Player option
Louis Amundson    Player option
David Andersen    Partially guaranteed
Hilton Armstrong    Unrestricted
Carlos Arroyo    Unrestricted

B
Marcus Banks    Unrestricted
Leandro Barbosa    Player option
Jose Barea    Unrestricted
Matt Barnes    Player option
Earl Barron    Unguaranteed
Tony Battie    Unrestricted
Shane Battier    Unrestricted
Marco Belinelli    Restricted
Charlie Bell    Early termination option
Mike Bibby    Unrestricted
Chauncey Billups    Partially guaranteed
DeJuan Blair    Unguaranteed
Marqus Blakely    Unguaranteed
Keith Bogans    Unguaranteed
Earl Boykins    Unrestricted
Aaron Brooks    Restricted
Derrick Brown    Restricted
Kwame Brown    Unrestricted
Shannon Brown    Player option
Chase Budinger    Unguaranteed
Caron Butler    Unrestricted
Da'Sean Butler    Unguaranteed
Rasual Butler    Unrestricted

C
Derrick Caracter    Unguaranteed
Brian Cardinal    Unrestricted
Anthony Carter    Unrestricted
Vince Carter    Partially guaranteed
Mario Chalmers    Restricted
Tyson Chandler    Unrestricted
Wilson Chandler    Restricted
Earl Clark    Unrestricted
Jason Collins    Unrestricted
Brian Cook    Player option
Daequan Cook    Restricted
Marcus Cousin    Unguaranteed
Jamal Crawford    Unrestricted
Dante Cunningham    Restricted

D
Samuel Dalembert    Unrestricted
Erick Dampier    Unrestricted
Antonio Daniels    Unrestricted
Marquis Daniels    Unrestricted
Glen Davis    Unrestricted
Carlos Delfino    Unguaranteed
Boris Diaw    Player option
Ike Diogu    Unrestricted
Joey Dorsey    Restricted
Chris Douglas-Roberts    Restricted
Zabian Dowdell    Unguaranteed
Goran Dragic    Team option
Tim Duncan    Early termination option
Mike Dunleavy    Unrestricted

E
Devin Ebanks    Unguaranteed
Francisco Elson    Unrestricted
Melvin Ely    Unrestricted
Jeremy Evans    Unguaranteed
Maurice Evans    Unrestricted
Reggie Evans    Unrestricted
Patrick Ewing    Unguaranteed

F
Kyrylo Fesenko    Unrestricted
Landry Fields    Unguaranteed
Gary Forbes    Restricted
T.J. Ford    Unrestricted
Jeff Foster    Unrestricted

G
Dan Gadzuric    Unrestricted
Sundiata Gaines    Unguaranteed
Marc Gasol    Restricted
Alonzo Gee    Unguaranteed
Joey Graham    Unguaranteed
Stephen Graham    Unguaranteed
Aaron Gray    Player option
Danny Green    Unguaranteed
Jeff Green    Restricted
Willie Green    Unrestricted

H
Hamed Haddadi    Restricted
Manny Harris    Unguaranteed
Spencer Hawes    Restricted
Chuck Hayes    Unrestricted
Grant Hill    Unrestricted
Ryan Hollins    Player option
Eddie House    Player option
Josh Howard    Unrestricted
Juwan Howard    Unrestricted
Kris Humphries    Unrestricted

I
Zydrunas Ilgauskas    Player option
Didier Ilunga-Mbenga    Unrestricted
Ersan Ilyasova    Partially guaranteed
Royal Ivey    Unguaranteed

J
Darnell Jackson    Restricted
Othyus Jeffers    Restricted
Jared Jeffries    Unrestricted
Jonas Jerebko    Restricted
Pooh Jeter    Team option
Yi Jianlian    Restricted
Chris Johnson    Unguaranteed
Trey Johnson    Restricted
James Jones    Player option
Solomon Jones    Unrestricted
DeAndre Jordan    Restricted

