Boston Celtics: 3 Cs who could be traded to create another TPE

One thing we know for certain about the new Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens is that the man loves his trade exceptions.

Danny Ainge’s 2020 offseason was one that created a bevy of trade exceptions, including a whopping $28.5 million TPE for Gordon Hayward that was used to acquire Evan Fournier mid-season this past March. It set the stage for what Stevens is doing now.

Ainge created one of the C’s three current TPEs with the Daniel Theis trade, but Stevens then created a $17 million TPE from the Fournier sign-and-trade to the New York Knicks and also produced one from offloading Tristan Thompson’s $9 million deal.

If the Cs prove to be worth a hefty tax bill by the trade deadline, Stevens will have already put himself into a position to be able to absorb several salaries in exchange for future draft considerations. They could also be used next offseason when a more robust free-agent class will hit the open market than the one we saw this summer.

So is Stevens done creating them? Perhaps not. In the interest of opening up roster spots, he could find more deals that send a contract or two out for draft considerations or non-guaranteed contracts.

Here are 3 Cs that could potentially be dealt if more TPEs are on the way:

Boston Celtics PG/SG Carsen Edwards

Simply put, a deal involving Carsen Edwards wouldn’t be made with creating a TPE in mind first and foremost because of his diminuitive salary.

Instead, opening up an immediate roster spot for a last-second free agent like Paul Millsap would be the impetus for his exit, assuming the Cs didn’t already exhaust the option of cutting Jabari Parker’s non-guaranteed salary.

Edwards’ poor Summer League finale left a bad taste in many mouths, and his inability to get his shot going two seasons into his career is mildly damning.