Boston Celtics Mailbag: Rudy Gay trade, Al Horford’s future, free agent big possibilities – MassLive.com
We’re running a weekly mailbag during the Celtics offseason. If you have questions about the Celtics or NBA, email brobb@masslive.com or tweet @briantrobb
Which veteran big man do you think that they should sign before the end of the summer? Should they play the 2 way guys with some of the starters/rotation guys in the preseason to see what they have? Who do you think will contribute most,PP or Hauser off the bench as 11th/12 men? — Eddy
The list of available bigs out there right now is uninspiring to say the least. I’ll have a full breakdown of options here at MassLive in the next week but one name that is still out there that would intrigue me a little bit is Cody Zeller. He’s coming off an injury that caused Blazers squad to waive him last year but he’s still in his 20s. If he can get right, his upside is a little more appealing than the rest of the veterans.
We won’t see 2 way guys in the usual rotation during the postseason but a guy like Kabengele will certainly be in the mix to compete for the 11th or 12th man on the roster that could see limited reps on nights Al Horford and/or Rob Williams. Pritchard will definitely be in the mix for a usual rotation spot despite the team’s depth in the backcourt. Could see Ime Udoka downsizing with some bench units to get him some minutes if he earns a spot in training camp. Hauser has a far tougher road for minutes due to the talent ahead of him.
Thoughts on possibly trading for Jordan Clarkson? — Edwin K
Not happening after the Malcolm Brogdon trade. The Celtics wouldn’t have interest paying what would be the fifth best guard on their roster $27 million for the next two years. Would expect him to be dealt somewhere by Danny Ainge if Utah goes full rebuild with a Donovan Mitchell trade but that place won’t be Boston.
Any chance Celts work a new 2yr deal with Horford (not an extension) for ~35mil to lower the cap hit this year to allow the use of the TPE wo adding to the tax bill? It would effectively be adding ~9 mil for another year of service. Something I think the team would want. Win win. — Dustin W
Good question Dustin. This would have been a possibility if Horford or the Celtics had an option on the final year of his contract. However, that is not the case so there is no real way the Celtics can lower the cap hit for this year. Horford could get waived and then re-sign for the veteran’s minimum but the Celtics would not have Bird Rights on him in said scenario so he would be giving up Boston’s ability to pay him beyond mid-level money in the future. The Celtics probably would prefer to use their mid-level money on someone besides him moving forward as well.
The Celtics will have to buy the bullet with his full cap hit for this year ($26.5 million). Afterwards, it will be a fascinating choice for Horford. Does he look to maximize his payday like he did in his last contract with Philadelphia? Or is he willing to take a team friendly deal to stick around in Boston?
Explain the Kornet multi year deal. Why so soon and for so long? It blocks a roster spot for developmental player and is a tax hit because it’s not 1yr. I would much rather see one of the summer celts get that spot. Was there actually competition for his services?
It’s only guaranteed for $100,000 per league sources but that bumps up to a million dollars if he makes the opening night roster. From that standpoint, Kornet will need to make the team in training camp in order to see a significant chunk of salary for this year. It’s essentially a training camp deal with a little extra financial incentive to do it in Boston. Barring better competition coming in, he has the inside track on one of Boston’s final four roster spots at the moment.
Celtics need a backup center who do you think they will get. — Archie
Why haven’t they signed a backup Center for Rob? — Tim K
They are still on the hunt for at least one more. Signing Kabengele on a two-way gives them some extra insurance in the frontcourt and adding one more big to the 15-man roster seems requirement. With most good teams only left with the veteran’s minimum right now to offer experienced centers, I think a lot of players and teams are waiting out potential opportunities before making a commitment. The Celtics could try to bring a cheap big they like still from overseas (see: Daniel Theis, Vincent Poirier) that they think could contribute or hope they can land someone on the veteran market for short money. We will have a full breakdown of the possibilities next week but I’m intrigued by a guy like Zeller if he’s back healthy. However, he may be seeking out a bigger role elsewhere.
I know they want depth but do you think they will still move a guard? Maybe Derrick White because he now feels like an expensive 3rd guard who’s skill set now seem repetitive. We could possibly get another athletic wing (Crowder, Morris sr, etc) or maybe we use him to go after someone like John Collins for our long term Al replacement at the four spot. —Jason S
White could eventually be viewed as a luxury from a financial standpoint. For now, I think they will like having the extra depth in the backcourt to see what it all looks like together. Ime Udoka lacked the ability to mix and match in the NBA Finals with the bench and that ultimately was part of the reason why the Celtics fell. Now, Udoka has that luxury and a variety of options at point guard so he doesn’t have to lean on Marcus Smart or Jaylen Brown as heavily for big minutes on a nightly basis and still secure wins. White could eventually be moved as the main trade chip for a bigger fish but moving him for an aging wing like Crowder or Morris doesn’t do anything for this group in my opinion.
Hey Brian – if the Jazz go full on tear down as it looks like they intend to do, what are your thoughts on Rudy Gay as our needed veteran wing off the bench? I think he’d fit in the Juancho trade exception and Danny may just want to shed the salary for a 2nd round pick or 2. Thanks! Mike
The 35-year-old could certainly be had on the cheap after falling out of Utah’s rotation in the final couple of months of last season. Gay picked up a $6.4 million player option for next year so Utah would certainly be eager to move him if they move into full rebuild mode. However, it’s fair to wonder right now just how much Gay has left in the tank. He shot a career low 41.4 percent from the field last year and he’s also never been known for his defense. The Celtics could use another wing but ideally it’s one who can also defend a little bit and that’s something Gay won’t be able to do reliably at this stage of his career. Given that Boston already landed a pair of offensive-minded additions in Malcolm Brogdon and Danilo Gallinari this offseason, I’d be surprised if they are willing to give up an asset and take on another $6 million contract for a guy who may not even earn minutes on a nightly basis. With that said, Ime Udoka likely has a relationship with him from his San Antonio days so if Gay finds himself bought out by Utah, he’d make plenty of sense on a minimum deal.
Please send any questions about the Celtics or NBA for a future mailbag to brobb@masslive.com or tweet @briantrobb