Marcus Smart RFA [Merged - finalizing 4 year deal]

[Scintan]

I think we need to try to lock up Smart on a multi-year deal.

If he signs the QO, we keep him but probably only for a year. We don't keep his Bird Rights after this year (if he re-signs with QO), right?

No, we keep his bird rights. He'd just be unrestricted so we'd lose the right to match.

His value isn't going higher next season
So it will be his choice to stay on the team or not
And if he decide to leave, well i don't want a player who don't want to be here anyway

He'll have a much better opportunity to get paid next offseason.  He'll be a UFA and teams will have significantly more cap space.  We'll be focused on re-signing Irving and possibly Horford. 
Could end up losing both Smart and Rozier.

Rozier will be restricted next year. Doubt we lose them both in same year, besides, we could have a very high draft pick, like top 5, to replace Smart, and another pick that could be in the lottery to replace Rozier.

That top 5 pick needs to go for a big, preferably an actual center.

Not a lot of good bigs at the top of next year's draft, unfortunately.

That's why I didn't want the Celtics giving up the Brooklyn pick last year, but that's a dead issue now, so Danny will have to find a way to make it work.

Of course all the top bigs were gone even by the time the Brooklyn pick came up, so it’s moot anyway.

One could argue Porter, and one could argue that Boston lucked into one with Williams, but it's all irrelevant as anything other than a footnote at this point, anyway.  And, thanks to Brooklyn's pick falling to 8th, people's remorse over the trade is mostly "what if?" at this point, as opposed to "See?".

The team needs a center.  Here's to hoping that Williams works out, and that Ainge finds another one in next year's draft, as well.

The team has Al Horford a 2nd team All-Defense center who also happens to be the best passing center in the league while scoring 13 PPG and gets 7.5 RPG. Al also shoots 43% from three on good volume.

They also just sign Baynes for 2 years and he put up some of the best defensive stats for centers in the league. He's the best rim protector they have and a presence down low.

Then Celtics drafted a guy who was expected to go top 10 who is a center and could develop into a better defensive version of Clint Capella. It will take a few years to see. There's no rush to add a center in next years draft that might cost you a superstar at another position because you're to busy taking the best center available.

The team is covered on the wings, with the combination of Tatum, Brown and Hayward.  Unless the plan is to be rid of Smart, Irving and Rozier, the team is covered at the point.  The team is not covered at center.  The center position is comprised of a #1 and #2 who are over 30 and can opt out of their deals after this year, and the young pick you mention hasn't played a second of NBA ball.

So, while future events could obviously change the equation, we're looking at things from the lens of what's there today.  And, as of today, if there's not a rush to add a center, there should be.

[td450]

@Saltlover:

Just curious if Marcus does take the QO, what further moves do you think are most likely? And what salary implications are there for next offseason, when Marcus will be much more able to get a much better (and much longer) deal?

It depends when Marcus signs the QO.  If he signs it tomorrow, we’d be at 15, but with enough tax room to sign another player while staying under the tax and releasing Nader without having to stretch him.  I expect that would happen (most likely with Bird being signed, but perhaps a vet free agent).  If Marcus waited until training camp, it’s likely Nader would have been stretched, but perhaps he’d still be on the roster.  Some of that depends on Bird — will he have accepted the QO by then, gotten an offer that we’ve matched, gotten an offer that wasn’t matched, or gone overseas?  Can’t say, honestly.  If Bird has required us to make a decision because he’s gotten another offer, Nader will be off the roster.  And if Marcus waits until training camp, it’s unliekly that a vet that we’d be interested in would be available.

I expect that we would have to wait for a while for Smart.  He knows the team isn’t rescinding the QO, but he can wait until the October 1st deadline to sign it while negotiations continue.  Jabari Bird could be caught in the unfortunate crossfire and not get a deal from anyone, forcing him to a 2-way or Europe.

As for next offseason, the loser would probably be Terry.  If Smart is signed long-term this year and the Celtics re-sign Kyrie, Terry can probably comfortably field offers from teams not worried the Celtics will match.  If Smart is a UFA, the Celtics could let him walk if he got that big offer, and instead keep Rozier for at least one more season on his QO.

I think the C's could alternatively make a case to Rozier to sign a decent extension now. They could offer Rozier the opportunity to claim the 3rd guard slot before offering it to Marcus.

