Boston Celtics using the salary cap and luxury tax
The Boston Celtics might have to take advantage of the salary cap to catch up to the Warriors
The Golden State Warriors have effectively made the biggest mockery of the salary cap possible. Having DeMarcus Cousins sign such a small contract, on top of players they can continue to bring back while paying the luxury tax, has put them in a truly unprecedented position.
Right now, the salary cap is being exploited in certain ways, and it is hurting a lot of teams while giving other teams a lot more potential to continue to get better. For the Boston Celtics, it will be interesting to see how the salary cap ends up impacting them.
The first thing you have to consider is how much is being payed in the luxury tax. The Celtics have always been willing spenders, so it may not be a problem. The problem could end up being that the Celtics just end up with too many players to pay.
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The luxury tax grows quickly when you continue to bring back players, and the Celtics could end up losing part of this core because of what a tremendous cost it would be.
Right now, we are seeing the deliberation with Marcus Smart. The Celtics are in a position to keep everyone on this roster, but they are still hesitating on how much money they will pay Smart. The business side is too important, and it will never be as simple as pay everyone on the roster as much as possible, even when it is within the rules to do so.
Given that, the Celtics are in a much better position to spend in the luxury tax than most franchises. Every team will have their limit, and the Celtics might have the highest limit in the league.
Who knows how much it will impact the Celtics, but we can be confident that they will be able to take advantage of the luxury tax as much, if not more than anyone else in the NBA.
The other side of the salary cap dilemma is following what Cousins just did with the Warriors. It is possible that no one else ever takes that kind of contract to chase a championship again. If, however, players want to follow what he did, the Celtics would be one of the first teams they thought about.
There was talks of the Celtics being Cousins’ other option after the Warriors. The Warriors may scare anyone off because of how unprecedented their talent is, but it is not too crazy to think strong players might start taking pay cuts to try and chase a championship, and finally take down the Warriors.
Right now, the Celtics offer an incredibly easy path to the finals, and a roster and coach that you can absolutely believe in. It might be a long shot, but the Celtics are once again in a better position to take advantage of the salary cap the way the Warriors have.
It may have created a monster that no one can come close to with the Warriors, but this could be setting a precedent. The Celtics will always be looking to make this team as strong as possible, and the NBA will have to respond to what the Warriors have been doing in some way.
Next: No Smart contract all about business
Everyone is far behind the Warriors, but the Celtics are far from the victims of the salary cap in this situation, and it could end up being the key to elevating them to the level of the Warriors.