Avery Bradley & Celtics Agree to 4-year, $32 million contract

[Yoki_IsTheName]

Overpaid. Way too much.

Smart could already replace hi m and offer more. Why keep him, let alone pay him $8 million per.

Talk about fireworks...

[Roy H.]

So the deal will end up looking like

1st year $7.2 million
2nd year $7.75 million
3rd year $8.3 million
4th year $8.85 million

That seems fairly reasonable if he stays healthy and continues to develop some.

Yep, that's basically what I came up with (some minor rounding differences).  Hopefully, though, the Celtics structured it to de-escalate over time, meaning it could potentially look like:

$9.01 million -> $8.33 million -> $7.66 million -> $6.98 million

The C's never do that.

no one will ever do that...don't you want a steady pay raise every year, and not a, you know...pay cut?

Lots of teams -- and thus, lots of players -- have structured contracts that way.  The team pays a premium up front, but gets the benefit of decreasing annual salaries.

The escalating salaries are what get a lot of teams in trouble, because as soon as the cap doesn't go up as much as anticipated, the team is stuck in a bad cap situation.

It's not a league-wide trend yet, but it should be a tactic employed more and more by cap-savvy teams.

[McNoob]

I love all the armchair GMs up in arms about this deal. I think $8 million is more than most people expected, but Bradley was going to be re-signed regardless. It's just instead of the $6 million offered before the season, it's a whopping $2 million more per year.

I think he deserves it. Sure, he has injury problems, but that's his only significant problem. He plays the hardest defense of anyone in the league, has been steadily improving his jump shot, and doesn't have any attitude/off-court problems. And his size isn't an issue since he can just defend the 1-guard when necessary and allow Rondo/Smart onto to the 2-guard (especially Smart since he's built like Wade).

I'll take Bradley over our other options, which is basically overpaying for Gordon Hayward (max money) or Lance Stephenson, who made a mockery of himself during the ECF (and also pushed his GF down a flight of stairs).

Marcus Smart and James Young will still get their playing time as well, with Young possibly getting time at the 3. And who honestly knows the fate of Rondo at this point.

[ticket18]

I love all the armchair GMs up in arms about this deal. I think $8 million is more than most people expected, but Bradley was going to be re-signed regardless. It's just instead of the $6 million offered before the season, it's a whopping $2 million more per year.

I think he deserves it. Sure, he has injury problems, but that's his only significant problem. He plays the hardest defense of anyone in the league, has been steadily improving his jump shot, and doesn't have any attitude/off-court problems. And his size isn't an issue since he can just defend the 1-guard when necessary and allow Rondo/Smart onto to the 2-guard (especially Smart since he's built like Wade).

I'll take Bradley over our other options, which is basically overpaying for Gordon Hayward (max money) or Lance Stephenson, who made a mockery of himself during the ECF (and also pushed his GF down a flight of stairs).

Marcus Smart and James Young will still get their playing time as well, with Young possibly getting time at the 3. And who honestly knows the fate of Rondo at this point.

I'm a STH and went to most games last year and his defense fell way off last year, way off. I hope his effort on the defensive end can be revitalized after this deal.

[LEHGOCELTICS]

I don't understand why we made him become a RFA if we were going to outbid the market anyway. Defeats the whole purpose of making someone a RFA. This puzzles me to no end.

If another team was dumb enough to offer him a contract like this, let him walk. Otherwise, you'll sign him for cheaper. How is this so difficult, DA? I'm really starting to have my doubts with Danny incessantly overpaying role players, i.e. Bass, Green, and now Bradley.

Doing stuff stupid like this is how you get mired in mediocrity and become a treadmill team like the Hawks.

We offered him 24 mil he turned that down, so you let him become a RFA and watch what kind of money is being thrown around then make the offer.

from hoops rumors:

Executives who spoke recently to Chris Mannix of SI.com believed Bradley would end up with annual salaries between $7MM and $9MM.

So we paid in the ball park....I don't believe you were going to get anything of quality for 6 mil or less...

We don't need anything of quality for 6 mil or less at Bradley's position. We're not competing anytime soon, and we draft Marcus Smart, who brings all of Bradley's fortes to the table and more.

And it doesn't matter whether he declined our initial extension offer. Gerald Henderson was another player who thought he was more valuable than his extension offer, but then was slapped in the face by the market when he became a RFA.

It makes no sense that Danny didn't even wait for other teams to perform their valuations on Bradley. It still would not have been too late if Danny is so adamant on keeping him around. If other teams give him ridiculous contracts, then let him walk. If not, you can sign him at a valuation lower than what you initially projected it out to be. Danny approached this as if he were a hotly-pursued unrestricted free agent. That is completely asinine if you ask me.

