Avery Bradley’s future with the Boston Celtics is uncertain.
The Texas product and 2010 first round draft pick has been a model citizen in Boston. He does not have a history of off-court issues, nor is he a disruptive presence in the locker room. He has been a very steady presence in the Celtics locker room during his seven years in the league.
Avery Bradley has made key improvements to his game each year, especially on the offensive end. Most notably, he has become a better shooter, increasing his field goal percentage of 34.3% as a rookie in 2010 to 46.3% in 2017. Similarly, he has become a reliable three-point shooter and earned titles such as a “two-way” player or a “three and D” player. The last four seasons his percentage from beyond the arc has hovered between 35% and 39%.
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Possibly the greatest individual accolade for Bradley was being named All-Defensive first team in 2016. His defense does not need any introduction as he seems to always be guarding the opposing team’s best wing player. His on-ball and off-ball defense have proven to be huge weapons for Brad Stevens.
Unfortunately, Bradley’s steady improvements have made him one of the Celtics most valuable assets heading into the offseason. First, he is signed to a team-friendly contract, which pays him roughly eight million dollars and expires after next season.
The Celtics probably do not want to let their productive, starting two guard leave without getting anything in return, so signing him to an extension or trading him are the likely scenarios. Bradley does have bird rights, meaning the Celtics can exceed the salary cap to keep him in Boston. However, Bradley will likely command a lot more money in his next contract.
According to Spotrac, Bradley earns $500,000 less than E’Twaun Moore and his salary ranks as the 28th highest for shooting guards. In case you forgot, Moore was the Celtics 2011 second round pick. He is playing for his fourth team in five years. Other comparable player salaries to Bradley include Garrett Temple and Corey Brewer.
Bradley is more productive than both players, his PER being 14.52 and the next closest being Temple at 11.19. Without overvaluing him, I will say he should at least be earning more than Matthew Dellavedova, who earns about 9.6 million.
The closest comparison in terms of production might be Jeff Teague. Teague is a point guard and Spotrac lists his salary as the 22nd highest out of point guards at 8.8 million. He is a higher paid point guard in comparison to how Bradley is paid as a shooting guard.
If Bradley was the 22nd highest paid shooting guard, he’d be earning the same as Danny Green, 10 million per year. Signing Bradley to a richer contract would be a mistake when you’re considering to re-signing Isaiah Thomas, potentially signing Markelle Fultz, and other players via trades.
It is no mystery the Celtics are a guard-heavy roster. Specifically, the Celtics are a guard-heavy roster with guards who are defensive-minded, not great shooters, and lack the ability to consistently create their own shot. While Bradley has improved his offensive game, he cannot consistently create his own shot.
In the playoffs, he is only averaging 1.5 free throw attempts. The Celtics could use a more aggressive wing player on offense. For those who dread a Celtics team without Bradley, Smart is comparable on defense and has shown he can harness his offensive prowess when necessary.
Lastly, the NBA Draft seems to be heavily stacked with guards at the top. If the Celtics select a guard, like Fultz, with the first pick, Ainge might be forced to make a move. I’d be surprised if Ainge decides to part with Thomas’ 29 points per game and replace him with a rookie.
It would make more sense to have the rookie come off the bench next year and trade a package including Bradley for a star wing player. Struggling teams might be happy to take on Bradley’s expiring contract at next years trade deadline in hopes of gaining cap space or re-signing him.
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The Celtics should trade Bradley next season. He is a great defensive player, but his size limits him to only playing shooting guard. Whereas Crowder is signed for three more years at similar money, can play multiple positions, and has a similar game. The Celtics need to make space for a star and unloading a valuable player at a position of depth makes sense.