Give me your offseason plan...get creative but keep it realistic

[LooseCannon]

1. Release Paul Pierce and then immediately re-sign him at $5 million for one year with a no trade clause. That nets Pierce $10 million for this year. This is huge because it will allow for the C's to add some salary and should allow them to be able to use the MLE.

You would have to use the MLE to sign Pierce to a contract that big.

[bobbyv]

Have Pierce decline his player option/exercise his ETO and resign for $5-7 million to play off the bench

[LooseCannon]

Pierce doesn't have a ETO.  There is no player option.

[nickagneta]

1. Release Paul Pierce and then immediately re-sign him at $5 million for one year with a no trade clause. That nets Pierce $10 million for this year. This is huge because it will allow for the C's to add some salary and should allow them to be able to use the MLE.

You would have to use the MLE to sign Pierce to a contract that big.

I don't think so, I think we might still own his Bird rights even if we terminate the contract.

Its not like we are renouncing his rights, just terminating the current contract which the team has a right to do.

Pierce is then guaranteed $5 million. Giving him a contract at $5 million nets him $10 million for the year, which is about what he is really worth. The no trade clause guarantees him to stay in Boston for the whole year with KG and doesn't leave him wondering if he will be dealt.

[danglertx]

Ok, my idea, and this is just my first look.  Pierce is on the books for $15.3 mil so the Celtics can trade him to a team and take close to that back in salary.

So, we need a team that has a player or combination of players they want to unload that make around $15mil that they then will want to release to get get $10mil off their books.

The team that really seems to stick out that fits, or at least did until the changed GMs recently is Minnesota and Kevin Love.  The $10mil could get them right at the salary cap and give them some flexibility.  I think they have moved on at center and Love and the organization don't exactly get along.

So, we take Love, probably give up our first rounder this year and trade them Pierce.  They cut Pierce and get some salary flexibility and have a first round pick to show for it. 

Maybe that gets Garnett to come back and all of a sudden we are set on the front line with Love, Sully, Garnett, Bass, Melo, and Randolph.  Green would go to a full time SF and we'd have to pick up another SF somewhere, maybe Chris Wright?

[rondohondo]

Ok, my idea, and this is just my first look.  Pierce is on the books for $15.3 mil so the Celtics can trade him to a team and take close to that back in salary.

So, we need a team that has a player or combination of players they want to unload that make around $15mil that they then will want to release to get get $10mil off their books.

The team that really seems to stick out that fits, or at least did until the changed GMs recently is Minnesota and Kevin Love.  The $10mil could get them right at the salary cap and give them some flexibility.  I think they have moved on at center and Love and the organization don't exactly get along.

So, we take Love, probably give up our first rounder this year and trade them Pierce.  They cut Pierce and get some salary flexibility and have a first round pick to show for it. 

Maybe that gets Garnett to come back and all of a sudden we are set on the front line with Love, Sully, Garnett, Bass, Melo, and Randolph.  Green would go to a full time SF and we'd have to pick up another SF somewhere, maybe Chris Wright?

so minny is going to trade up a top 10 big man for a 36 year old pp and a 16th pick

right.....

[danglertx]

No, they wouldn't get Pierce.  You didn't read very well. I don't think anyone would trade for Paul Pierce because they want Paul Pierce.  They'd trade for salary cap flexibility which is gold in the NBA, as Memphis could tell you.  They'd buy him out and get $10mil off their books and get down to the salary cap level. 

They'd get our first round pick and Love has fallen out of love with Minny and them with him, or at least that was the case when Kahn was still there.

He didn't play well last year and then got hurt, is on the books for several more seasons, has been replaced by a better cheaper option, and they reportedly were interested in moving him last year until he got a season ending injury.

So maybe Minny does better in moving him but I do think they look into it.  Look what Memphis gave up to get close to the cap, Rudy Gay for a poo poo platter of guys they could move or get rid of.

[hwangjini_1]

1. Release Paul Pierce and then immediately re-sign him at $5 million for one year with a no trade clause. That nets Pierce $10 million for this year. This is huge because it will allow for the C's to add some salary and should allow them to be able to use the MLE.

You would have to use the MLE to sign Pierce to a contract that big.

i like a number of the ideas in this thread, they are interesting and doable.

however...

first, the celtics are sitting at about $76,000,000 in salary. if they buy out pierce at $5,000,000 they drop to about $65,000,000.

the luxury tax threshold will be around $70,000,000. That is, buying out pierce alone does NOT get the celtics even remotely in a position to spend enough for a major free agent.

if they bring pierce back for an additional $5,000,000 the team projects to be OVER the luxury tax threshold.

will wyc pay the tax for a team that is destined going nowhere? i dont know, but i wouldnt be surprised if he said no.

since the thread title wants some form of realism injected into the discussion, i wanted to bring that point up.


second, as tempting as it is to say "the draft will redeem us. let's tank in 2014, 2015, and what the heck we can throw in 2016 for good measure" may sound, but that strategy too has it flaws.

the bobcats stand as realistic testimonial to how being putrid may only create more putricity. (if that is really a word.)

the bobcats had the following draft picks:
2012, #2 pick first round
2011, #9 & #19 picks first round
2010, zippo, no picks
2009, #12 first round
2008, #9 & #20 first round
2007, #8 first round

to summarize, the bobcats had 7 first round picks in 6 years, 5 of which were #12 or better.

last year the bobcats win-loss record was 21 - 61, a .256 winning percentage.

while the bobcats have a lot of problems which the celtics might avoid, my point is that even with 6 years of great draft positions they still qualify as comic relief in the nba.

sorry to rain on some parades but i wanted to add a few thoughts. carry on.

