Good piece on upcoming rookie-extension eligible guys, with a bit on the three Boston guys below.
The Boston Brigade
Tyler Zeller, Jared Sullinger, Perry Jones III: The Celtics have the flexibility to do almost whatever they’d like with these three. If they land on agreeable salaries, Boston could re-sign all of them without imperiling its cap room — especially since Boston somehow convinced Amir Johnson and Jonas Jerebko to swallow fully nonguaranteed contracts, worth about $17 million combined, for 2016-17. Boston can waive them any time before July 3, per league documents, giving the C’s two days to court big-money free agents who would justify opening up that extra $17 million in room.
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Boston could always trade a big to ease the roster crunch, and Sullinger might be the likeliest candidate to go. He’s had constant conditioning issues, he’s still a sub-30-percent shooter from deep after two years of hoisting, and he’s probably never going to be a plus defender. His agent, David Falk, does not mess around in extension talks. If Falk can’t get Sullinger a huge deal, he will have no qualms taking him into free agency.
Zeller was one of last season’s pleasant surprises, scoring efficiently in a variety of ways and providing on-again, off-again rim protection for a Boston defense in desperate need of it. Depending on team context, Zeller looks like either a dynamite third big man or a very nice fourth/fifth starter. Those guys are going to run into the eight figures in the new NBA, and if Boston can snag Zeller long-term for anything under $12 million, it may jump at the chance.