@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.