[nickagneta]

1. Release Paul Pierce and then immediately re-sign him at $5 million for one year with a no trade clause. That nets Pierce $10 million for this year. This is huge because it will allow for the C's to add some salary and should allow them to be able to use the MLE.

You would have to use the MLE to sign Pierce to a contract that big.

i like a number of the ideas in this thread, they are interesting and doable.

however...

first, the celtics are sitting at about $76,000,000 in salary. if they buy out pierce at $5,000,000 they drop to about $65,000,000.

the luxury tax threshold will be around $70,000,000. That is, buying out pierce alone does NOT get the celtics even remotely in a position to spend enough for a major free agent.

if they bring pierce back for an additional $5,000,000 the team projects to be OVER the luxury tax threshold.

will wyc pay the tax for a team that is destined going nowhere? i dont know, but i wouldnt be surprised if he said no.

since the thread title wants some form of realism injected into the discussion, i wanted to bring that point up.


second, as tempting as it is to say "the draft will redeem us. let's tank in 2014, 2015, and what the heck we can throw in 2016 for good measure" may sound, but that strategy too has it flaws.

the bobcats stand as realistic testimonial to how being putrid may only create more putricity. (if that is really a word.)

the bobcats had the following draft picks:
2012, #2 pick first round
2011, #9 & #19 picks first round
2010, zippo, no picks
2009, #12 first round
2008, #9 & #20 first round
2007, #8 first round

to summarize, the bobcats had 7 first round picks in 6 years, 5 of which were #12 or better.

last year the bobcats win-loss record was 21 - 61, a .256 winning percentage.

while the bobcats have a lot of problems which the celtics might avoid, my point is that even with 6 years of great draft positions they still qualify as comic relief in the nba.

sorry to rain on some parades but i wanted to add a few thoughts. carry on.

The Celtics will be in the luxury tax no matter what next year. There is almost nothing that can stop that. So mitigating the damage done by the tax should be first priority for next year and future years. My idea, even though it throws us into the tax, which we will be in anyway, gets rid of future salary and gets us out of the tax for 2014-15, which, without the trades I proposed or ones like it, isn't going to happen.

And, I happen to think a core of Gasol, KG, Sully, Dalembert, Pierce, Dunleavy, Bradley, Lee, Rondo and Carter-Williams could go deep in the EC next year, especially if Carter-Williams shines, like I think he will, and Sully continues his improvement from a great rookie campaign.

Remember, next year, Brooklyn and New York will not be any better because they are so far over the tax their tax be will be huge and the resources to improve will be so few. Atlanta will also be a lot worse if Josh Smith goes somewhere else. Next year looks like it could be a Miami and Chicago year in the EC with every thing else wide open.

And then the year after that, tons of cap room and only young players left on the roster with Rondo, Sully, Bradley and Carter-Williams the core to build around.

[AB_Celtic]

For anyone unsure of what's going on cap-wise, here's a really informative read:

http://www.celticslife.com/2013/05/breaking-down-celtics-salary-cap.html

Basically, Pierce OR KG leaving doesn't do a whole lot for us in terms of flexibility; only of both leave can we go after an elite young player.

[c3ltics4lif3]

I want to start off by saying I am a HUGE Pierce and KG fan.  Pierce should go down as one of the greatest Celtics of all time and KG's number should be in the rafters one day.  With that being said, I think it is time to move forward without them.   

My understanding is the Celts have $73.1M on the books for 2013 with the salary cap projected to be $60M.   If we amnesty Pierce (allows him to go to the team of his choice - he deserves that) it takes $15.3M off the books.  If KG then retires (assumed to happen with Pierce gone) that takes another $11.5M off the books.  Celtics are left with $46.3M on the books ($13.7M under the cap). 

It has been pretty known that Josh Smith wants out of Atlanta and he is a friend of Rondo and likes the Celts.  If he is willing to take less than a "Max Deal" to play with Rondo and be part of the Celts organization we could give him the $13.7M (I think 4-5 years). 

By getting under the Salary Cap (Amnesty Pierce and KG retires) the Celts would also have the MLE available to them (4yrs $21.5M - roughly $5M/year).  With that money you could have a good shot at getting a good free agent center.   Here are the guys I would go after and their current 2012 salary (to show $5M/year might be attractive to them).

