Warming To The Idea That Not Signing A MAX-FA Would Be Wise

[JSD]

If all else fails and no max guy wants to come here, Celtics should take a good hard look at absorbing Carmelo Anthony for the 2 years he has remaining on his contract. At this point, I don't think it would take much more than a lottery protected 1st round pick.

Melo would have to buy in of course and adapt his game to Stevens, if he did that I think he would highly effective with the Celtics.

Yeah that could be a "placeholder" kind of option, like having Horford/IT/Melo for a year or two while the young guys develop, then make a serious run in a few years with Lebron also getting there in age.

We'd still have IT (hopefully) and Horford (back-end of contract) at the time of a serious run as well. Meanwhile, we'd just keep competing.

That's exactly where my thinking is with that type of acquisition.

[Phantom255x]

After the last few games, I'm thinking this might be the best option.

I don't think we'd lose too much sleep if Amir is gone, same with Zeller and Mickey.

Maybe they negotiate with KO on a "reasonable" deal with his Bird Rights. And Gerald Green/Jerebko with one of their exceptions?

If they don't sign a max-guy, they still have MLE where hopefully they can lure a cheap, but effective rebounder? (Gibson possibly?)

Zizic comes over and helps out. Then pray the Nets Pick lands us Fultz.

[Phantom255x]

Talent > Depth

If we can sign top tier talent, I don't care how many role players we have to jettison. Stars win in this league. The Kelly Olynks and Terry Roziers are just along for the ride.

I can attest to that.

But it's also Hayward or a majority of this front court. Horford, Zizic, then who?

I think we also lose MLE after signing Hayward to a max, and we possibly lose one of Bradley/Smart JUST to make Hayward $$$ work. Idk...

[Phantom255x]

If the best players available are Griffin (too many missed games) and Hayward (good not great), it makes sense why you wouldn't want to sign one to a max deal. If Lebron, KD, Kawhi, and Westbrook were all up for FA, no one around here would care about signing them to the max.

I want the Celtics to wait for the next great player to become available before signing another max deal. This might not be possible.

this is the last summer for max cap space (or near max) unless Boston let's Thomas, Bradley, Smart go.

And Boston just signed a max contract player worse than Griffin and Hayward

The only real issue is that, while signing Horford didn't require we have to sacrifice much (we let go of Turner and Sully), signing either Griffin or Hayward would gut A LOT of this team. (Kelly, Jerebko, Amir, Zeller, Mickey, maybe even Bradley/Smart + Green)

Depth becomes important especially late in seasons and in the postseason, as we're seeing this year too.

It becomes a real thin front court if you sign a max-player AND unless Ainge has another trade lined up for a rebounding big, it would be Horford, Zizic, then nada.

And Hayward/Griffin are great players but obviously not at the level of a Durant.

But Griffin would really fill a lot of our needs even with front court depth leaving, BUT his injury history really scares me.

[TheSundanceKid]

If the best players available are Griffin (too many missed games) and Hayward (good not great), it makes sense why you wouldn't want to sign one to a max deal. If Lebron, KD, Kawhi, and Westbrook were all up for FA, no one around here would care about signing them to the max.

I want the Celtics to wait for the next great player to become available before signing another max deal. This might not be possible.

this is the last summer for max cap space (or near max) unless Boston let's Thomas, Bradley, Smart go.

And Boston just signed a max contract player worse than Griffin and Hayward

The only real issue is that, while signing Horford didn't require we have to sacrifice much (we let go of Turner and Sully), signing either Griffin or Hayward would gut A LOT of this team. (Kelly, Jerebko, Amir, Zeller, Mickey, maybe even Bradley/Smart + Green)

Depth becomes important especially late in seasons and in the postseason, as we're seeing this year too.

It becomes a real thin front court if you sign a max-player AND unless Ainge has another trade lined up for a rebounding big, it would be Horford, Zizic, then nada.

And Hayward/Griffin are great players but obviously not at the level of a Durant.

