Getting a max Free Agent is now much more difficult

[LilRip]

The Celtics (other than an embarrassment of riches in picks) have an embarrassment of riches in good players. They have Crowder, Bradley, Smart and KO who are all playing below market value. In this scenario, where you want to make a big move and sign a guy like Hayward, they can't realistically keep all their good players. And I'm a firm believer that the C's have to make a splash.

If I had to identify the core of our team (aka near untradeables), I'm going with IT-Horford-Brown and eventually Fultz. As "cold" as it seems, I'm open to moving anybody else if it means improving our team with a Hayward or Butler-type acquisition.

Among Bradley/Crowder/Smart, the one I'm most inclined to keep is Smart. He'll probably make the least, be most amenable to taking the least, while still embodying Celtics culture. He's not as talented as Bradley/Crowder, but then again, those 2 guys likely aren't as talented as a guy like Butler/George/Hayward or eventually, Fultz/Brown.

[RockinRyA]

Glad that we now have crystallisation on the cap situation. I've been against Plan A being Hayward for a while now and this just hardens my resolve.

I'm very on board with using the pick and Crowder to chase Paul George, possibly with a third, smaller piece in the deal (Yab or Rozier for example). There are several combinations for what we could do there but utilising the cap space, going over to re-sign KO and then trading for Paul George would be a perfect summer.

Failing that I would be re-negotiating Isaiah for the 0-6 year max and re-signing KO to go over the cap. Commit to this group to compete and grow our young guys as we go. I want to write a FanPost on that subject soon, I think it's something people always look at as the back up plan but it has a lot of merit and the path we should take.

If we had that team right now we'd still be eliminated by the Cavs.

Really smart to trade the future for the same result 

[Eja117]

It's not easy to trade a player for cap space.

Maybe you can get one of those free agents with non guaranteed salary

I looked and I only saw guys like Tyler Ennis and KJ McDaniels being traded for cap space.

That's kinda a Rozier scenario.

[Eja117]

Teams that seem to have cap space

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2704121-breaking-down-every-nba-teams-salary-cap-situation-ahead-of-2017-offseason

Nets
Bulls
Mavs
Nuggs
Rockets
Pacers
Lakers
Heat
T Wolves
Knicks
Magic
Sixers with an absurd amount
Suns
Kings


Maybe it'll be easier than I thought to make trades and even get picks

[jay]

Not according to my math:

      Player   2017-2018
1   Bradley, Avery   $8,808,989
2   Brown, Jaylen   $4,956,480
3   Crowder, Jae   $6,796,117
4   Horford, Al         $27,734,405
5   Rozier, Terry   $1,988,520
6   Smart, Marcus   $4,538,020
7   Thomas, Isaiah   $6,261,395
8   Top Pick           $7,026,240
9   Max FA         $30,300,000
10   Zizic                   $1,645,200
11   Nader              $815,615
12   2nd rounder     $815,615
                   $101,686,596

Replace Rozier with a $816K player and you're under the cap. Assumes everything you do including keeping Yabu overseas (probably should), dumping Jackson with a pick, and dumping KO, TZ, and JM. You might well get decent pick value back for Rozier.

I think you forgot to get rid of one of the minimum players when you figured the max room available to sign your max FA as the twelveth player under the CBA.

Would they go forward with a small-ball lineup full-time if they did go this route?

IT  Rozier
Bradley  Fultz
Hayward Smart
Crowder  Brown
Horford  Zizic

Try to fill out the roster with 2nd round picks and vet minimums?

[TheSundanceKid]

Glad that we now have crystallisation on the cap situation. I've been against Plan A being Hayward for a while now and this just hardens my resolve.

I'm very on board with using the pick and Crowder to chase Paul George, possibly with a third, smaller piece in the deal (Yab or Rozier for example). There are several combinations for what we could do there but utilising the cap space, going over to re-sign KO and then trading for Paul George would be a perfect summer.

Failing that I would be re-negotiating Isaiah for the 0-6 year max and re-signing KO to go over the cap. Commit to this group to compete and grow our young guys as we go. I want to write a FanPost on that subject soon, I think it's something people always look at as the back up plan but it has a lot of merit and the path we should take.

If we had that team right now we'd still be eliminated by the Cavs.

Really smart to trade the future for the same result 

I'm not so sure about that. For this years team you are directly substituting Crowder for George. There should be complete agreement there that we improve. I expect we'd also be fresher as we should easily handle Washington in this case. Now you have a guy who can defend Lebron, a guy who can defend Love and a guy who can defend Kyrie (or several). In George and Horford we have 2 reasons why a team can't rely on swarming Isaiah because they can both take you off the dribble. George performed admirably against Lebron in the first round and he had no help at all.

Furthermore and to the point, next year and the year after the Cavs will have a thinning, ageing bench while ours will be growing. Lebron will be a year older whilst our core enters its prime. I see little reason why the pendulum doesn't swing towards us.

Perhaps after this series people will realise that we are closer to the Cavs than they think. There's too little faith been shown all year in the team, they've already left people choking on words. Although I expect people will instead focus on why we didn't make a deadline day trade if we were so close...smh.