Boston Celtics News: Terry Rozier Contract Rumors, Roster Moves & More

Reports and rumors are surfacing that the Boston Celtics are having contract extension talks with reserve guard Terry Rozier.  GM Danny Ainge made room on the roster by waiving two players and more Boston Celtics news.

The Boston Celtics may have a handshake agreement in place to re-sign point guard Kyrie Irving, but that hasn’t stopped the front office from discussing a contract extension with reserve guard Terry Rozier ahead of the October 15th deadline.

According to Brian Robb of Boston Sports Journal, the Boston Celtics guard could command up to $15 million on the free agent market .

"A source told BostonSportsJournal.com that the Celtics have been engaged and “active” in extension negotiations with Terry Rozier ahead of the Oct. 15 rookie extension deadline.Rozier is earning just over $3 million for 2018-19 in the final year of his rookie deal. He’s expected to command a contract over $15 million annually according to one league executive after delivering a breakout performance during Boston’s postseason run in 2019."

If the Celtics don’t sign Rozier by the rookie extension deadline, they will have to wait until the end of the season to sign Rozier to a qualifying offer or sign him to a contract in restricted free agency. Boston will likely be committing big money–more than $30 million a season–to Irving this summer, so it’s natural to wonder if GM Danny Ainge wants to spend that much money on a backup point guard, especially with Marcus Smart just signed to a four-year deal in the offseason.

On the other hand, after this season, Rozier may be ready to secure a heftier payday and a larger role for himself. Boston will be limited by how much they can offer due to the salary cap and the luxury tax bill they will almost surely be paying after this year.

However, Rozier is a key part of the Celtics current roster and they wouldn’t have had the postseason success they had last season without him. When Irving went down, Rozier stepped up in his absence, recording a triple double in his first start and averaging 16.5 points and 5.7 assists per game in the playoffs. He provides a valuable Irving insurance policy while also delivering high-level defense and three-point shooting off the pine.

While Ainge does his due diligence on extension talks with Rozier’s representation, he will also assuredly gauge the trade market for Rozier prior to the February deadline. If Boston trades Rozier, they can recoup something for him before he possibly leaves the team in free agency.

Boston Celtics News and Notes From Around FanSided

Recent struggles should motive Celtics [Sam Minton – Chowder and Champions]

The poor preseason could have been just the wake up call the Celtics needed, Minton argues.

The Whiteboard: 2018-19 NBA Season Predictions–East Playoff Teams [Ti Windisch — FanSided]

Where does Boston rank in the Eastern Conference hierarchy according to our league aficionado?

FanSided’s 2018-2019 NBA Season Preview [FanSided NBA]

This mammoth undertaking of NBA love includes the 30 biggest questions heading into the season, every team’s best case scenario, and every team’s crash-and-burn nightmare.

In the FanSided comprehensive NBA preview, each team, including the Boston Celtics, has its own team-centric preview.

The Boston Celtics team preview includes our writing here at Hardwood Houdini, as well a stastical-minded breakdown of how the Celtics should allocate minutes from Nylon Calculus and a wonderful read on Terry Rozier’s free agency from the one and only Jared Dubin.

More Boston Celtics News From Around the Internet

Celtics waive Nick King and Jeff Roberson [Keith Smith — Celtics Blog]

The two training camp invitees were waived by Boston, but very well may end up in Maine with the Red Claws.

Kyrie Irving says he ‘didn’t deserve’ the keys in Cleveland [Quenton Albertie — Celtics Wire]

Boston Celtics’ Al Horford is oldest player on roster, but believes best days are ahead [Tom Westerholm — MassLive]

With the way Celtics coach Brad Stevens manages his minutes and the way Al Horford prepares, whose to say Horford can’t continue to improve into his mid-thirties?

Different world: Celtics know they need to adjust [Steve Bulpett — Boston Herald]

The Boston Celtics won’t play another game until October 16th, but that doesn’t mean we won’t have you covered here for news, notes, and analysis. Be sure to compulsively check back to see what’s new!