ESPN's Forsberg breaks down the C's cap sitch

[Lucky17]

http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/celtics/post/_/id/4719807/creative-celtics

If I read Forsberg correctly, the Celtics could finalize the signings of Amir and Jonas, but wait to finalize the Lee trade and sign Crowder and the draft picks, and have something in the ballpark of $18 mil in cap space (rough estimate).

Edit: Right, $8 mil. Forgot to add Wallace's contract back onto the books.

Anyone else see it this way?

[Neurotic Guy]

This is a great article that explains how brilliantly ainge and his staff have maneuvered to set up maximum flexibility moving forward.

No, i do not read this as them ending with 18m in cap space. Rather, they'll be over the cap after the wave of transactions occur -- but they set themselves up as a prime trade partner and with amazing cap space options after next season.  This is exactly what some have been saying here.  Ainge is brilliant. 

[JumpingJudkins]

If I read it correctly, they can have $8 million or so in cap space to sign someone (or work a deal that needs cap space), then they can make the trade for Lee and the Crowder signing when they're back over the cap.

[LarBrd33]

http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/celtics/post/_/id/4719807/creative-celtics

If I read Forsberg correctly, the Celtics could finalize the signings of Amir and Jonas, but wait to finalize the Lee trade and sign Crowder and the draft picks, and have something in the ballpark of $18 mil in cap space (rough estimate).

Anyone else see it this way?

Not 18 mil.  8 mil, maybe.   Enough to absorb the bulk of Gallo's deal if we send out one of the bigs?

The way I understand it, if we have 8 mil in cap space and trade away Avery Bradley (7.7 mil), can't we take back a 15.7 mil contract?

[rondohondo]

http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/celtics/post/_/id/4719807/creative-celtics

If I read Forsberg correctly, the Celtics could finalize the signings of Amir and Jonas, but wait to finalize the Lee trade and sign Crowder and the draft picks, and have something in the ballpark of $18 mil in cap space (rough estimate).

Anyone else see it this way?

Not 18 mil.  8 mil, maybe.   Enough to absorb the bulk of Gallo's deal if we send out one of the bigs?

The way I understand it, if we have 8 mil in cap space and trade away Avery Bradley (7.7 mil), can't we take back a 15.7 mil contract?

yes i believe that's correct

[LarBrd33]

http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/celtics/post/_/id/4719807/creative-celtics

If I read Forsberg correctly, the Celtics could finalize the signings of Amir and Jonas, but wait to finalize the Lee trade and sign Crowder and the draft picks, and have something in the ballpark of $18 mil in cap space (rough estimate).

Anyone else see it this way?

Not 18 mil.  8 mil, maybe.   Enough to absorb the bulk of Gallo's deal if we send out one of the bigs?

The way I understand it, if we have 8 mil in cap space and trade away Avery Bradley (7.7 mil), can't we take back a 15.7 mil contract?

yes i believe that's correct

So you could theoretically trade for 24 mil in contracts (Lawson + Gallo) and give away 16 mil in contracts (Bradley, Turner, Zeller, Sully)?

[PhoSita]

Ainge and his guys are master cap manipulators, which is why the enormous jumps in the cap coming down the pike are actually really bad news for the Celts.  Wipes out one of the major advantages they had over a lot of other teams with less creative management and more cluttered cap sheets.

Having cap space and maintaining flexibility is a lot less useful when basically every team in the league will have oodles of cap space.

[rondohondo]

http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/celtics/post/_/id/4719807/creative-celtics

If I read Forsberg correctly, the Celtics could finalize the signings of Amir and Jonas, but wait to finalize the Lee trade and sign Crowder and the draft picks, and have something in the ballpark of $18 mil in cap space (rough estimate).

Anyone else see it this way?

Not 18 mil.  8 mil, maybe.   Enough to absorb the bulk of Gallo's deal if we send out one of the bigs?

The way I understand it, if we have 8 mil in cap space and trade away Avery Bradley (7.7 mil), can't we take back a 15.7 mil contract?

yes i believe that's correct

So you could theoretically trade for 24 mil in contracts (Lawson + Gallo) and give away 16 mil in contracts (Bradley, Turner, Zeller, Sully)?