But Griffin would really fill a lot of our needs even with front court depth leaving, BUT his injury history really scares me.

The only player we gave up for Horford was Sully. After that we could have kept Turner and not re-signed Zeller, Amir and JJ. In fact we could still have signed Zeller at $8m. Letting Turner walk was solely because we didn't think he was worth the price tag.

[Phantom255x]

If the best players available are Griffin (too many missed games) and Hayward (good not great), it makes sense why you wouldn't want to sign one to a max deal. If Lebron, KD, Kawhi, and Westbrook were all up for FA, no one around here would care about signing them to the max.

I want the Celtics to wait for the next great player to become available before signing another max deal. This might not be possible.

this is the last summer for max cap space (or near max) unless Boston let's Thomas, Bradley, Smart go.

And Boston just signed a max contract player worse than Griffin and Hayward

The only real issue is that, while signing Horford didn't require we have to sacrifice much (we let go of Turner and Sully), signing either Griffin or Hayward would gut A LOT of this team. (Kelly, Jerebko, Amir, Zeller, Mickey, maybe even Bradley/Smart + Green)

Depth becomes important especially late in seasons and in the postseason, as we're seeing this year too.

It becomes a real thin front court if you sign a max-player AND unless Ainge has another trade lined up for a rebounding big, it would be Horford, Zizic, then nada.

And Hayward/Griffin are great players but obviously not at the level of a Durant.

But Griffin would really fill a lot of our needs even with front court depth leaving, BUT his injury history really scares me.

The only player we gave up for Horford was Sully. After that we could have kept Turner and not re-signed Zeller, Amir and JJ. In fact we could still have signed Zeller at $8m. Letting Turner walk was solely because we didn't think he was worth the price tag.

True, but in this case I also think they valued having some depth, because if they lost all of Amir/Zeller/JJ, this front court would be even worse much of the season, even if we kept Turner in the roster.

But yes, Turner was not at all worth his contract (though I'm happy for him).

We'll have to see what KO demands in the market. If it's more than 15M/Year, I think he's definitely gone.

[LatterDayCelticsfan]

If the best players available are Griffin (too many missed games) and Hayward (good not great), it makes sense why you wouldn't want to sign one to a max deal. If Lebron, KD, Kawhi, and Westbrook were all up for FA, no one around here would care about signing them to the max.

I want the Celtics to wait for the next great player to become available before signing another max deal. This might not be possible.

this is the last summer for max cap space (or near max) unless Boston let's Thomas, Bradley, Smart go.

And Boston just signed a max contract player worse than Griffin and Hayward

The only real issue is that, while signing Horford didn't require we have to sacrifice much (we let go of Turner and Sully), signing either Griffin or Hayward would gut A LOT of this team. (Kelly, Jerebko, Amir, Zeller, Mickey, maybe even Bradley/Smart + Green)

Depth becomes important especially late in seasons and in the postseason, as we're seeing this year too.

It becomes a real thin front court if you sign a max-player AND unless Ainge has another trade lined up for a rebounding big, it would be Horford, Zizic, then nada.

And Hayward/Griffin are great players but obviously not at the level of a Durant.

But Griffin would really fill a lot of our needs even with front court depth leaving, BUT his injury history really scares me.

The only player we gave up for Horford was Sully. After that we could have kept Turner and not re-signed Zeller, Amir and JJ. In fact we could still have signed Zeller at $8m. Letting Turner walk was solely because we didn't think he was worth the price tag.

True, but in this case I also think they valued having some depth, because if they lost all of Amir/Zeller/JJ, this front court would be even worse much of the season, even if we kept Turner in the roster.

But yes, Turner was not at all worth his contract (though I'm happy for him).

We'll have to see what KO demands in the market. If it's more than 15M/Year, I think he's definitely gone.

