The Boston Celtics aren’t armed with cap space this offseason, but who can they target with the mid-level exception?
At the stage of rebuilding that the Boston Celtics are at–ie. fully built and ready to contend right now–there isn’t a need for a major marquee free-agent addition…which is great because the team has already maxed out all of its cap space on Kemba Walker, Gordon Hayward, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, and Jayson Tatum.
Instead, fringe additions are the name of the game for Danny Ainge and the Celtics front office this offseason. In terms of what they should target with these additions, the most important thing they can do is spend their entire mid-level exception on one key addition. The reason? Boston has three upcoming draft picks in the 2020 NBA Draft, and they will have to make a decision on some point on what to do with the two-way contracts of Tacko Fall and Tremont Waters.
Their ideal key addition would be a sixth man-quality backup point guard, but unless the jump is substantial enough from Brad Wanamaker, that can also be addressed in the draft. Depth on the wing would be nice for a Cs team that lost Gordon Hayward for various stretches this season–including the postseason.
Then there’s the tricky issue of the big-man situation. After the utter domination Boston displayed against Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the playoffs, it is safe to say that the center spot is effectively held down by the platoon of Daniel Theis, Enes Kanter, Robert Williams, and Grant Williams.
That said, if there is an obvious upgrade available, it wouldn’t be difficult to clear up roster space via trade of one of their low-salaried pivots.
Here are 5 players–a combination of wings/guards and bigs that the Boston Celtics should target with their mid-level exception:
D.J. Augustin, PG
A clear-cut upgrade at the backup point guard position would be the jump from career-journeyman Brad Wanamaker to former lottery pick D.J. Augustin, who is just one year older than the current Boston backup. The Magic floor general saw his shooting numbers fall a bit this past season after losing his starting role, but he was still able to maintain a scoring average above 10 points and around four to five assists per game.
Just last season he shot the 3-pointer at a 42 percent clip in four attempts per game. That sort of marksmanship would be welcomed on a Boston Celtics bench that was ranked the third-worst on 3-point efficiency (31 percent).
Justin Holiday, SG/SF
If you were to find a more idealized version of the role Javonte Green was assigned to for the Celtics in 2019-20, you’d land on a player like Justin Holiday. After seven years of being a mostly defensive-oriented utilityman, Holiday has become a 40 percent 3-point shooter for Indiana.
The Pacers don’t own his bird rights, which means they have no competitive advantage for his services. If he is looking to become a role player for a contender, Beantown would be a welcoming fit.
Avery Bradley, PG/SG
This may be a bit sentimental, but Avery Bradley can still hoop and contributed greatly to a Los Angeles Lakers team that has had backcourt difficulties since the former Celtic opted out of the Lake Buena Vista bubble in Walt Disney World.
While he wouldn’t have the same starting role in Boston, he would be a good influence on the glut of young guards the Celtics have drafted in recent years and he’d form quite the defensive backcourt with Marcus Smart off the bench…assuming their core remains intact.
Paul Millsap, PF/C
While he still serves as a starter on a Denver Nuggets team that is still in contention (although that statement may depend on how you feel about their Game 1 walloping by LA), Paul Millsap isn’t likely to have a robust market when he hits free agency after this offseason.
The teams with cap space (Atlanta, New York, Charlotte) have no need to spend big on an undersized and aging big man who is approaching the twilight years of his career. Contenders with limited money to spend make more sense for a veteran who shot a blistering 43 percent on 3-pointers in 2019-20.
With the Nuggets set to feel the sting of Jamal Murray’s extension and potentially pricey new deals for Mason Plumlee, Monte Morris, and/or P.J. Dozier, Millsap could be had this offseason for cheap. If that is the case, he is a justifiable veteran frontcourt presence that could either be a small-ball center or a true power forward in Brad Stevens’ lineup.
Aron Baynes, C
While he may seem foreign because of his beardless face, that clean-shaven bloke in the above photo is Australian center Aron Baynes back during his days playing for the title-winning San Antonio Spurs. Of course, Boston Celtics fans known Baynes as the Dothraki-looking brute who cleaned up the glass and intimidated opposing rim-runners the past two years at the TD Garden for the home team.
Like Millsap, Baynes is a very easily justifiable expense. He may be offered more on the open market, but if Ainge could convince Baynes to return on a one-year deal to maximize his stats with the coach that turned him into a respectable 3-point shooter–before cashing out in 2021 free agency–Boston would embrace the return of the Aussie.