Would people still pay IT a max?

[winsomme]

Ironically, in order to pay IT a max or near max contract, Danny is going to need to build another Bad Boys team to play around him.

I don't mind having another Thomas/Dumars tandem in IT/Fultz, but you better find your next Laimbeers, Mahorns, Rodmans, and Salleys of the world to back that up. What we're seeing now is that if you are built around IT and don't have muscle to back that up, you are going to lose by 40.

[Yoki_IsTheName]

I've been on the side of not paying him the max, and this series is showing that we really shouldn't.

All-NBA 2nd Team

Yea what's your point? Harden was all NBA first team and I cringe at the thought of him ever being a Celtic.

Is Harden worth the max?

Teams should sign and support their great players. IT carried this team to a #1 seed and the ECF despite a flawed roster.  It's non-sensical to start over once again, when we have the option of winning now and in the future.

I agree, if he's the only option we will have moving forward. The thing is, we have the #1 overall pick, and depending on what we do it, we know for sure we are either getting a surefire top end talent or one of, if not the best prospect available. Moving forward, we will have that guy that could also carry us to another potential #1 seed. As brutal and as Godfather like as this sounds, we can either keep IT, pay him BUT NOT for the max or we should decide to let him go. $40 million dollars for a 34 year old, 5'9" guy who hasn't figured out how to work his way around a pick and roll trap is just too much money to give.

I like this.

3 years, $60 million for me. Since when did everyone need to get maxed out?

He deserves his $$$$. I think the above is fair. Maybe add a team option for the 4th year?

$30m per is too much. Let him go if he gets that elsewhere.

We could go as far as 3 years / $80 million, $26 million a year. He had a magical season, yes, and he deserves to get compensated for that, but there's no way we should put ourselves with a $40 million cap hit for him when his athleticism has diminished and could easily become more of a defensive liability than he already is.

I have a question for the cap people. Is there anyway to front load his contract? If we can, then maybe we can max him, pay him the highest amount in the first year, and decreases. With that, I'm fully on board. That's a win-win for both.

[mctyson]

Yes, barring significant injury people will still pay IT a max.

[Chris22]

Small players don't win championships, and they get injured in the playoffs.
It is time to get bigger in the backcourt.
Fultz, Hayward, Brown, Horford, and .......

[footey]

Isaiah has been injured for a couple of weeks according to reports. Let's remember the pre-injury IT, the guy who made 2nd team NBA. That's the guy who deserves Max from us.

[Celtic_Pride777]

We need more size and more athleticism. And I don't see how extending Isaiah and tying up our cap flexibility helps our rebuild.

Keep drafting young players and trying to draw key FAs, and build around Jaylen Brown and Fultz. Hell, we might even get to draft another stud with next year's Nets pick!

[jambr380]

Wow - this poll really went downhill for IT in a hurry.

14 No
7 Yes
1 If we are going for it

The No crowd must be late sleepers.

[Celtics4ever]

Max players should be two way players.  I think he deserves to get paid, but he is such a liability on D, that I doubt he gets the max.   That being said, he is easily our best player and we'd be in the lottery without him but he has his warts.

I don't think he can be your alpha dog on a championship team because he is a weakness that other teams target.

[ManUp]

He deserves the max, but I don't think we'll be too happy paying it in the latter years.

[SHAQATTACK]

Max players should be two way players.  I think he deserves to get paid, but he is such a liability on D, that I doubt he gets the max.   That being said, he is easily our best player and we'd be in the lottery without him but he has his warts.

I don't think he can be your alpha dog on a championship team because he is a weakness that other teams target.

great points....that go to heart of the matter .  His net result of fantasic offense plus givi g up to s of plays on defense is probably NOT equal to Jimmy Butler or Paul George overall .   His 30 points a game is negated by 10 points because of his height .   So basically he works his tail off make his play come out on the postive side . But this also causes his team mates to work ext a hard on defense to cover some of his flaws.

He can lead many  teams to the playoffs as a starter , but his best shot at a ring .....is too be the greatest scorer off the bench ever.  He may never get a ring as a starter , but could get several accepting lesser rolesand minutes with a stronger club.

his stubborness to come off the bench is an issue for me.   For Celtis To get to,the finals , I believe It needs to come of the bench as the number one player or sixth man .  And be paid close to max.  I convinced that is his ceiling in the NBA. 

[Csfan1984]

IT should get a max 3 year extension. I feel a lot of people don't understand the cap and overall money vs the talent pool/demand.

Every team if it cleared it's roster could carry 3 max players and fill in 7 marginal players around them financially. The last 5 guys on a roster don't matter much so they can be min salary guys. There are 30 teams. Therefore any player ranked in the top 60 one could argue is worth a max due to demand. We keep saying this guy or that guy isn't worth the max because we keep thinking the max is for top ten players. It's not folks. In reality the levels of max deals should be 40% of a teams cap to better spread out talent. Till then we will see any one in the top 40 get max deals without a gm thinking twice about it because they understand all the #s.

[Yoki_IsTheName]

How about a 5 year / $140 million contract?

That's a flat rate of $28 million per year with a Player Option on the 5th year. That 5th year, we can consider his "compensation" for what he has done this season for us and for the franchise by still paying him clos to top dollar as he will be 34-35 by that time (and who knows if he's still an All-NBA talent by then).

I mean, I'm alone on this boat, but if it will be a flat $28 million cap hit, I'm down signing him on that contract. I think that covers the "non-max" argument, but also pays him enough for what he has done (to me atleast), especially on the final years of that contract.

[Phantom255x]

Good grief people, it's one thing to say IT is not getting a max from the Celtics.

But to say IT is not worth a max despite having a 29/6 season and an overall great postseason... really?

He's 100% worth and getting a max from a team out there if he leaves Boston.

[obnoxiousmime]

The Celtics want to win titles, they're not content with just making the playoffs but having no real shot. They are asking themselves right now if a roster with Thomas making 30+ million from 2018-2022/2023 can contend with the Cavaliers and Warriors. Keep in mind that we're not paying the Isaiah of this season that much, or next season. The first year of his max deal he's already be turning 30 years old halfway. Point guards that are dependent on speed and athleticism do not age well, and his defense is only going to get worse.

The history of small players in the NBA doesn't inspire confidence. They're always speedy PGs who, once their athleticism wanes they can't get their shot off. I'd also be concerned that his body can't take the pounding of the regular season AND long playoff runs multiple years in a row. That's just not somebody you can rely on as one of your three max players. Most players making the max are already overpaid when you compare their production to the top players. If you add the negative defense and the probability of injury/quick decline, you are talking about a very dangerous deal to be giving.

You also have to consider that we now have a chance to draft a PG who will be on a rookie deal for four years. By not paying Isaiah we'd have an extra 22 million or so to spend on players during those 4-5 years.

[Tr1boy]

who do you think will initiate max talks?

and will it come prior to going after hayward?