The Celtics have no shot at any big name free agents

[cb8883]

2015 and 2016 have some nice names of all star talent. Guys such as Durant and Love are going to make a team like the Lakers into contenders and make people really happy. But this was meant to be a reminder/ reality check to the people in Celtics Nation. The Celtics are not the Lakers. We never will be. We do not have the weather, endorsement opportunities, night life, and exposure that these players crave. Face it other than LeBron no top free agent has ever willingly signed with a northern based team not called New York. None. There is a reason for that. The Celtics franchise is cursed by location but is still a very good franchise overall. The only way to get a title roster in here is to build through the draft! Show success with the youngsters and then other young players will come in a trade. They need to blow up the rest of the Roster before Ainge signs Rondo to a max deal because no one wants to come. Blow it up Ainge.

[pearljammer10]

Our roster is pretty blown up already, don't ya think?

[Surferdad]

Have the Celtics ever won any of those 17 titles mainly by signing free agents?  Any free agents added were to round out the critical roster holes after the major pieces were in place, at least for the last 4-5 titles.

[colincb]

I wonder if the mods might consider consolidating this thread with the other 500 threads that combine the two premises that we're doomed and that we have to blow it up because we're doomed. We might put this into the sub-category that we're really doomed. Like forever.

[greg683x]

you'll probably have plenty of reasons to be negative all next season, yet youre going out of your way to do it now.  Im guessing this is just your general outlook on life, doom and gloom.

[cb8883]

Our roster is pretty blown up already, don't ya think?

Negative you still have solid role players such as Bass Rondo and Green that can help contenders and would be a hinderance to tanking.

[rutzan]

i agree with you and i drink green kool-aid...

http://www.spotrac.com/free-agents/nba/2015/

transcendent/game-changers/take-us-to-another level free agents that we will not get:

aldridge
leonard

http://www.spotrac.com/free-agents/nba/2016/

transcendent/game-changers/take-us-to-another level free agents that we will not get:

durant
james
love
davis
drummond

there are a few tier-2 free agents in 2016...even fewer in 2015...nothing up jumping up and down for...especially considering we would be over-paying for a tier-2 free agent...

i think DA is brilliant but all the assets we have are not going to get us tier-1 free agent in the next 2 years...

look at the 2 lists...are there any tier-1 free agents that you think we can get...are there any tier-2 free agents worth over-paying hoping that they will put us over the top...

[BballTim]

2015 and 2016 have some nice names of all star talent. Guys such as Durant and Love are going to make a team like the Lakers into contenders and make people really happy. But this was meant to be a reminder/ reality check to the people in Celtics Nation. The Celtics are not the Lakers. We never will be. We do not have the weather, endorsement opportunities, night life, and exposure that these players crave. Face it other than LeBron no top free agent has ever willingly signed with a northern based team not called New York. None. There is a reason for that. The Celtics franchise is cursed by location but is still a very good franchise overall. The only way to get a title roster in here is to build through the draft! Show success with the youngsters and then other young players will come in a trade. They need to blow up the rest of the Roster before Ainge signs Rondo to a max deal because no one wants to come. Blow it up Ainge.

  Has it occurred to you that we might trade for someone?

[Smokeeye123]

See this idea is peddeled all the time but remember that Al Jefferson signed with the bleeping Bobcats.

If Charlotte can get people in FA so can the Celtics. We just usually lack the caproom to pursu big name FA. Yes we may not ever sign the Lebron James or Durant's of the world but who cares? 25 other teams in the league also have no shot at those guys.

Whose to say guys like Marc Gasol, Love (if he tests free agency), or others wouldnt sign with Boston? If the moneys right its a good place to play.

[Smokeeye123]

Our roster is pretty blown up already, don't ya think?

Negative you still have solid role players such as Bass Rondo and Green that can help contenders and would be a hindrance to tanking.

I actually agree with this sentiment, blow it up or stack it up one or the other. Bass needs to be traded yesterday and Jeff Green  would be great on a team like the Bobcats or Rockets.

[cb8883]

i agree with you and i drink green kool-aid...

http://www.spotrac.com/free-agents/nba/2015/

transcendent/game-changers/take-us-to-another level free agents that we will not get:

aldridge
leonard

http://www.spotrac.com/free-agents/nba/2016/

transcendent/game-changers/take-us-to-another level free agents that we will not get:

durant
james
love
davis
drummond

there are a few tier-2 free agents in 2016...even fewer in 2015...nothing up jumping up and down for...especially considering we would be over-paying for a tier-2 free agent...

i think DA is brilliant but all the assets we have are not going to get us tier-1 free agent in the next 2 years...

look at the 2 lists...are there any tier-1 free agents that you think we can get...are there any tier-2 free agents worth over-paying hoping that they will put us over the top...

