Looking Ahead To Free Agency
By Mike Cerra
Free Agency is finally upon us, and the Celtics have already taken care of their first order of business in re-signing Kevin Garnett. They still have a lot more work to do with only 7 players under contract for next season. There have been plenty of rumors surrounding the team on who they maybe and are interested in.
So far I’ve heard names from Jeff Green, Ray Allen, and Brandon Bass to Marcus Camby, Kirk Hinrich, and Jason Terry. With KG taking nearly $9 million less and players coming off of the books, the Celtics will have some money to spend, including the full mid-level exception.
What Is First On The Celtics Itinerary?
According to multiple sources, Jeff Green is almost a lock as the next player to sign with the Celtics. Contract discussions are still on-going between both sides, but there is a great chance that Green will be back with the team for next season.
The Unknowns
Ray Allen and Brandon Bass are two players that may not be returning to the Celtics.
Allen has been offered a 2 year $12 million contract by the Celtics, but he’s in no rush to sign anything just yet. The Memphis Grizzlies offered him the full mid-level exception, and the Miami Heat offered a 1 year $3 million deal.
The question now is, does Ray choose money and a chance to win another ring, just money and have a chance to make the playoffs, or almost taking a veteran minimum and just wants to take his talents to South Beach and have the chance to win another ring? That is what needs to be answered soon, because I think the Celtics will move on if Ray takes his time on this decision.
Brandon Bass is another player that is getting some buzz as of late. Recently he has been in trade rumors involving a possible swap for Atlanta Hawks power forward Josh Smith. The Celtics would have to sign and trade Bass along with a player or two to acquire the All-Star forward. If thats the price they’d have to pay, I’d say its a no-brainer. Bass was good this season, but I don’t think he’s worth a big contract yet.
The New Faces
Right now O.J. Mayo, Kirk Hinrich, Jamal Crawford, Marcus Camby, Carl Landry, Rashard Lewis, Jason Terry, and plenty of others have all been supposed targets for the Boston Celtics.
In terms of need, most of these players fill the blanks the Celtics have on their roster sheet. There really hasn’t been anything concrete on whether there will be any contact with any of these players, but its obvious the Celtics have a lot of interest in acquiring some of these veterans.
The Old Faces
Marquis Daniels, Sasha Pavlovic, Keyon Dooling, Mickael Pietrus, Ryan Hollins, Chris Wilcox, and Greg Steimsma all are free agents. Out of this list, Steimsma, Wilcox, and Dooling are the only players I’d want to see back in green. Those three players were the most productive off the bench for Boston this season.
You could make the case to bring back Mickael Pietrus, but I was somewhat disappointed in his performance all year. I really thought that he’d be like a James Posey, but maybe thats where I feel a bit let down since he didn’t meet those expectations.
Looking To Next Season
In the 2012-2013 season, I want to see a deep roster on this team. Last year, Danny Ainge constructed a team in about two weeks and the Celtics made it to the Eastern Conference Finals. With about two months of time to work on bringing the pieces together, I wonder what he has in store.