Minutes will be shrinking considerably for these two.  Neither Smart or Rozier wants to hit the market after a year playing 15 minutes a night. It might not be a bad time for all involved to make up their mind what they want going forward. We don't really know who Ainge would keep if he feels he has to pick one.

[saltlover]

@Saltlover:

Just curious if Marcus does take the QO, what further moves do you think are most likely? And what salary implications are there for next offseason, when Marcus will be much more able to get a much better (and much longer) deal?

It depends when Marcus signs the QO.  If he signs it tomorrow, we’d be at 15, but with enough tax room to sign another player while staying under the tax and releasing Nader without having to stretch him.  I expect that would happen (most likely with Bird being signed, but perhaps a vet free agent).  If Marcus waited until training camp, it’s likely Nader would have been stretched, but perhaps he’d still be on the roster.  Some of that depends on Bird — will he have accepted the QO by then, gotten an offer that we’ve matched, gotten an offer that wasn’t matched, or gone overseas?  Can’t say, honestly.  If Bird has required us to make a decision because he’s gotten another offer, Nader will be off the roster.  And if Marcus waits until training camp, it’s unliekly that a vet that we’d be interested in would be available.

I expect that we would have to wait for a while for Smart.  He knows the team isn’t rescinding the QO, but he can wait until the October 1st deadline to sign it while negotiations continue.  Jabari Bird could be caught in the unfortunate crossfire and not get a deal from anyone, forcing him to a 2-way or Europe.

As for next offseason, the loser would probably be Terry.  If Smart is signed long-term this year and the Celtics re-sign Kyrie, Terry can probably comfortably field offers from teams not worried the Celtics will match.  If Smart is a UFA, the Celtics could let him walk if he got that big offer, and instead keep Rozier for at least one more season on his QO.

I think the C's could alternatively make a case to Rozier to sign a decent extension now. They could offer Rozier the opportunity to claim the 3rd guard slot before offering it to Marcus.

Minutes will be shrinking considerably for these two.  Neither Smart or Rozier wants to hit the market after a year playing 15 minutes a night. It might not be a bad time for all involved to make up their mind what they want going forward. We don't really know who Ainge would keep if he feels he has to pick one.

They could try, but ultimately I think Rozier wants to be a starter in his own right, whereas Marcus doesn’t seem to need that role.

[footey]

Why wouldn’t a team with sufficient cap space (ex. Kings?) sign Smart to one year offer of $15mm?  Enough to screw Celtics tax planning but term short so the new team not really taking a lot of risk. Maybe team takes option for a second year at same rate, in case he really proves valuable.

[JHTruth]

I think we need to try to lock up Smart on a multi-year deal.

If he signs the QO, we keep him but probably only for a year. We don't keep his Bird Rights after this year (if he re-signs with QO), right?

No, we keep his bird rights. He'd just be unrestricted so we'd lose the right to match.

His value isn't going higher next season
So it will be his choice to stay on the team or not
And if he decide to leave, well i don't want a player who don't want to be here anyway

He'll have a much better opportunity to get paid next offseason.  He'll be a UFA and teams will have significantly more cap space.  We'll be focused on re-signing Irving and possibly Horford. 
Could end up losing both Smart and Rozier.

Rozier will be restricted next year. Doubt we lose them both in same year, besides, we could have a very high draft pick, like top 5, to replace Smart, and another pick that could be in the lottery to replace Rozier.

That top 5 pick needs to go for a big, preferably an actual center.

Not a lot of good bigs at the top of next year's draft, unfortunately.

That's why I didn't want the Celtics giving up the Brooklyn pick last year, but that's a dead issue now, so Danny will have to find a way to make it work.

Of course all the top bigs were gone even by the time the Brooklyn pick came up, so it’s moot anyway.

One could argue Porter, and one could argue that Boston lucked into one with Williams, but it's all irrelevant as anything other than a footnote at this point, anyway.  And, thanks to Brooklyn's pick falling to 8th, people's remorse over the trade is mostly "what if?" at this point, as opposed to "See?".

The team needs a center.  Here's to hoping that Williams works out, and that Ainge finds another one in next year's draft, as well.

The team has Al Horford a 2nd team All-Defense center who also happens to be the best passing center in the league while scoring 13 PPG and gets 7.5 RPG. Al also shoots 43% from three on good volume.