We have Amir, Zeller, and Jerebko as the biggest contracts coming off the books.  Is that enough space to get a quality big or scorer? Beyond that we can go over the cap to keep Olynyk, but I worry someobe will force us to overpay with a cheeky rfa offer. q

[JBcat]

If all else fails and no max guy wants to come here, Celtics should take a good hard look at absorbing Carmelo Anthony for the 2 years he has remaining on his contract. At this point, I don't think it would take much more than a lottery protected 1st round pick.

Melo would have to buy in of course and adapt his game to Stevens, if he did that I think he would highly effective with the Celtics.

Do you know if we still have to renounce all our pending FAs to absorb Melo's contract?  Melo makes about 26 mil a year, which I think is close to max space. 

Would you rather sign someone like Gallinari or Gay while not having to renounce all our FAs?

[incoherent]

Of the available 96 minutes a game to the 4 and 5 positions, Kelly is getting 18 mins of it.  I dont think he is worth keeping if that prevents us from Hayward or another max player.

Amir, Jerebko, Zeller should never be considered as reasons to not sign a max player.  These guys are replaceable.

[Phantom255x]

Lol idk.. Hayward would REALLY help this team tonight.

He makes open looks in his sleep practically.

[dreamgreen]

I'd trade AB and Smart for Hayward in a heartbeat!

[Phantom255x]

I'd trade AB and Smart for Hayward in a heartbeat!

You wouldn't need to trade both. He's a FA.

[TheSundanceKid]

If the best players available are Griffin (too many missed games) and Hayward (good not great), it makes sense why you wouldn't want to sign one to a max deal. If Lebron, KD, Kawhi, and Westbrook were all up for FA, no one around here would care about signing them to the max.

I want the Celtics to wait for the next great player to become available before signing another max deal. This might not be possible.

this is the last summer for max cap space (or near max) unless Boston let's Thomas, Bradley, Smart go.

And Boston just signed a max contract player worse than Griffin and Hayward

The only real issue is that, while signing Horford didn't require we have to sacrifice much (we let go of Turner and Sully), signing either Griffin or Hayward would gut A LOT of this team. (Kelly, Jerebko, Amir, Zeller, Mickey, maybe even Bradley/Smart + Green)

Depth becomes important especially late in seasons and in the postseason, as we're seeing this year too.

It becomes a real thin front court if you sign a max-player AND unless Ainge has another trade lined up for a rebounding big, it would be Horford, Zizic, then nada.

And Hayward/Griffin are great players but obviously not at the level of a Durant.

But Griffin would really fill a lot of our needs even with front court depth leaving, BUT his injury history really scares me.

The only player we gave up for Horford was Sully. After that we could have kept Turner and not re-signed Zeller, Amir and JJ. In fact we could still have signed Zeller at $8m. Letting Turner walk was solely because we didn't think he was worth the price tag.

True, but in this case I also think they valued having some depth, because if they lost all of Amir/Zeller/JJ, this front court would be even worse much of the season, even if we kept Turner in the roster.

But yes, Turner was not at all worth his contract (though I'm happy for him).

We'll have to see what KO demands in the market. If it's more than 15M/Year, I think he's definitely gone.

Isn't that exactly the argument around Hayward this summer though? I understand that Hayward is much better than Turner but the principle is the same. For Durant I would give up my depth, for Hayward not a chance.

[Roy H.]

If the best players available are Griffin (too many missed games) and Hayward (good not great), it makes sense why you wouldn't want to sign one to a max deal. If Lebron, KD, Kawhi, and Westbrook were all up for FA, no one around here would care about signing them to the max.

I want the Celtics to wait for the next great player to become available before signing another max deal. This might not be possible.

this is the last summer for max cap space (or near max) unless Boston let's Thomas, Bradley, Smart go.

And Boston just signed a max contract player worse than Griffin and Hayward

The only real issue is that, while signing Horford didn't require we have to sacrifice much (we let go of Turner and Sully), signing either Griffin or Hayward would gut A LOT of this team. (Kelly, Jerebko, Amir, Zeller, Mickey, maybe even Bradley/Smart + Green)

Depth becomes important especially late in seasons and in the postseason, as we're seeing this year too.