His skillset is largely redundant with Smart and Rondo, who need to be getting the bulk of the minutes anyways. You should only overpay role players once stars are in place -- which, in our case, are not.

[crownontherocks]

Can bradley we traded anytime, or do we have to wait a certain date

[oldtype]

Alternatively, I guess this is fine from the perspective that given the slow rebuild, none of our contracts other than the rookie-scale guys' is likely to be in play when when we're actually ready to contend.

I highly doubt we'll have any use for cap space within the next three years and after that this becomes an expiring. In the mean time, we have Avery locked down so we stand to benefit if he develops further.

[saltlover]

We don't need anything of quality for 6 mil or less at Bradley's position. We're not competing anytime soon, and we draft Marcus Smart, who brings all of Bradley's fortes to the table and more.

This is simply not true.  Bradley is the better shooter, and it's not close.  I love Smart, and am excited to what he brings to the table, but hyperbolic statements like yours do not advance discussion very well.  Maybe Smart can become the shooter Bradley is someday, but he's not there right now, and Bradley may continue to add more to his game as well.

[saltlover]

Can bradley we traded anytime, or do we have to wait a certain date

January 15th, 2015.

[EJPLAYA]

Maybe this means that we will be trading away Rondo for a big and they feel comfortable building with Smart at the point, Bradley at the two. When Smart goes out Bradley can slide to the point if needed and Young plays the 2, and the rest of the time Young plays the 3. Those three wouldn't make a bad rotation with a lot of upside and athleticism.

[Yoki_IsTheName]

We don't need anything of quality for 6 mil or less at Bradley's position. We're not competing anytime soon, and we draft Marcus Smart, who brings all of Bradley's fortes to the table and more.

This is simply not true.  Bradley is the better shooter, and it's not close.  I love Smart, and am excited to what he brings to the table, but hyperbolic statements like yours do not advance discussion very well.  Maybe Smart can become the shooter Bradley is someday, but he's not there right now, and Bradley may continue to add more to his game as well.

What will Bradley add to his game that will eventually make him worth $8 mil? Hes a very good defender and a solid shooter, undersized for his position and cant play point because he has suspected ball handling. Thats not $8 no, even if he learns to dribble.

And we at indeed not competing and wear trying to develop Marcus Smart. So we just overpaid a guy that will nutshell us reach another level and hes going to take minutes away from our new kid, who right now can shoot well, by can do more things than Bradley.

This is a disaster move.

[saltlover]

So the deal will end up looking like

1st year $7.2 million
2nd year $7.75 million
3rd year $8.3 million
4th year $8.85 million

That seems fairly reasonable if he stays healthy and continues to develop some.

Yep, that's basically what I came up with (some minor rounding differences).  Hopefully, though, the Celtics structured it to de-escalate over time, meaning it could potentially look like:

$9.01 million -> $8.33 million -> $7.66 million -> $6.98 million

The C's never do that.

no one will ever do that...don't you want a steady pay raise every year, and not a, you know...pay cut?

Lots of teams -- and thus, lots of players -- have structured contracts that way.  The team pays a premium up front, but gets the benefit of decreasing annual salaries.

The escalating salaries are what get a lot of teams in trouble, because as soon as the cap doesn't go up as much as anticipated, the team is stuck in a bad cap situation.

It's not a league-wide trend yet, but it should be a tactic employed more and more by cap-savvy teams.

I agree.  The Celtics seem to want to emulate the Spurs a little more -- this is one way to do it.  The salary cap rises every year.  If non-expiring salaries decrease every year, you can create some significant extra room, or at least make up for room that is lost when you have increases created by rookie deals.  They did do this a little with Pierce's and KG's final deals -- both had at least one season with a salary decrease, but there were also raises included from one year to the next.

[Snakehead]

What will Bradley add to his game that will eventually make him worth $8 mil? Hes a very good defender and a solid shooter, undersized for his position and cant play point because he has suspected ball handling. Thats not $8 no, even if he learns to dribble.

But it actually is worth 8 million.  Look at the market.

And if he could add passing and ball handling?  It'd be a steal.  He would be a stud.

He made a very big jump in his shooting last year and he's 23.

The only criticism to me is the health issues.  Otherwise he is totally worth it.

[crownontherocks]

I would have checked the market for monroe than bradley

[TwinTower14]

A guard that plays good D, shoot decent but can't pass or handle the ball or stay healthy gets u 32 mil....solid!