Exactly. The best free agents the Celtics can get even when they're contending is guys like Shaq and Sheed guys at the end of their careers. These players don't care about the weather or night life generally. Just about winning. In all honesty the best free agent the Celtics could ever hope to sign is someone on the Rondo/Josh Smith level. Good role players that are looking to get paid like stars. Granted something that could help is if the 3 am city ordinance goes through and Mohegan ends up building a casino up here. I doubt it will help that much though...Boston needs to build from within.

As for the Big Al/Charlotte example. Charlotte has much better weather, the owner is MJ, and they had by far the best offer on the table. We really are no better off than Denver, Minnesota and Detroit's of the world. Not Utah screwed but pretty screwed.

[rutzan]

the NBA is a game of superstars...transcendent players...game-changers...take you over the top...once a generation type players...it's been proven time and time again...

2006 and 2014 were a couple of aberations but certainly not the norm...

btw...duncan, parker and chauncey are not chopped liver...

how do you get one...

free agency...trades....draft...

i think free-agency is a long-shot...that extra $30M usually keeps the players where they are...except for players like lebron who can call their own shots...

trades...maybe...

drafting...requires a lot of luck and a lot of skill...

i actually think all are long-shots...but...drafting is probably the only way...

[greg683x]

i agree with you and i drink green kool-aid...

http://www.spotrac.com/free-agents/nba/2015/

transcendent/game-changers/take-us-to-another level free agents that we will not get:

aldridge
leonard

http://www.spotrac.com/free-agents/nba/2016/

transcendent/game-changers/take-us-to-another level free agents that we will not get:

durant
james
love
davis
drummond

there are a few tier-2 free agents in 2016...even fewer in 2015...nothing up jumping up and down for...especially considering we would be over-paying for a tier-2 free agent...

i think DA is brilliant but all the assets we have are not going to get us tier-1 free agent in the next 2 years...

look at the 2 lists...are there any tier-1 free agents that you think we can get...are there any tier-2 free agents worth over-paying hoping that they will put us over the top...

Exactly. The best free agents the Celtics can get even when they're contending is guys like Shaq and Sheed guys at the end of their careers. These players don't care about the weather or night life generally. Just about winning. In all honesty the best free agent the Celtics could ever hope to sign is someone on the Rondo/Josh Smith level. Good role players that are looking to get paid like stars. Granted something that could help is if the 3 am city ordinance goes through and Mohegan ends up building a casino up here. I doubt it will help that much though...Boston needs to build from within.

As for the Big Al/Charlotte example. Charlotte has much better weather, the owner is MJ, and they had by far the best offer on the table. We really are no better off than Denver, Minnesota and Detroit's of the world. Not Utah screwed but pretty screwed.

You act like no one else wanted Rasheed Wallace when we signed him.  He picked us over other teams.  If youre unhappy with the players we signed during the big three era it's probably bc we couldnt afford the ones you wanted.  All we had was the MLE to spend.  It's pretty ridiculous that youre using Sheed and Shaq to suggest we couldnt find help even when we're contending.

we got the players we wanted in FA when we were contending, with the exception of David West, who nearly came here anyway, and ended up making the right decision.  West didnt choose Indiana for any of the reasons youre suggesting, it was bc he chose a younger team with a long window than the other team heading in a decline.  We didnt have to settle for anybody back then

[gpap]

Sorry, but with all due respect, all I saw was the title and felt compelled to respond.

As I and other fans have mentioned ad nauseam, the Celts have NEVER had the cap space to go after serious free agents.

Stop resigning to the "fact" that the Celts will never sign a free agent until the team actually has the cap space.

Sound good?

[BballTim]

i agree with you and i drink green kool-aid...

http://www.spotrac.com/free-agents/nba/2015/

transcendent/game-changers/take-us-to-another level free agents that we will not get:

aldridge
leonard

http://www.spotrac.com/free-agents/nba/2016/

transcendent/game-changers/take-us-to-another level free agents that we will not get:

durant
james
love
davis
drummond

there are a few tier-2 free agents in 2016...even fewer in 2015...nothing up jumping up and down for...especially considering we would be over-paying for a tier-2 free agent...

i think DA is brilliant but all the assets we have are not going to get us tier-1 free agent in the next 2 years...

look at the 2 lists...are there any tier-1 free agents that you think we can get...are there any tier-2 free agents worth over-paying hoping that they will put us over the top...

Exactly. The best free agents the Celtics can get even when they're contending is guys like Shaq and Sheed guys at the end of their careers. These players don't care about the weather or night life generally. Just about winning.

   You do realize that we didn't have much money to spend on free agents when we were contenders, right? For the money we had Sheed was the most sought after FA in the league. I wouldn't be surprised if Shaq was as well. And these guys aren't at retirement age, they're in their 30s. I'm sure they have a decent interest in weather and night life.