K
Jason Kapono    Unrestricted
Andrei Kirilenko    Unrestricted
Nenad Krstic    Unrestricted

L
Carl Landry    Unrestricted
Acie Law    Unrestricted
Gani Lawal    Unguaranteed
Jeremy Lin    Unguaranteed
John Lucas III    Unguaranteed

M
Jamaal Magloire    Unrestricted
Ian Mahinmi    Unguaranteed
Kenyon Martin    Unrestricted
Roger Mason    Unrestricted
Luc Richard Mbah A Moute    Restricted
Antonio McDyess    Unguaranteed
Tracy McGrady    Unrestricted
Dominic McGuire    Unrestricted
Josh McRoberts    Unrestricted
Jodie Meeks    Unguaranteed
C.J. Miles    Team option
Andre Miller    Unguaranteed
Patty Mills    Restricted
Yao Ming    Unrestricted
Nazr Mohammed    Unrestricted
Jamario Moon    Unrestricted
Troy Murphy    Unrestricted

N
Hamady Ndiaye    Restricted
Gary Neal    Unguaranteed
Nene    Early termination option
Steve Novak    Unrestricted

O
Greg Oden    Restricted
Shaquille O'Neal    Player option
Larry Owens    Restricted

P
Jannero Pargo    Unguaranteed
Anthony Parker    Unrestricted
Sasha Pavlovic    Unrestricted
Michael Pietrus    Player option
Dexter Pittman    Unguaranteed
Leon Powe    Unrestricted
Josh Powell    Unrestricted
A.J. Price    Unguaranteed
Ronnie Price    Unrestricted
Tayshaun Prince    Unrestricted
Joel Przybilla    Unrestricted

Q
Chris Quinn    Unrestricted

R
Vladimir Radmanovic    Unrestricted
Theo Ratliff    Unrestricted
Andy Rautins    Unguaranteed
Michael Redd    Unrestricted
Jason Richardson    Unrestricted
Magnum Rolle    Unguaranteed

S
Brian Scalabrine    Unrestricted
Mustafa Shakur    Restricted
Garret Siler    Unguaranteed
Craig Smith    Unrestricted
Ish Smith    Unguaranteed
Jason Smith    Restricted
Joe Smith    Unrestricted
J.R. Smith    Unrestricted
Darius Songaila    Unrestricted
DeShawn Stevenson    Unrestricted
Peja Stojakovic    Unrestricted
Rodney Stuckey    Restricted
Dajuan Summers    Restricted
Pape Sy    Unguaranteed

T
Jermaine Taylor    Unguaranteed
Sebastian Telfair    Unrestricted
Garrett Temple    Restricted
Etan Thomas    Unrestricted
Kurt Thomas    Unrestricted
Al Thornton    Unestricted
Marcus Thornton    Restricted
Ronny Turiaf    Player option

U
Ben Uzoh    Restricted

V
Robert Vaden    Unguaranteed
Sasha Vujacic    Unrestricted

W
Von Wafer    Unrestricted
Willie Warren    Unguaranteed
Earl Watson    Unrestricted
Sonny Weems    Restricted
David West    Early termination option
Delonte West    Unrestricted
Mario West    Unrestricted
Terrico White    Unguaranteed
Chris Wilcox    Unrestricted
Damien Wilkins    Unrestricted
Maurice Williams    Early termination option
Reggie Williams    Restricted
Shawne Williams    Unrestricted
Shelden Williams    Unrestricted
Brandan Wright    Restricted
Julian Wright    Restricted

Y
Nick Young    Restricted
Sam Young    Team option
Thaddeus Young    Restricted

[bruinsandceltics]

JO retiring would be a big help to us because we could trade his contract. Anyone see that happening?

[Roy H.]

What a brutally horrible class, especially when you take out the non-guaranteed guys who will have their contracts picked up, and the restricted free agents.