They also just sign Baynes for 2 years and he put up some of the best defensive stats for centers in the league. He's the best rim protector they have and a presence down low.

Then Celtics drafted a guy who was expected to go top 10 who is a center and could develop into a better defensive version of Clint Capella. It will take a few years to see. There's no rush to add a center in next years draft that might cost you a superstar at another position because you're to busy taking the best center available.

Honestly they should be looking at the 4 of the future next year. We'll be set for a few with Hayward/Tatum. But would love to get that 10-year guy..

[td450]

@Saltlover:

Just curious if Marcus does take the QO, what further moves do you think are most likely? And what salary implications are there for next offseason, when Marcus will be much more able to get a much better (and much longer) deal?

It depends when Marcus signs the QO.  If he signs it tomorrow, we’d be at 15, but with enough tax room to sign another player while staying under the tax and releasing Nader without having to stretch him.  I expect that would happen (most likely with Bird being signed, but perhaps a vet free agent).  If Marcus waited until training camp, it’s likely Nader would have been stretched, but perhaps he’d still be on the roster.  Some of that depends on Bird — will he have accepted the QO by then, gotten an offer that we’ve matched, gotten an offer that wasn’t matched, or gone overseas?  Can’t say, honestly.  If Bird has required us to make a decision because he’s gotten another offer, Nader will be off the roster.  And if Marcus waits until training camp, it’s unliekly that a vet that we’d be interested in would be available.

I expect that we would have to wait for a while for Smart.  He knows the team isn’t rescinding the QO, but he can wait until the October 1st deadline to sign it while negotiations continue.  Jabari Bird could be caught in the unfortunate crossfire and not get a deal from anyone, forcing him to a 2-way or Europe.

As for next offseason, the loser would probably be Terry.  If Smart is signed long-term this year and the Celtics re-sign Kyrie, Terry can probably comfortably field offers from teams not worried the Celtics will match.  If Smart is a UFA, the Celtics could let him walk if he got that big offer, and instead keep Rozier for at least one more season on his QO.

I think the C's could alternatively make a case to Rozier to sign a decent extension now. They could offer Rozier the opportunity to claim the 3rd guard slot before offering it to Marcus.

Minutes will be shrinking considerably for these two.  Neither Smart or Rozier wants to hit the market after a year playing 15 minutes a night. It might not be a bad time for all involved to make up their mind what they want going forward. We don't really know who Ainge would keep if he feels he has to pick one.

They could try, but ultimately I think Rozier wants to be a starter in his own right, whereas Marcus doesn’t seem to need that role.

That may be true. But its also possible Rozier may prefer to stay a Celtic, especially if he can be the first guard off the bench.

I still stand by the idea that it may be in everyone's interest to resolve these issues now. Neither Smart or Rozier will likely never again play as much as they did last year for this team. It will only get worse after next year unless Kyrie decides to go elsewhere.

If Rozier wants to be a starter, maybe now is the optimal time for both him and the team to make a move. If we only keep one of these guys, the minutes should be OK. If we keep both, I don't see either being happy with the result.

[JHTruth]

appears nobody wants him, but Danny


steve auston ....no Martus Smart

six million dollar man

Smart's game is only valuable to a really good team. His hustle/grit off the bench are perfect for a contender.

To a young rebuilding team, he's be a terrible fit, especially competing for minutes with a young guy the team is trying to develop.

[JHTruth]

@Saltlover:

Just curious if Marcus does take the QO, what further moves do you think are most likely? And what salary implications are there for next offseason, when Marcus will be much more able to get a much better (and much longer) deal?

It depends when Marcus signs the QO.  If he signs it tomorrow, we’d be at 15, but with enough tax room to sign another player while staying under the tax and releasing Nader without having to stretch him.  I expect that would happen (most likely with Bird being signed, but perhaps a vet free agent).  If Marcus waited until training camp, it’s likely Nader would have been stretched, but perhaps he’d still be on the roster.  Some of that depends on Bird — will he have accepted the QO by then, gotten an offer that we’ve matched, gotten an offer that wasn’t matched, or gone overseas?  Can’t say, honestly.  If Bird has required us to make a decision because he’s gotten another offer, Nader will be off the roster.  And if Marcus waits until training camp, it’s unliekly that a vet that we’d be interested in would be available.

