Why the C's Should Keep the Picks

[Big333223]

[IT's contract is done spring 2018 so be summer of 2019, he will probably be long gone (the Celtics will not be the team to pull up the Brink's truck).  It also would not surprise me if Horford is traded in Summer of 2018 and we rebuild around all star players that we have drafted.

I do not see a team built around Thomas and Horford on max contracts ever being a title contender.

I've thought about this a lot. As great as Thomas has been at converting people this season into seeing he's a star, I still don't think the market for him will be robust enough to get a max. The league is flush with PG's and a bunch of bad teams are going to draft a good PG this summer which means, when IT's contract is up, there just aren't going to be many teams that need a PG. On top of that, he'll be 29 years old and he'll still be 5'9". All the reasons skeptical Celtic fans don't want to pay a lot of resign him will be the same reasons skeptical GMs on other teams won't want to pay him either.

What that all adds up for me is, maybe he could be signed for something like $18 mil a year for 4 years. It would be 3 times what his old contract was and be a nice deal for the Celtics.

Keeping the Nets picks makes me think a trade for Vucevic would be a good fit.  Maybe Amir + minny 2nd rounder plus Clippers 2019 pick?

Let Amir, Zeller, and Jerebko walk and keep moving forward with the youth movement.

I'm into this idea. I don't think the C's are going to get someone better than Vucevic in free agency this summer. Offensively, he can play next to Horford. He's not great defensively but he's a terrific rebounder which will help the C's defense.

He's also a guy you can stick in the middle and play more small ball around.

[clevelandceltic]

IT's contract is done spring 2018 so be summer of 2019, he will probably be long gone (the Celtics will not be the team to pull up the Brink's truck).  It also would not surprise me if Horford is traded in Summer of 2018 and we rebuild around all star players that we have drafted.

I do not see a team built around Thomas and Horford on max contracts ever being a title contender.

Its hard to see them getting rid of those players because it serves them very little to do so. They already have top picks. What would they gain in the trade?

Opportunity cost.  If you resign IT and keep Horford that is about the end of your cap space for top line players.  Maybe by that time Jaylen Brown has gotten good but that just isn't all that good of a team.  The IT/Horford team can win us a playoff round or maybe two (so long as IT continues to play out of his mind and Horford ages gracefully) but you don't want to hang on to that for too long.  I love that team for now but I don't want to double down with it.

I agree with you in principle but I dont see any way this happens as soon as next year. Waaay to soon to dump both players and have a team of Smart, Brown, and the 17 pick.

[nickagneta]

What that all adds up for me is, maybe he could be signed for something like $18 mil a year for 4 years. It would be 3 times what his old contract was and be a nice deal for the Celtics.

There is no way IT is going to sign a contract at $18 million a year. By the time his contract is up its most likely Thomas is a 3 time All Star and an efficient high scoring player. That type of resume equals a max contract.

[clevelandceltic]

Conversely there is alot of hope on making a trade this year or next. The odds of a Love type deal because a guy might not resign have become alot slimmer with the new CBA so you are basically hoping for a team to say ok we give lets trade away our star. It can certainly happen but considering that many teams have found their stars in the top 5 - 10 of the draft I think it stands as good reason for people to have hope about the drat.

[Big333223]

What that all adds up for me is, maybe he could be signed for something like $18 mil a year for 4 years. It would be 3 times what his old contract was and be a nice deal for the Celtics.

There is no way IT is going to sign a contract at $18 million a year. By the time his contract is up its most likely Thomas is a 3 time All Star and an efficient high scoring player. That type of resume equals a max contract.

From who? Who is going to both need a PG and look past the same defincies that Celtic fans (who presumably like him more) worry about?

And this will be in 2 years when the cap will have normalized a little bit and teams won't have as much money to throw around. There won't be "old cap" contracts giving teams lots of extra room.

It's not about whether he deserves it. It's about whether or not someone will give it to him.

[nickagneta]

What that all adds up for me is, maybe he could be signed for something like $18 mil a year for 4 years. It would be 3 times what his old contract was and be a nice deal for the Celtics.

There is no way IT is going to sign a contract at $18 million a year. By the time his contract is up its most likely Thomas is a 3 time All Star and an efficient high scoring player. That type of resume equals a max contract.

From who? Who is going to both need a PG and look past the same defincies that Celtic fans (who presumably like him more) worry about?

And this will be in 2 years when the cap will have normalized a little bit and teams won't have as much money to throw around. There won't be "old cap" contracts giving teams lots of extra room.

It's not about whether he deserves it. It's about whether or not someone will give it to him.

Boston will give it to him. As will Brooklyn, Chicago, New York, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Detroit, and Dallas. Be assured, IT is going to be paid.

[Moranis]

What that all adds up for me is, maybe he could be signed for something like $18 mil a year for 4 years. It would be 3 times what his old contract was and be a nice deal for the Celtics.