T. Splitter ($3.9M)
T. Mozgov ($3.1M)
J.J. Hickson ($4M)

The Celts could also consider Dalenbert and G. Oden. They might even be able to use the mini MLE on G. Oden. Oden has said he likes the Celts. He visited them and they are one of 3 teams he is considersing (Cleveland, Miami, Boston). 

With all of this, my ideal roster / line-up would be:

Starters:
Rondo
Bradley
Green
Smith
Splitter

Bench:
Williams
Schroeder (PG - rookie - 16th pick)
Terry
Lee
Crawford
Bass
Sullinger
Randolph
Oden

I would look to try to trade Terry, Bass and/or Lee.  I will post my ideas there in another post.  My thinking is to look to get a veteran PG and/or center, future picks and/or expiring contracts.

I can't wait to hear everyone's thoughts.

[nickagneta]

Amnestying Pierce does not allow him to go where he wants. He goes to the highest bidder.

Also, I was under the impression that the salary cap wasn't going to be moving too much past the $58 million mark where it currently stands, no matter what Stern predicted as a revenue possibility in November.

Lastly, if you amnesty Pierce and KG retires and takes no buyout that leaves 10 players at $46.4 million which includes this year's draft pick at #16. Now you also have to include two cap holds for having under 12 players which is about $800,000 per hold or $1.6 million

That leaves $48 million in salary with a cap around $58 million if revenues are about the same.

That's not getting a superstar free agent signed here.

[LooseCannon]

1. Release Paul Pierce and then immediately re-sign him at $5 million for one year with a no trade clause. That nets Pierce $10 million for this year. This is huge because it will allow for the C's to add some salary and should allow them to be able to use the MLE.

You would have to use the MLE to sign Pierce to a contract that big.

I don't think so, I think we might still own his Bird rights even if we terminate the contract.

Its not like we are renouncing his rights, just terminating the current contract which the team has a right to do.

You don't have Bird rights on a player who doesn't complete his last contract.  (That is, on a player who passes through waivers.)  You do have Bird rights to a player who is signed and waived in each of his first two seasons with the team then signs and finishes out his contract for a third season.

If the Celtics were declining to exercise a team option, then they could use Bird rights.  If the Celtics are waiving Paul Pierce, then they don't have any Bird rights, but would have them at the end of a new contract that Pierce might sign.  Theoretically, they could sign him on a one-year minimum deal then sign him for the maximum on his next contract, but an agreement to do so would be such an obvious circumvention of the salary cap that you'd probably get the same penalty that Minnesota received for the Joe Smith deal.

[nickagneta]

1. Release Paul Pierce and then immediately re-sign him at $5 million for one year with a no trade clause. That nets Pierce $10 million for this year. This is huge because it will allow for the C's to add some salary and should allow them to be able to use the MLE.

You would have to use the MLE to sign Pierce to a contract that big.

I don't think so, I think we might still own his Bird rights even if we terminate the contract.

Its not like we are renouncing his rights, just terminating the current contract which the team has a right to do.

You don't have Bird rights on a player who doesn't complete his last contract.  (That is, on a player who passes through waivers.)  You do have Bird rights to a player who is signed and waived in each of his first two seasons with the team then signs and finishes out his contract for a third season.

If the Celtics were declining to exercise a team option, then they could use Bird rights.  If the Celtics are waiving Paul Pierce, then they don't have any Bird rights, but would have them at the end of a new contract that Pierce might sign.  Theoretically, they could sign him on a one-year minimum deal then sign him for the maximum on his next contract, but an agreement to do so would be such an obvious circumvention of the salary cap that you'd probably get the same penalty that Minnesota received for the Joe Smith deal.

I just reread the Coon FQA page on the CBA and even that page is a bit ambiguous on this particular topic. It states in one section the non-guananteed contracts basically work as team options and in another it says that every player released has to go through waivers and discusses what to do with the remaining money.

I even read a Q&A with Coon where he seemed a bit confused on this particular issue.

You are probably right but I am not 100% sure you are and not being a lawyer, I am not going to read the actual CBA to find out.

[gpap]

Deal Pierce either to Atlanta or Utah in a sign and trade for either Josh Smith or Al Jefferson.

Deal Rondo to Milwaukee for Brandon Jennings and S&T for Dalembert.

Deal KG and Terry to the Lakers for Gasol and Steve Blake.

Deal Courtney Lee to Memphis for trade exception and future draft pick.

Offer mid-level exception to either OJ Mayo (if he opts out of Dallas), Tony Allen (love to have his D back) or Kyle Korver (lights out behind 3 point line.)

Try to round out the roster with minimum contracts to guys like Martell Webster, Leandro Barbosa, Antwan Jamison and Andray Blatche

2013-14 line-up

-PG Jennings/Barbosa
-SG Bradley/Blake
-SF Green/Webster/Mayo, T Allen or Korver
-PF Josh Smith OR Al Jefferson/Antwan Jamison/Jared Sullinger
-C Pau Gasol/Andray Blatche/Samuel Dalembert