I expect that we would have to wait for a while for Smart.  He knows the team isn’t rescinding the QO, but he can wait until the October 1st deadline to sign it while negotiations continue.  Jabari Bird could be caught in the unfortunate crossfire and not get a deal from anyone, forcing him to a 2-way or Europe.

As for next offseason, the loser would probably be Terry.  If Smart is signed long-term this year and the Celtics re-sign Kyrie, Terry can probably comfortably field offers from teams not worried the Celtics will match.  If Smart is a UFA, the Celtics could let him walk if he got that big offer, and instead keep Rozier for at least one more season on his QO.

I think the C's could alternatively make a case to Rozier to sign a decent extension now. They could offer Rozier the opportunity to claim the 3rd guard slot before offering it to Marcus.

Minutes will be shrinking considerably for these two.  Neither Smart or Rozier wants to hit the market after a year playing 15 minutes a night. It might not be a bad time for all involved to make up their mind what they want going forward. We don't really know who Ainge would keep if he feels he has to pick one.

They could try, but ultimately I think Rozier wants to be a starter in his own right, whereas Marcus doesn’t seem to need that role.

That may be true. But its also possible Rozier may prefer to stay a Celtic, especially if he can be the first guard off the bench.

I still stand by the idea that it may be in everyone's interest to resolve these issues now. Neither Smart or Rozier will likely never again play as much as they did last year for this team. It will only get worse after next year unless Kyrie decides to go elsewhere.

If Rozier wants to be a starter, maybe now is the optimal time for both him and the team to make a move. If we only keep one of these guys, the minutes should be OK. If we keep both, I don't see either being happy with the result.

Realistically we have to keep Rozier until Kyrie re-signs officially. Smart and Bird are not the answer at starting PG..

[droopdog7]

@Saltlover:

Just curious if Marcus does take the QO, what further moves do you think are most likely? And what salary implications are there for next offseason, when Marcus will be much more able to get a much better (and much longer) deal?

It depends when Marcus signs the QO.  If he signs it tomorrow, we’d be at 15, but with enough tax room to sign another player while staying under the tax and releasing Nader without having to stretch him.  I expect that would happen (most likely with Bird being signed, but perhaps a vet free agent).  If Marcus waited until training camp, it’s likely Nader would have been stretched, but perhaps he’d still be on the roster.  Some of that depends on Bird — will he have accepted the QO by then, gotten an offer that we’ve matched, gotten an offer that wasn’t matched, or gone overseas?  Can’t say, honestly.  If Bird has required us to make a decision because he’s gotten another offer, Nader will be off the roster.  And if Marcus waits until training camp, it’s unliekly that a vet that we’d be interested in would be available.

I expect that we would have to wait for a while for Smart.  He knows the team isn’t rescinding the QO, but he can wait until the October 1st deadline to sign it while negotiations continue.  Jabari Bird could be caught in the unfortunate crossfire and not get a deal from anyone, forcing him to a 2-way or Europe.

As for next offseason, the loser would probably be Terry.  If Smart is signed long-term this year and the Celtics re-sign Kyrie, Terry can probably comfortably field offers from teams not worried the Celtics will match.  If Smart is a UFA, the Celtics could let him walk if he got that big offer, and instead keep Rozier for at least one more season on his QO.

I think the C's could alternatively make a case to Rozier to sign a decent extension now. They could offer Rozier the opportunity to claim the 3rd guard slot before offering it to Marcus.

Minutes will be shrinking considerably for these two.  Neither Smart or Rozier wants to hit the market after a year playing 15 minutes a night. It might not be a bad time for all involved to make up their mind what they want going forward. We don't really know who Ainge would keep if he feels he has to pick one.

They could try, but ultimately I think Rozier wants to be a starter in his own right, whereas Marcus doesn’t seem to need that role.

That may be true. But its also possible Rozier may prefer to stay a Celtic, especially if he can be the first guard off the bench.

I still stand by the idea that it may be in everyone's interest to resolve these issues now. Neither Smart or Rozier will likely never again play as much as they did last year for this team. It will only get worse after next year unless Kyrie decides to go elsewhere.

If Rozier wants to be a starter, maybe now is the optimal time for both him and the team to make a move. If we only keep one of these guys, the minutes should be OK. If we keep both, I don't see either being happy with the result.

Realistically we have to keep Rozier until Kyrie re-signs officially. Smart and Bird are not the answer at starting PG..

Rozier isn't the answer either. 