There is no way IT is going to sign a contract at $18 million a year. By the time his contract is up its most likely Thomas is a 3 time All Star and an efficient high scoring player. That type of resume equals a max contract.

From who? Who is going to both need a PG and look past the same defincies that Celtic fans (who presumably like him more) worry about?

And this will be in 2 years when the cap will have normalized a little bit and teams won't have as much money to throw around. There won't be "old cap" contracts giving teams lots of extra room.

It's not about whether he deserves it. It's about whether or not someone will give it to him.

Boston will give it to him. As will Brooklyn, Chicago, New York, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Detroit, and Dallas. Be assured, IT is going to be paid.

Philly and New Orleans will likely pick up a stud PG this draft.  Detroit doesn't have enough cap room.  It is likely that at least a couple of Brooklyn, Chicago, New York, and Dallas make moves over the next year that eliminate their cap room.  There is also a very real possibility that many of those teams will be rebuilding and thus not in the market for a PG like Thomas.   

The reality is there just isn't going to be some major market for Thomas and frankly I'm not even sure Boston will be much of a market if the team gets someone like Fultz, Ball, etc. this summer and can't add a top tier free agent to go into win now mode.  Boston is not going to stunt the growth of Fultz by re-signing Thomas unless Boston is a realistic contender and frankly I would be surprised if that was the case.

[Geo123]

You only move the pick for a top 20 type player, especially one who's signed for a few years.  Then you absolutely do it.  There is no guarantee a pick turns out great. 

[Phantom255x]

If the pick is #1, it's untouchable. Draft Fultz. No question.

Now if it's #2, you draft Ball, BUT I would be open to trading it if someone like Butler or even any of PG13/Cousins became available in trade talks (and either team was interested in #2 for Lonzo Ball or someone else).

[A Future of Stevens]

What that all adds up for me is, maybe he could be signed for something like $18 mil a year for 4 years. It would be 3 times what his old contract was and be a nice deal for the Celtics.

There is no way IT is going to sign a contract at $18 million a year. By the time his contract is up its most likely Thomas is a 3 time All Star and an efficient high scoring player. That type of resume equals a max contract.

From who? Who is going to both need a PG and look past the same defincies that Celtic fans (who presumably like him more) worry about?

And this will be in 2 years when the cap will have normalized a little bit and teams won't have as much money to throw around. There won't be "old cap" contracts giving teams lots of extra room.

It's not about whether he deserves it. It's about whether or not someone will give it to him.

Boston will give it to him. As will Brooklyn, Chicago, New York, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Detroit, and Dallas. Be assured, IT is going to be paid.

Philly and New Orleans will likely pick up a stud PG this draft.  Detroit doesn't have enough cap room.  It is likely that at least a couple of Brooklyn, Chicago, New York, and Dallas make moves over the next year that eliminate their cap room.  There is also a very real possibility that many of those teams will be rebuilding and thus not in the market for a PG like Thomas.   

The reality is there just isn't going to be some major market for Thomas and frankly I'm not even sure Boston will be much of a market if the team gets someone like Fultz, Ball, etc. this summer and can't add a top tier free agent to go into win now mode.  Boston is not going to stunt the growth of Fultz by re-signing Thomas unless Boston is a realistic contender and frankly I would be surprised if that was the case.

This. All of this.

[Big333223]

What that all adds up for me is, maybe he could be signed for something like $18 mil a year for 4 years. It would be 3 times what his old contract was and be a nice deal for the Celtics.

There is no way IT is going to sign a contract at $18 million a year. By the time his contract is up its most likely Thomas is a 3 time All Star and an efficient high scoring player. That type of resume equals a max contract.

From who? Who is going to both need a PG and look past the same defincies that Celtic fans (who presumably like him more) worry about?

And this will be in 2 years when the cap will have normalized a little bit and teams won't have as much money to throw around. There won't be "old cap" contracts giving teams lots of extra room.

It's not about whether he deserves it. It's about whether or not someone will give it to him.

Boston will give it to him. As will Brooklyn, Chicago, New York, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Detroit, and Dallas. Be assured, IT is going to be paid.

Philly and New Orleans will likely pick up a stud PG this draft.  Detroit doesn't have enough cap room.  It is likely that at least a couple of Brooklyn, Chicago, New York, and Dallas make moves over the next year that eliminate their cap room.  There is also a very real possibility that many of those teams will be rebuilding and thus not in the market for a PG like Thomas.   

The reality is there just isn't going to be some major market for Thomas and frankly I'm not even sure Boston will be much of a market if the team gets someone like Fultz, Ball, etc. this summer and can't add a top tier free agent to go into win now mode.  Boston is not going to stunt the growth of Fultz by re-signing Thomas unless Boston is a realistic contender and frankly I would be surprised if that was the case.

This. All of this.

Yep. And don't forget that we're talking about a year and a half from now. The rosters we see today aren't going to be the same ones when Isaiah hits the market, so going by team need right now doesn't mean much. What does, to me, is the larger trends in the league.