In order to get under the second apron, the Boston Celtics need to shed roughly $20 million in salary, but if they want to re-sign Luke Kornet as well, they will have to offload much more than that. And considering Kristaps Porzingis is a likely candidate to be traded and Al Horford’ future is surrounded by question marks, re-signing Kornet has never been more important.
Kornet enjoyed a breakout season with the Celtics this past year, including a monumental Game 5 performance to keep their season alive against the New York Knicks in the second round. But now, he’s an unrestricted free agent.
And Boston has some tough decisions to make.
Why the Celtics need to get below the second apron
A few months back, current Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck went on the radio and stated that, in the next 40 years, he doesn’t think any team in the NBA will stay in the second apron for more than two years.
"You can't stay in the second apron," Grousbeck said on The Greg Hill Show. "Nobody will. I predict for the next 40 years of the CBA no one's gonna stay in the second apron more than two years."
Well, the Celtics have been in that spot for two years in a row already.
Should they remain a second-apron team for a third season, the CBA will come crashing down on their heads with a bunch of different penalties that will impinge their ability to effectively build out their roster.
Combine that with the enormous luxury tax bill that comes with it, and trades to shed salary seem inevitable.
Why re-signing Luke Kornet is so important
Porzingis’ roughly $30.7 million salary may be moved, and the same can be said for Jrue Holiday and his $32.4 million. Then, if Horford decides to retire, the Celtics would be left with Neemias Queta as their starting center. Even if Horford returns, Queta will be the full-time backup.
That’s where Kornet comes in.
Kornet was a perfect connector for the Celtics this past season, giving them impressive minutes on both ends of the floor. On offense, his passing out of the short roll and offensive rebounding added some juice to Boston’s offense. And defensively, his shot-blocking was a huge part of the team’s success.
He looked poised to play even more minutes for the Celtics next season, but they need to re-sign him first. And in order to re-sign him, they’ll need to clear way more than the $20 million most people see as the magic number they need to shed.