If thats the case, and I believe it is

PG: Lawson         / IT
SG: Smart            / Young
SF: Gallo              / Crowder
PF: Lee                /KO
 C: Johnson         / ?

Of course if we are getting both Lawson and Gallo we would be giving up some draft picks too . Maybe IT instead of Bradley since IT is so similar to Lawson, but cheaper ?

[Boris Badenov]

Ainge and his guys are master cap manipulators, which is why the enormous jumps in the cap coming down the pike are actually really bad news for the Celts.  Wipes out one of the major advantages they had over a lot of other teams with less creative management and more cluttered cap sheets.

Having cap space and maintaining flexibility is a lot less useful when basically every team in the league will have oodles of cap space.

Agreed. Though it might be more of a temporary disadvantage than a permanent one.

Plenty of people who hit the lottery end up broke again after a couple of years.

[Neurotic Guy]

Ainge and his guys are master cap manipulators, which is why the enormous jumps in the cap coming down the pike are actually really bad news for the Celts.  Wipes out one of the major advantages they had over a lot of other teams with less creative management and more cluttered cap sheets.

Having cap space and maintaining flexibility is a lot less useful when basically every team in the league will have oodles of cap space.

I don't know that you're wrong, but I think you are.   The massive projected increase in cap space will coincide with a massive increase in max annual salary.   60M in cap space will not provide teams with the capacity to sign 3 max players as it would now, but will only allow 2 max contracts.   Deals like AB, JC, and rookie deals will be of tremendous value if the players are decent.   LOTS of trade value with good contracts and draft picks. 

4 ways to improve a team:
1) Player development of current roster players
2) Trades
3) Free Agents
4) Draft

You need luck and skill with every type of improvement.  Skill puts you in position to possibly improve and luck puts you over the top.   The C's are in position to possibly improve in any/all of the 4 ways to improve.   Not much more you can ask from management at this stage of a rebuild.  What Ainge does with the flexibility he's created will be fun to watch over the next 12 months or so. 

[PhoSita]

I don't know that you're wrong, but I think you are.   The massive projected increase in cap space will coincide with a massive increase in max annual salary.   60M in cap space will not provide teams with the capacity to sign 3 max players as it would now, but will only allow 2 max contracts.   

Right, but the point is just that the resource we're talking about here -- cap space -- which is normally difficult to obtain and even harder to protect, is devalued over the next few years because it's much less scarce than it normally is.

This is most definitely a temporary condition, but since it's occurring within the crucial first few years of our rebuild, it is kind of a big deal.  Especially since it seems like Ainge and Co. based a big part of their strategy over the past couple of years on preserving cap space for this year and next year, only to find that there's a lot less player movement because every team anticipates having more cap space than they know what to do with the next two summers.

[timpiker]

Great article.  Thanks.  Not sure if we'll ever hit it big but I am sure glad Danny is running the show.

[Big333223]

Mike Zarren's name keeps popping up in different basketball discussions. It seems like he's a real assett the Ainge's team.

[Fred Roberts]

Kevin Durant's going to look so good in green and white next Fall.

Smart / Rozier / IT
Bradley / Hunter
KD / Young
KO / Lee? / Jerebko
Amir? / Zeller?

Such a dream, but fun to think about. Any major Free Agent signing next Summer, that doesn't eat at our draft picks, coupled with trades, puts us in a very strong position. Asset gathering and flexibility has us on the cusp of major moves. still believing. . .

[Timdawgg]

Kevin Durant's going to look so good in green and white next Fall.

Smart / Rozier / IT
Bradley / Hunter
KD / Young
KO / Lee? / Jerebko
Amir? / Zeller?

Such a dream, but fun to think about. Any major Free Agent signing next Summer, that doesn't eat at our draft picks, coupled with trades, puts us in a very strong position. Asset gathering and flexibility has us on the cusp of major moves. still believing. . .

It's weird but my gut keeps telling me Durant will sign here. I don't get that gut feeling a lot in life but I keep feeling that way about Durant.