Danny Ainge has once again proved his brilliance, and we are just now noticing
Trust the process.
It’s what the Philadelphia 76ers organization has tried to sell to their fans over the past couple of years. Over that span, the 76ers have drafted the rookie of the year in Michael Carter-Williams, traded him away, and have also drafted three big men. One who hasn’t played in his first two seasons due to injuries, one who is out for the rest of the season, and one who has developed nicely. The fact of the matter is, with as much cap room as they have, and the trading piece they have in Jahlil Okafor, plus the likelihood of landing either Ben Simmons or Brandon Ingram, the 76ers have a bright future and the process is in fact working, but very slowly.
Philadelphia has a rich history when it comes to basketball, but over the past couple of years they have become a laughing-stock and that will speak loudly to potential free agents. They may also own the Los Angeles Lakers pick, if it lands outside the top three, but even then, they won’t be competitive for at least three more years.
Not because they drafted three big men in two years, or because they traded away a potential franchise point guard and now have Ish Smith running the point. Because free agents simply won’t want to play there, and because right now Philadelphia is drafting players just to see if they can pan out to later trade them for another pick.
If they were to land two top-five picks this draft, and land a big name free agent, then the process is indeed working. In fact, the process hasn’t been a failure thus far, they have lost and lost a lot, but the speed it is working is as slow as molasses.
On the other hand, Danny Ainge has shown his brilliance over the past three seasons to give Boston a brighter future than a team who has only been looking at the future for the past three seasons.
While focusing on the future, he was able to improve the present team as well. Boston owns arguably the most team friendly contracts in the NBA. The fact that Amir Johnson is the only player on the team to have a salary over $10 million is impressive, especially when considering how competitive they have been this season. Johnson’s contract is also not guaranteed next season so the Celtics could enter the off-season with no player making over $8.5 million.
All-star point guard Isaiah Thomas is set to make $6.5 million next season. Avery Bradley is set to make $8.2 million, and despite his displeasure with his contract, he won’t be able to restructure it until the end of next season. Kelly Olynyk is making just over $3 million and Jae Crowder around $6.5 million. It’s truly remarkable that Boston has as many assets as they do at such a low-cost, making them even more valuable in a trade.
While the draft picks are what makes the headlines when talking about Boston’s trade rumors, their team friendly contracts are just as big of a factor. With young players like Terry Rozier and R.J. Hunter, Bradley can become expendable next season if the Celtics don’t want to pay him more money.
Young players and team friendly contracts make a huge difference, however, the draft picks that Boston owns is obviously where the biggest impact will be made. The fact that Boston is able to compete for home-court advantage and still have a probable top-five pick is something that the league has never seen before. The Brooklyn Nets‘ pick is inching closer to a top three pick, and the Dallas Mavericks are looking more like a lottery team by the day.
Not forcing a trade at the deadline was smart. The draft picks they own are becoming more valuable and the Mavericks pick, despite not getting a lot of press, could be a huge part of a draft day trade. Not to mention that Boston will add another young stud to their roster.
Forget about this draft, the Celtics have the option to swap first round picks with the Nets next season and own the Nets first round pick the following year. As Boston continues to improve, the Nets will continue to stay at the bottom and help Boston.
A trade that seemed like the right move at the time has quickly become one of the best trades in NBA history, and is the gift that keeps on giving.
With another young player or two, an all-star point guard, and one of the deepest teams in the league, Danny Ainge should have no problem attracting a couple of free agents this off-season. Boston has enough cap space to sign a player to a max-contract and another to a near max-deal. Boston has shown that they’re a competitive team, just a couple of pieces away from being a title contender and that should be very attractive towards free agents who want to win and get paid at the same time.
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As bright of a future the Celtics have, there are a lot of NBA teams that are reaching their peak now and seem to be staying there for a while. In particular, the Golden State Warriors are having one of the best seasons in NBA history, however, Harrison Barnes is set to be a free agent and will likely need to take a lot less money to stay in Golden State. If a competitor, like Boston, approached him, it would be hard decision between staying with the dominant Warriors for less money or a bigger contract with another competitor.
The San Antonio Spurs‘ core is aging quickly and despite LaMarcus Aldridge being there, Gregg Popovich and Tim Duncan‘s time is coming to an end. San Antonio should continue to be competitive, but will they be able to maintain their level of excellence that they’re used to?
The Cleveland Cavaliers have their own big three, but they have proven that they’re beatable and they don’t have the cap space to attract more than solid rotational players.
The Toronto Raptors need to retain DeMar DeRozan this off-season. They’re deep, young, and have a top-notch starting lineup. However, what if DeRozan walks? Even if he doesn’t they will have four players getting paid at least $12 million a year, not leaving much room to sign a big time free agent.
Before Jae Crowder’s injury, the Celtics were sitting pretty as the third team in the East. They have since fallen, but the fact that a team in “rebuilding” mode has been this dominant is a good sign. They are the only team who can continue to win and have a chance at Simmons or Ingram. They’re going into this big off-season with more money than most teams, and have an all-star getting paid under $7 million a year.
Three years ago, the Celtics seemed like they would return to being a solid team in a couple of seasons, they have blown away those expectations. Brad Stevens is one of the best coaches in the league (another Danny Ainge move), and Ainge has continued to show brilliance every season. Whether it’s trading for Thomas at the deadline, or getting Crowder and a draft pick for Rajon Rondo.
Next: Stevens' Big Man Rotation Starting to Take a Finer Shape
The Celtics are in a rare position that the league has never seen. No team has the flexibility or options that Boston has. They might not be in the elite tier this season, but they could be the top dog in a couple of seasons.