Brad Stevens, Boston Celtics
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Brad Stevens, Boston Celtics
When the Boston Celtics acquired Nikola Vucevic via trade on Tuesday, Feb. 3, they ducked under the first luxury tax apron as a result.
The Celtics are now just $6 million over the tax threshold. They could make a smaller deal ahead of the Feb. 5 trade deadline in order to be a non-tax-paying team.
And while that achievement would mark a mission accomplished for Brad Stevens, the flexibility the Vucevic moves give Boston on the buyout market could prove intriguing.
During a recent episode of the “Celtics Talk” podcast, Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston explained why the Celtics could emerge as players on the buyout market.
“They’re now off the first apron, which essentially unlocks one key benefit: If a player is waived who is making more than the mid-level exception — about $14.5 million — the Celtics can now make a play for that person,” Forsberg explained. “Most of the time that’s minimum deals, but the Celtics actually have some trade exceptions if they needed to (take on) more (salary). … Long story short, they could make an aggressive offer towards a player who maybe was an All-Star in the past, but for whatever reason has been waived by their team.”
Boston could use the buyout market to round out its guard rotation. However, it’s unlikely they would agree to a contract that could push them straight back into the luxury tax.
Celtics Have Created A $27 Million Trade Exception
When Boston acquired Vucevic by sending out Anfernee Simons, they did so by absorbing him into the $22 million Kristaps Porzingis traded player exception (TPE). In doing so, the Celtics created a new $27 million TPE.
The Celtics now have a sizeable trade tool available to them for the next 12 months. They could theoretically bring in a player earning up to $27 million without the need to match salaries.
Brad Stevens has ensured the Celtics have multiple avenues to improving during the offseason. Even if Boston adds someone in the buyout market, it shouldn’t have too much impact on their cap flexibility. The Celtics also have smaller TPEs available to target players after buyouts. Of course, their salaries would have to fit into the TPE.
Celtics Could Target A Veteran Ball-Handler
In the same episode of the “Celtics Talk” podcast, Forsberg discussed the potential for the Celtics to add a veteran ball-handler before the trade deadline closes on Feb. 5.
“The comp I would always use is a Kris Dunn type: a veteran guy who plays defense, can be a secondary ball-handler, spell Payton and Derrick at times,” Forsberg said. “(He’s) probably not going to play a ton of minutes in the postseason, but if you could get somebody like that on a minimum deal or end-of-season money, then it’s just another body to navigate both the end of the regular season and potential spot minutes in the postseason.”
There is certainly a need for an additional backup guard in Boston. Following Simons exit, Derrick White and Payton Pritchard are the only senior guards in the rotation. It remains unclear whether Stevens can make a deal before the trade deadline.