[colincb]

Why wouldn’t a team with sufficient cap space (ex. Kings?) sign Smart to one year offer of $15mm?  Enough to screw Celtics tax planning but term short so the new team not really taking a lot of risk. Maybe team takes option for a second year at same rate, in case he really proves valuable.

CBA:

The offer sheet must be for at least two seasons (not including option years)...

[JHTruth]

@Saltlover:

Just curious if Marcus does take the QO, what further moves do you think are most likely? And what salary implications are there for next offseason, when Marcus will be much more able to get a much better (and much longer) deal?

It depends when Marcus signs the QO.  If he signs it tomorrow, we’d be at 15, but with enough tax room to sign another player while staying under the tax and releasing Nader without having to stretch him.  I expect that would happen (most likely with Bird being signed, but perhaps a vet free agent).  If Marcus waited until training camp, it’s likely Nader would have been stretched, but perhaps he’d still be on the roster.  Some of that depends on Bird — will he have accepted the QO by then, gotten an offer that we’ve matched, gotten an offer that wasn’t matched, or gone overseas?  Can’t say, honestly.  If Bird has required us to make a decision because he’s gotten another offer, Nader will be off the roster.  And if Marcus waits until training camp, it’s unliekly that a vet that we’d be interested in would be available.

I expect that we would have to wait for a while for Smart.  He knows the team isn’t rescinding the QO, but he can wait until the October 1st deadline to sign it while negotiations continue.  Jabari Bird could be caught in the unfortunate crossfire and not get a deal from anyone, forcing him to a 2-way or Europe.

As for next offseason, the loser would probably be Terry.  If Smart is signed long-term this year and the Celtics re-sign Kyrie, Terry can probably comfortably field offers from teams not worried the Celtics will match.  If Smart is a UFA, the Celtics could let him walk if he got that big offer, and instead keep Rozier for at least one more season on his QO.

I think the C's could alternatively make a case to Rozier to sign a decent extension now. They could offer Rozier the opportunity to claim the 3rd guard slot before offering it to Marcus.

Minutes will be shrinking considerably for these two.  Neither Smart or Rozier wants to hit the market after a year playing 15 minutes a night. It might not be a bad time for all involved to make up their mind what they want going forward. We don't really know who Ainge would keep if he feels he has to pick one.

They could try, but ultimately I think Rozier wants to be a starter in his own right, whereas Marcus doesn’t seem to need that role.

That may be true. But its also possible Rozier may prefer to stay a Celtic, especially if he can be the first guard off the bench.

I still stand by the idea that it may be in everyone's interest to resolve these issues now. Neither Smart or Rozier will likely never again play as much as they did last year for this team. It will only get worse after next year unless Kyrie decides to go elsewhere.

If Rozier wants to be a starter, maybe now is the optimal time for both him and the team to make a move. If we only keep one of these guys, the minutes should be OK. If we keep both, I don't see either being happy with the result.

Realistically we have to keep Rozier until Kyrie re-signs officially. Smart and Bird are not the answer at starting PG..

Rozier isn't the answer either.

He's a starting quality PG. I mean he needs some more growth but he's getting pretty dang good..

[td450]

@Saltlover:

Just curious if Marcus does take the QO, what further moves do you think are most likely? And what salary implications are there for next offseason, when Marcus will be much more able to get a much better (and much longer) deal?

It depends when Marcus signs the QO.  If he signs it tomorrow, we’d be at 15, but with enough tax room to sign another player while staying under the tax and releasing Nader without having to stretch him.  I expect that would happen (most likely with Bird being signed, but perhaps a vet free agent).  If Marcus waited until training camp, it’s likely Nader would have been stretched, but perhaps he’d still be on the roster.  Some of that depends on Bird — will he have accepted the QO by then, gotten an offer that we’ve matched, gotten an offer that wasn’t matched, or gone overseas?  Can’t say, honestly.  If Bird has required us to make a decision because he’s gotten another offer, Nader will be off the roster.  And if Marcus waits until training camp, it’s unliekly that a vet that we’d be interested in would be available.

I expect that we would have to wait for a while for Smart.  He knows the team isn’t rescinding the QO, but he can wait until the October 1st deadline to sign it while negotiations continue.  Jabari Bird could be caught in the unfortunate crossfire and not get a deal from anyone, forcing him to a 2-way or Europe.

