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Could 2017 be the Celtics Busy Summer?

By Jeremy Karll

Nov 30, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks center Al Horford (15) reacts after being called for a foul on Oklahoma City Thunder forward Serge Ibaka (9) (not shown) late in the game during the second half at Philips Arena. The Hawks defeated the Thunder 106-100. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 30, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks center Al Horford (15) reacts after being called for a foul on Oklahoma City Thunder forward Serge Ibaka (9) (not shown) late in the game during the second half at Philips Arena. The Hawks defeated the Thunder 106-100. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /
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Everyone wants Boston to sign Kevin Durant this summer, but could 2017 be their summer?

Coming off another first round exit all eyes are on the Boston Celtics‘ front office. Isaiah Thomas has turned into an All-Star caliber point guard but he needs help if the Celtics want to take the next step. The Celtics are in need of a superstar to carry their team in the playoffs, or at least another star alongside Thomas.

The salary cap for next season is set at $89 million with the luxury tax at just over $108 million. Because of the increase, the Celtics are expected to have around $51.4 million cap space this summer. That could lead to Boston signing a top-tier free agent to a max contract and another one to near a max deal.

Kevin Durant and possibly DeMar DeRozan headline the free agent class this off-season. Boston is expected to go hard after big man Al Horford, while Hassan Whiteside and Harrison Barnes should also cash in nicely this summer. There are a lot of quality players that could bring a team closer to a championship, however, are any of them the missing piece?

Obviously Kevin Durant is one of the best players in the league, but how much are the rest worth? DeRozan has struggled in the first round next to All-Star guard Kyle Lowry. Al Horford, while a great player, isn’t a superstar. The verdict is still out on how good Harrison Barnes really is and Whiteside doesn’t bring much on the offensive end besides when a couple of feet away from the rim.

There are free agents this summer that could make an impact and be a solid addition alongside Thomas and the rest of the Celtics’ core, however, Danny Ainge shouldn’t spend just to spend. There is this universal thinking that every team is about to go crazy this off-season, but that could be detrimental for the Celtics.

Apr 30, 2016; San Antonio, TX, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) grabs a rebound against the San Antonio Spurs in game one of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 30, 2016; San Antonio, TX, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) grabs a rebound against the San Antonio Spurs in game one of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports /

Boston has high draft picks, thanks to the Brooklyn Nets, for the next three seasons and an abundance of team-friendly contracts. The 2016 free agent class isn’t terrible but when looking ahead to 2017, it may be smart for Danny Ainge not to overspend this summer and get bad contracts just because of the extra money.

Steph Curry and Russell Westbrook are both set to be unrestricted free agents in 2017. It’s highly unlikely that either come to Boston, but it shows the type of depth that the 2017 free agent class has.

Blake Griffin may be available in 2017 and Serge Ibaka, Gordon Hayward (player option), Paul Millsap (player option) and Greg Monroe (player option) could all be available as well. That’s not including restricted free agents like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Rudy Gobert and Victor Oladipo.

To go along with the loaded free agent class, the salary cap is also supposed to increase to an all-time high of $109 million with a $129 million luxury tax. That’s why there are rumors of Kevin Durant signing a one-year deal then hitting the open market for an even bigger long-term deal.

Obviously just because there are a lot of good free agents doesn’t mean Boston will land someone like Curry or Westbrook. But, with more money, another good year under their belt, could Boston be an even more desirable free agent destination?

Serge Ibaka is three years younger than Al Horford and provides similar production to Hoford. Ibaka’s points and rebounds per game number are lower, however, that could be caused from playing next to Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Being younger also means more productive years which makes him less of a risk for a team wanting to give him a big contract.

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Al Horford is going to be 30-years-old next season and there’s no guarantee he’ll come to Boston. Besides, he may be a solid center but is he worth around $26.7 million? – especially in a couple of years when his skills start to decline. He has put up solid numbers throughout his entire career and while not being flashy is always in the All-Star discussion, but is Horford good enough to push the Celtics over the hump?

This is a huge summer for Boston that will likely determine their future for the next five-to-seven years. The last thing you want is for them to overspend on a player because they missed out on the top-tier free agents and then aren’t able to have a busy 2017 summer. Danny Ainge has done a great job making a roster full of team-friendly contracts but hasn’t been able to attract big free agents during his tenure and that has to change over the next two summers.

Next: Second Round Draft Prospect: Jarrod Uthoff

Everyone wants the Celtics to compete for a championship next season when the target year could be a year later. If Ainge is able to pull the trigger on top-tier free agents this off-season then Boston will gladly accept them, however, there’s no reason to rush the plan.

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