When you think "young and athletic", there aren't a lot of names we'll have much of a shot at.  The ironic thing is, the strength of the class may be its mid-level backup small forwards.  Now that we don't need one (assuming Green re-signs), there are a ton on the market, including Grant Hill, Shane Battier, Tayshaun Prince, Mike Dunleavy, etc.  None are exactly young, but would fit our mold from years past.

Among young, athletic, unrestricted guys, I may gamble on Earl Clark, or go after Josh McRoberts.

One guy I would like to see us go after is Chuck Hayes.  He's undersized, but he's a good, tough defender.

[Lucky17]

Nice job putting this list together, nick.

Do the C's have Bird Rights to Krstic? Were they transferred via the trade?

[kozlodoev]

Don't agree it's brutally horrible. Though not young and athletic, there are serviceable big men: Dalembert, Foster, even Landry, to name a few.


I am curious whether Kirilenko can be had, though I am not sure how he fits in our rotation. Also an interesting option is Jamal Crawford to play SG off the bench alongside West. But I don't think this is happening.

[FrDrake]

I'd take Mike Dunleavy as a shooter off the bench.  You'd think he would accept the minimum to play with a contender after all these years of losing on Indy and Golden State.  

If a team offers him more than the minimum they would be morons.

[kozlodoev]

Nice job putting this list together, nick.

Do the C's have Bird Rights to Krstic? Were they transferred via the trade?

He was only with OK since the start of the season, so no Bird rights. However, I don't see why we would want to sign him for more than his previous salary +20% (he's making the MLE).

[Lucky17]

Nice job putting this list together, nick.

Do the C's have Bird Rights to Krstic? Were they transferred via the trade?

He was only with OK since the start of the season, so no Bird rights. However, I don't see why we would want to sign him for more than his previous salary +20% (he's making the MLE).

Only to use him in a sign-and-trade: if another team makes him an offer, we could match and trade him, and still recoup something.

[LiamB]

Brian Scalabrine    Unrestricted

[eugen]

Chauncey Billups   

[kozlodoev]

Nice job putting this list together, nick.

Do the C's have Bird Rights to Krstic? Were they transferred via the trade?

He was only with OK since the start of the season, so no Bird rights. However, I don't see why we would want to sign him for more than his previous salary +20% (he's making the MLE).

Only to use him in a sign-and-trade: if another team makes him an offer, we could match and trade him, and still recoup something.

He's not restricted, and he won't command more than the MLE. Players that go for chump change usually don't get sign and traded. I can see a scenario where someone would like to save their MLE/LLE for another player, but as a rule whoever wants him can just sign him.

[Mr October]

Chauncey Billups   

The Knicks already exercised the option to keep him next year.

[Mr October]

JO retiring would be a big help to us because we could trade his contract. Anyone see that happening?

Man, I'd rather just keep him on the team. JO can still provide 20 or so really good minutes per night.

The center position is such a barren wasteland compared to the other 4 positions in this era of the NBA.

[Army_of_One_Nation]

Would be nice to have Arron Afflalo and Tyson Chandler.

[Celticsfan336]

What a brutally horrible class, especially when you take out the non-guaranteed guys who will have their contracts picked up, and the restricted free agents.

When you think "young and athletic", there aren't a lot of names we'll have much of a shot at.  The ironic thing is, the strength of the class may be its mid-level backup small forwards.  Now that we don't need one (assuming Green re-signs), there are a ton on the market, including Grant Hill, Shane Battier, Tayshaun Prince, Mike Dunleavy, etc.  None are exactly young, but would fit our mold from years past.

Among young, athletic, unrestricted guys, I may gamble on Earl Clark, or go after Josh McRoberts.

One guy I would like to see us go after is Chuck Hayes.  He's undersized, but he's a good, tough defender.

Last thing we need is an undersized big man. Chuck Hayes is a less talented Glen Davis. He will not help get rebounds.