As for next offseason, the loser would probably be Terry.  If Smart is signed long-term this year and the Celtics re-sign Kyrie, Terry can probably comfortably field offers from teams not worried the Celtics will match.  If Smart is a UFA, the Celtics could let him walk if he got that big offer, and instead keep Rozier for at least one more season on his QO.

I think the C's could alternatively make a case to Rozier to sign a decent extension now. They could offer Rozier the opportunity to claim the 3rd guard slot before offering it to Marcus.

Minutes will be shrinking considerably for these two.  Neither Smart or Rozier wants to hit the market after a year playing 15 minutes a night. It might not be a bad time for all involved to make up their mind what they want going forward. We don't really know who Ainge would keep if he feels he has to pick one.

They could try, but ultimately I think Rozier wants to be a starter in his own right, whereas Marcus doesn’t seem to need that role.

That may be true. But its also possible Rozier may prefer to stay a Celtic, especially if he can be the first guard off the bench.

I still stand by the idea that it may be in everyone's interest to resolve these issues now. Neither Smart or Rozier will likely never again play as much as they did last year for this team. It will only get worse after next year unless Kyrie decides to go elsewhere.

If Rozier wants to be a starter, maybe now is the optimal time for both him and the team to make a move. If we only keep one of these guys, the minutes should be OK. If we keep both, I don't see either being happy with the result.

Realistically we have to keep Rozier until Kyrie re-signs officially. Smart and Bird are not the answer at starting PG..

Why worry about keeping Rozier?

The easiest position to fill in the NBA is point guard. We've got a foreseeable future where our wings can make plays all day long off the dribble. We would be better off starting a 6'6 athlete at the point that can defend at a high level and shoot 3's. If we got a decent return for Rozier, with all the draft picks and assets we'd have, it would be easy enough to move on from Kyrie, if he was crazy enough to want to leave.

I think we would even have cap space to sign a major free agent.

[nickagneta]

@Saltlover:

Just curious if Marcus does take the QO, what further moves do you think are most likely? And what salary implications are there for next offseason, when Marcus will be much more able to get a much better (and much longer) deal?

It depends when Marcus signs the QO.  If he signs it tomorrow, we’d be at 15, but with enough tax room to sign another player while staying under the tax and releasing Nader without having to stretch him.  I expect that would happen (most likely with Bird being signed, but perhaps a vet free agent).  If Marcus waited until training camp, it’s likely Nader would have been stretched, but perhaps he’d still be on the roster.  Some of that depends on Bird — will he have accepted the QO by then, gotten an offer that we’ve matched, gotten an offer that wasn’t matched, or gone overseas?  Can’t say, honestly.  If Bird has required us to make a decision because he’s gotten another offer, Nader will be off the roster.  And if Marcus waits until training camp, it’s unliekly that a vet that we’d be interested in would be available.

I expect that we would have to wait for a while for Smart.  He knows the team isn’t rescinding the QO, but he can wait until the October 1st deadline to sign it while negotiations continue.  Jabari Bird could be caught in the unfortunate crossfire and not get a deal from anyone, forcing him to a 2-way or Europe.

As for next offseason, the loser would probably be Terry.  If Smart is signed long-term this year and the Celtics re-sign Kyrie, Terry can probably comfortably field offers from teams not worried the Celtics will match.  If Smart is a UFA, the Celtics could let him walk if he got that big offer, and instead keep Rozier for at least one more season on his QO.

I think the C's could alternatively make a case to Rozier to sign a decent extension now. They could offer Rozier the opportunity to claim the 3rd guard slot before offering it to Marcus.

Minutes will be shrinking considerably for these two.  Neither Smart or Rozier wants to hit the market after a year playing 15 minutes a night. It might not be a bad time for all involved to make up their mind what they want going forward. We don't really know who Ainge would keep if he feels he has to pick one.

They could try, but ultimately I think Rozier wants to be a starter in his own right, whereas Marcus doesn’t seem to need that role.

That may be true. But its also possible Rozier may prefer to stay a Celtic, especially if he can be the first guard off the bench.

I still stand by the idea that it may be in everyone's interest to resolve these issues now. Neither Smart or Rozier will likely never again play as much as they did last year for this team. It will only get worse after next year unless Kyrie decides to go elsewhere.

If Rozier wants to be a starter, maybe now is the optimal time for both him and the team to make a move. If we only keep one of these guys, the minutes should be OK. If we keep both, I don't see either being happy with the result.