It becomes a real thin front court if you sign a max-player AND unless Ainge has another trade lined up for a rebounding big, it would be Horford, Zizic, then nada.

And Hayward/Griffin are great players but obviously not at the level of a Durant.

But Griffin would really fill a lot of our needs even with front court depth leaving, BUT his injury history really scares me.

The only player we gave up for Horford was Sully. After that we could have kept Turner and not re-signed Zeller, Amir and JJ. In fact we could still have signed Zeller at $8m. Letting Turner walk was solely because we didn't think he was worth the price tag.

True, but in this case I also think they valued having some depth, because if they lost all of Amir/Zeller/JJ, this front court would be even worse much of the season, even if we kept Turner in the roster.

But yes, Turner was not at all worth his contract (though I'm happy for him).

We'll have to see what KO demands in the market. If it's more than 15M/Year, I think he's definitely gone.

Isn't that exactly the argument around Hayward this summer though? I understand that Hayward is much better than Turner but the principle is the same. For Durant I would give up my depth, for Hayward not a chance.

Where will our "depth" be in 2-3 years? On an NBA bench or out of the league.

What's the fascination with crappy role players? Guys like Zeller, Amir and JJ are completely expendable. How much are they helping against the Wizards? What about their play makes you prefer them to the guy scoring an efficient 24 ppg?

If there's a chance to add a second star, you do it.  Giving contracts to crappy role players won't move the franchise forward.

[Ilikesports17]

If the best players available are Griffin (too many missed games) and Hayward (good not great), it makes sense why you wouldn't want to sign one to a max deal. If Lebron, KD, Kawhi, and Westbrook were all up for FA, no one around here would care about signing them to the max.

I want the Celtics to wait for the next great player to become available before signing another max deal. This might not be possible.

this is the last summer for max cap space (or near max) unless Boston let's Thomas, Bradley, Smart go.

And Boston just signed a max contract player worse than Griffin and Hayward

The only real issue is that, while signing Horford didn't require we have to sacrifice much (we let go of Turner and Sully), signing either Griffin or Hayward would gut A LOT of this team. (Kelly, Jerebko, Amir, Zeller, Mickey, maybe even Bradley/Smart + Green)

Depth becomes important especially late in seasons and in the postseason, as we're seeing this year too.

It becomes a real thin front court if you sign a max-player AND unless Ainge has another trade lined up for a rebounding big, it would be Horford, Zizic, then nada.

And Hayward/Griffin are great players but obviously not at the level of a Durant.

But Griffin would really fill a lot of our needs even with front court depth leaving, BUT his injury history really scares me.

The only player we gave up for Horford was Sully. After that we could have kept Turner and not re-signed Zeller, Amir and JJ. In fact we could still have signed Zeller at $8m. Letting Turner walk was solely because we didn't think he was worth the price tag.

True, but in this case I also think they valued having some depth, because if they lost all of Amir/Zeller/JJ, this front court would be even worse much of the season, even if we kept Turner in the roster.

But yes, Turner was not at all worth his contract (though I'm happy for him).

We'll have to see what KO demands in the market. If it's more than 15M/Year, I think he's definitely gone.

Isn't that exactly the argument around Hayward this summer though? I understand that Hayward is much better than Turner but the principle is the same. For Durant I would give up my depth, for Hayward not a chance.

Where will our "depth" be in 2-3 years? On an NBA bench or out of the league.

What's the fascination with crappy role players? Guys like Zeller, Amir and JJ are completely expendable. How much are they helping against the Wizards? What about their play makes you prefer them to the guy scoring an efficient 24 ppg?

If there's a chance to add a second star, you do it.  Giving contracts to crappy role players won't move the franchise forward.

Especially with our still hefty warchest of picks, we should be able to replace the production of back end of the bench guys with our later firsts whether thats by trading the picks or making them.