Is Khris Middleton the Celtics most likely attainable free agent this o/season?

[PhoSita]

How about instead of committing a bunch of money to sign Middleton, we try and trade for Danilo Gallinari or Wilson Chandler, or even both?

Both have legit wing size and demonstrated scoring ability, with the positional and skillset diversity Stevens prizes.

They're both expiring contracts next year and are young enough that they might be worth signing beyond next year.  I imagine it would be possible to trade for either or both without giving up all that much.

[Forza Juventus]

Khris Middleton is a player we have a realistic chance at signing so we should try hard to sign him.

[byennie]

No idea at this point.  A guy like Danny Green made $4 million this season, and nobody is talking about him signing a max deal.  I'd much rather sign him to a reasonable deal than pay Middleton the ridiculous contracts folks are talking about. DeMarre Carroll has a similar skillset, and he made $2.5 million.  Again, good player, about the same caliber as Middleton has shown this year, and nobody in their right mind is going to pay him $15 million+.

Don't be so sure Danny Green will be a lot cheaper. I would also prefer Danny Green at e.g. $8M than Middleton at $15M, but I think he's gonna get paid. Maybe being 4 years older and some doubt about his ability in another system will hold him back.

Roughly speaking, my preference would be something like:
4 years $32M (Green) > 4 years, $60M (Middleton) > 4 years $50M Green

[PhoSita]

Danny Green will get paid this off-season because he's established his value for a winner.

The name of the game is to find the NEXT Danny Green and have him blow up for our team.  Taking gambles on guys like Evan Turner is the way to do that, though Danny should probably target guys who can theoretically actually defend and hit the three.

[byennie]

How about instead of committing a bunch of money to sign Middleton, we try and trade for Danilo Gallinari or Wilson Chandler, or even both?

Both have legit wing size and demonstrated scoring ability, with the positional and skillset diversity Stevens prizes.

They're both expiring contracts next year and are young enough that they might be worth signing beyond next year.  I imagine it would be possible to trade for either or both without giving up all that much.

I would definitely take a flyer on Gallinari at the right price. Chandler not so much, mostly because he's missed major time in 7 out of 9 seasons. I'd hate to see how he holds up when he's going on 30 years old. Gallinari obviously had a major injury, but as far as I know it was a one-time thing and he's still only 26.

[Roy H.]

Danny Green will get paid this off-season because he's established his value for a winner.

The name of the game is to find the NEXT Danny Green and have him blow up for our team.  Taking gambles on guys like Evan Turner is the way to do that, though Danny should probably target guys who can theoretically actually defend and hit the three.

Yeah, when I talk about a "moneyball" approach for role players, that's what I mean.  For role players, you try to find guys who will hopefully outperform their contracts.  Signing a guy like Danny Green for $4 million or DeMarre Caroll for $2.5 million is how you build a good, deep roster. 

[Forza Juventus]

I think getting a player like Galllinari would be a smart idea. Signing Middleton though would not be to get him as a role player it would be getting him to be a starter maybe even an all star. I would take the risk because it is hard for us to get stars and he is a realistic target.

[tazzmaniac]

So what are you going to do in a year when the minimum team salary jumps to 80mil+ and there is no elite talent available?

I think people largely misunderstand the minimum team salary.  If you don't meet the minimum, you simply pay a penalty equal to the amount you're under the minimum.  It's better to write a check for one year than it is to significantly overpay.

I understand.  I just hoped you had some better option.  I'll go back to hoping Cousins and Karl have a major falling out. 

[Evantime34]

I like Middleton a lot. I think he is exactly what we need with more upside than anyone else in the market. Regardless of whether his defense is just a one year mirage or if he is truly coming into his own defensively at 23 is still a 40% 3 point shooter.

With the way the current NBA is going 40% 3 point shooters are more valuable than ever. With the cap increasing next year and the style that league is trending I expect to see a huge jump in the salaries of shooters starting in the 2016 offseason. So, signing Middleton to a contract that is a lot by current standards could be a big value when the cap jumps. In essence I'm saying that what is viewed as buying high in the shooter market this offseason will actually be a buy low compared to the contracts of shooters after the cap goes up.

With so many teams having cap space due to the increase in the cap, it is imperative we come away with an asset for our cap space this summer. a $15 MM contract might look huge now, but when the cap jumps it will just be an asset the C's wouldn't have had if they were unwilling to pay that much this summer.

[Csfan1984]

Wasn't AB a 40% 3pt shooter his contract year?

[LooseCannon]

How about instead of committing a bunch of money to sign Middleton, we try and trade for Danilo Gallinari or Wilson Chandler, or even both?

Both have legit wing size and demonstrated scoring ability, with the positional and skillset diversity Stevens prizes.

They're both expiring contracts next year and are young enough that they might be worth signing beyond next year.  I imagine it would be possible to trade for either or both without giving up all that much.

Gallinari is solid, but Wilson Chandler is nothing special.  Chandler is closer to Evan Turner in value than he is to Khris Middleton.  I'd say Gallinari is worth his current contract while Chandler is overpaid.

[jambr380]

How about instead of committing a bunch of money to sign Middleton, we try and trade for Danilo Gallinari or Wilson Chandler, or even both?

Both have legit wing size and demonstrated scoring ability, with the positional and skillset diversity Stevens prizes.

They're both expiring contracts next year and are young enough that they might be worth signing beyond next year.  I imagine it would be possible to trade for either or both without giving up all that much.

Gallinari is solid, but Wilson Chandler is nothing special.  Chandler is closer to Evan Turner in value than he is to Khris Middleton.  I'd say Gallinari is worth his current contract while Chandler is overpaid.

Yeah, Wilson Chandler is kind-of that guy that was always supposed to take it to the next level, but never did (due to injuries or other circumstances). He hasn't been a bad player, just not a guy we need on our team.

Gallinari has always been intriguing - after the Carmelo trade, there was a lot of buzz around his play and how the Nuggets 'won' the trade. He has maintained his effectiveness, although missing the entire 13-14 season probably depleted his value a bit. At only 26, years old, I don't see any reason why he can't be a very good player in this league (although I would like to see some improvement on his fg%).

[Evantime34]

How about instead of committing a bunch of money to sign Middleton, we try and trade for Danilo Gallinari or Wilson Chandler, or even both?

Both have legit wing size and demonstrated scoring ability, with the positional and skillset diversity Stevens prizes.

They're both expiring contracts next year and are young enough that they might be worth signing beyond next year.  I imagine it would be possible to trade for either or both without giving up all that much.

Gallinari is solid, but Wilson Chandler is nothing special.  Chandler is closer to Evan Turner in value than he is to Khris Middleton.  I'd say Gallinari is worth his current contract while Chandler is overpaid.

Wilson Chandler makes $4 MM a year less than Gallo, I don't think either is overpaid.

[chambers]

not the best FG% but 22 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block against the Bulls but he's the main reason they're not getting embarrassed.
Has showed more than just shooting ability.
Is limited athletically but has craftiness that he combines with his length to get that microsecond infront of defenders.

Nice floater going too.

Sign me up.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFW5YlHOqZI

[kozlodoev]

Wasn't AB a 40% 3pt shooter his contract year?

Offensively, Middleton is a taller version of AB: can't really create his own shot, can't get to the free throw line, needs a ton of shots to score his points. He's exactly the type of player I'd like us to stay away from.