Realistically we have to keep Rozier until Kyrie re-signs officially. Smart and Bird are not the answer at starting PG..

Why worry about keeping Rozier?

The easiest position to fill in the NBA is point guard. We've got a foreseeable future where our wings can make plays all day long off the dribble. We would be better off starting a 6'6 athlete at the point that can defend at a high level and shoot 3's. If we got a decent return for Rozier, with all the draft picks and assets we'd have, it would be easy enough to move on from Kyrie, if he was crazy enough to want to leave.

I think we would even have cap space to sign a major free agent.

No...no we wouldn't. We might be some millions below the cap if we renounce Irving, Rozier, and Theis and don't pick up the options on Yabusele, Nader and Ojeleye. But it wouldn't be anywhere near enough to sign a star player.

[CelticsJG]

@Saltlover:

Just curious if Marcus does take the QO, what further moves do you think are most likely? And what salary implications are there for next offseason, when Marcus will be much more able to get a much better (and much longer) deal?

It depends when Marcus signs the QO.  If he signs it tomorrow, we’d be at 15, but with enough tax room to sign another player while staying under the tax and releasing Nader without having to stretch him.  I expect that would happen (most likely with Bird being signed, but perhaps a vet free agent).  If Marcus waited until training camp, it’s likely Nader would have been stretched, but perhaps he’d still be on the roster.  Some of that depends on Bird — will he have accepted the QO by then, gotten an offer that we’ve matched, gotten an offer that wasn’t matched, or gone overseas?  Can’t say, honestly.  If Bird has required us to make a decision because he’s gotten another offer, Nader will be off the roster.  And if Marcus waits until training camp, it’s unliekly that a vet that we’d be interested in would be available.

I expect that we would have to wait for a while for Smart.  He knows the team isn’t rescinding the QO, but he can wait until the October 1st deadline to sign it while negotiations continue.  Jabari Bird could be caught in the unfortunate crossfire and not get a deal from anyone, forcing him to a 2-way or Europe.

As for next offseason, the loser would probably be Terry.  If Smart is signed long-term this year and the Celtics re-sign Kyrie, Terry can probably comfortably field offers from teams not worried the Celtics will match.  If Smart is a UFA, the Celtics could let him walk if he got that big offer, and instead keep Rozier for at least one more season on his QO.

I think the C's could alternatively make a case to Rozier to sign a decent extension now. They could offer Rozier the opportunity to claim the 3rd guard slot before offering it to Marcus.

Minutes will be shrinking considerably for these two.  Neither Smart or Rozier wants to hit the market after a year playing 15 minutes a night. It might not be a bad time for all involved to make up their mind what they want going forward. We don't really know who Ainge would keep if he feels he has to pick one.

They could try, but ultimately I think Rozier wants to be a starter in his own right, whereas Marcus doesn’t seem to need that role.

That may be true. But its also possible Rozier may prefer to stay a Celtic, especially if he can be the first guard off the bench.

I still stand by the idea that it may be in everyone's interest to resolve these issues now. Neither Smart or Rozier will likely never again play as much as they did last year for this team. It will only get worse after next year unless Kyrie decides to go elsewhere.

If Rozier wants to be a starter, maybe now is the optimal time for both him and the team to make a move. If we only keep one of these guys, the minutes should be OK. If we keep both, I don't see either being happy with the result.

Realistically we have to keep Rozier until Kyrie re-signs officially. Smart and Bird are not the answer at starting PG..

Why worry about keeping Rozier?

The easiest position to fill in the NBA is point guard. We've got a foreseeable future where our wings can make plays all day long off the dribble. We would be better off starting a 6'6 athlete at the point that can defend at a high level and shoot 3's. If we got a decent return for Rozier, with all the draft picks and assets we'd have, it would be easy enough to move on from Kyrie, if he was crazy enough to want to leave.

I think we would even have cap space to sign a major free agent.

You need an elite guard to win in todays NBA

[footey]

Why wouldn’t a team with sufficient cap space (ex. Kings?) sign Smart to one year offer of $15mm?  Enough to screw Celtics tax planning but term short so the new team not really taking a lot of risk. Maybe team takes option for a second year at same rate, in case he really proves valuable.

CBA:

The offer sheet must be for at least two seasons (not including option years)...

Tp thx.