The Boston Celtics have very little wiggle room this offseason in terms of cap space. Trading Kemba Walker helped a bit, but still didn’t completely resolve the issue.
Brad Stevens still has to re-sign Evan Fournier which will likely take up $12-$18 million. Past that, he still has to fill out the rest of the roster with quality NBA players.
Semi Ojeleye, Luke Kornet, Tremont Waters, and Tacko Fall are all free agents. While Waters and Fall were two-way players, that still leaves two roster spots that need to be filled.
However, there isn’t much financial flexibility to work with. In all likelihood, Stevens will have to find minimum contract players.
The Cs are clearly looking to compete as soon as possible. After a down year like last season, the goal should be to make a serious playoff run.
Stevens has made it clear that the goal is to get older instead of younger. This means that signing players to veteran minimum contracts could be the plan.
Ideally, filling out the guard rotation should be the main priority. However, if there are some solid wings available for cheap, the Boston Celtics should pounce on that opportunity as well.
It’s all about finding the most impactful players for cheap. Players such as Cameron Payne are the perfect example of this.
While the Cs may not be able to find a diamond in the rough as successful as that, they can still find quality veteran players. Lucky for them, there are some decent options available this offseason.
Point guard option for Boston Celtics No. 1) Ish Smith
This move would be similar to the Evan Fournier trade in the sense that the Boston Celtics would be bringing in a player who routinely plays super well against them.
Ish Smith always manages to put up big-time numbers against the Cs. Well, one way to stop that would be to sign him themselves.
Despite being 6-0, he plays a great style of basketball that could really help the shamrocks. He’s one of the fastest players in the league and has solid playmaking skills.
Jaylen Brown recently stated that he wants the Boston Celtics to run the floor more next season.
Smith would certainly help out with that wish.
On top of that, he is a good 3-point shooter that can find the open man as well. He didn’t get a ton of playing time last year but made an impact when he did.
Smith averaged 6.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.9 assists last season. He shot 43.4 percent from the field and 36.7 percent from deep.
At nearly 33-years-old his veteran presence is exactly what Brad Stevens is looking for. He will be going into his 12th NBA season and has played for 11 different franchises.
He most likely wouldn’t get a ton of minutes, but would certainly be an upgrade to the guard rotation.
Better yet, he could probably be signed for a veteran minimum contract.
Point guard option for Boston Celtics No. 2) Patty Mills
Patty Mills is a 12-year NBA veteran who has spent his last 10 seasons in San Antonio. At 32-years-old, he would be the second-oldest player on the Cs behind Al Horford (35).
Mills provides elite 3-point shooting as well as some decent ball-handling skills.
He shot 37.5 percent from deep last season and shoots 38.8 percent from that range over the course of his career.
The most promising part is that he averaged 6.3 attempts last season and still finished the year shooting above league average. That amount of shots per game would rank fourth on the Celtics last year.
He averaged 10.8 points last season in 68 games with the Spurs. He also pulled down 1.7 rebounds and dished out 2.4 assists.
The biggest downside to signing Mills is that he is only 6-1. Boston has a rough history with undersized point guards but, in a limited role, he could be the perfect role player.
He would join a point guard rotation of Marcus Smart and Payton Pritchard. Though he would likely be the third-string guard out of that trio, he would still provide decent backup minutes.
Mills is an immediate upgrade over Carsen Edwards and could easily play more minutes.
Point guard option for Boston Celtics No. 3) Austin Rivers
This trade technically sees a former Celtic return to Boston, although he never played a game with the Cs. His combo guard abilities fit in perfectly.
He spent time with the Knicks and Nuggets this past season. Although he only played 36 total games, Rivers played incredibly in the playoffs.
Rivers averaged 9.2 points in 10 playoff games and nine starts. He shot 43.5 percent from the field and 41.3 percent from 3-point range.
His hot shooting helped the Nuggets clinch some tough wins over the Trail Blazers in round one. Rivers’ scrappy defense and solid playmaking add to his overall value as well.
At 6-4, Rivers can play both the one and the two. This means Boston’s guard rotation would consist of him, Smart, Pritchard, Jaylen Brown, and Evan Fournier.
Despite being only 28-years-old, Rivers is heading into his tenth NBA season. His veteran leadership off the bench would certainly help guide some of the younger players on the team.
In addition, having a versatile, gritty guard such as Rivers on the roster helps the team in general. By moving away from younger players, the team knows exactly what to expect from their bench.
Rivers would play a fairly large role on the team due to his ability to help on the defensive end.
Hopefully, there isn’t too large of a market for him so the Cs can get him on a cheap contract.