As tough as it might have been to see Celtics staple Avery Bradley shipped out of town, the move was a savvy one by general manager Danny Ainge.
Due to 27 missed outings this past season, Avery Bradley missed out on a second consecutive nod to the NBA All-Defensive First Team.
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A max-type contract from the Boston Celtics is also something Bradley was bound to miss out on.
Despite his development into one of the most revered two-way players in the Eastern Conference, Bradley was destined to walk in the free agency period of 2018. Having posted a career-best 16.3 points and 6.1 rebounds per game in 2016-17, Bradley was inevitably due for a contract within the range of four years, $105-110 million next summer.
Already struggling to find cap space to find room for All-Star splash Gordon Hayward with All-NBA Second-Teamer Isaiah Thomas’ contract due for reconstruction at the conclusion of 2017-18, the Celtics would have had little ability to even negotiate an extension with Bradley in order to keep him around past this upcoming season. Despite being one of the Eastern Conference’s sole bodies capable of slowing the likes of Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving or the Washington Wizards’ explosive John Wall, Bradley’s presence alone was not enough to push the Celtics over the Cavaliers at the top of the East.
Heading into 2017-18, the Celtics have other promising perimeter defenders with the ability to make the leap into the upper echelon of stoppers. Without Bradley, these figures will be forced to take a considerable leap, something the likes of Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown are prepared to do. Smart garnered 2.7 defensive win shares last season while Brown pumped in 1.3. Each received the opportunity to check premier talent in the league, with Smart assuming the role of primary defensive stalwart throughout Bradley’s absence due to a groin ailment.
Smart reached a career-high this past year with 1.6 steals per game, becoming one of the most tenacious on-ball showstoppers in the league. While his foot speed left room for improvement, Smart’s hand strength and craftiness in ripping the rock away from opponents was unparalleled throughout the NBA, resulting in numerous moments when the Oklahoma State product left foes stunned after stealing their candy in a demeaning manner.
Terry Rozier also improved defensively in 2016-17, accumulating 1.5 defensive win shares while earning the moniker of avoiding a negative defensive box plus-minus. Boston has budding defenders with an urge to improve on that side of the floor. Bradley’s departure opens the door for these assets to realize their full potential as perimeter defenders.
Further, it is not as though the Celtics received yet another 2019 draft selection for Bradley’s services. Rather, they received a tremendously driven scorer with one of the games most team-friendly contracts in power forward Marcus Morris. The Kansas product garnered 14.0 points and 4.6 rebounds per game on a 50.8 percent True Shooting Percentage last season, and his quick trigger on the perimeter jumper will assimilate well into the offensive system of head coach Brad Stevens.
Morris’ contract over the next two seasons is almost two good to be true. This season, he will make $5 million even, a figure which rises slightly to $5.4 million in 2018-19. For a player which averages 21.8 points per 100 possessions, this deal is a certified bargain.
Morris was one of four players in the NBA to average 14.0 points per game in 2016-17. Coincidentally, one of the other three was his identical twin, Markieff, who received $7.4 million from the Wizards last season. The other two were Boston’s Al Horford, who “earned” $26.5 million, and Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz, who is due to garner $22 million in 2017-18 after netting a four-year, $102 million extension with the team this summer.
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Relatively speaking, $5 million is not an absurd price to pay for someone who has played in at least 79 games in each of the last four seasons and has consistently put up double-digit scoring numbers. While giving up Bradley might be more bitter than sweet, the Celtics parted ways with him in the most positive way possible.