The Celtics have been battling with the salary cap all season long, trying to walk the tightrope that will allow the team to finish below the luxury tax line. This has required 10-contracts, two-way conversions, and other gymnastics, but as the calendar flips to April, the pieces of the puzzle are finally coming together.
The final steps of the process likely took place on Saturday as Charles Bassey’s second 10-day contract expired, making him a free agent. The team is out of their allotment of days to carry fewer than 14 players, so in a corresponding move, they converted Ron Harper Jr.’s two-way contract and signed him to a well-deserved, standard two-year contract.
That checks the box of filling the roster, and allows them to do so while staying under the luxury tax this season by a few thousand dollars. But they do have a 15th roster spot, and with Basseys’ solid play between summer league and what he’s shown recently, there was some thought that he may get a standard deal as well.
Warriors infatuated with former Celtics centers
But that’s not to be, as Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported on Sunday morning that C-Bass is expected to sign with the Warriors, joining other former Celtics big men Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis out in the bay.
Golden State signed Horford in the offseason, traded for KP at the deadline, and now they’re adding Bassey after 20 days with Boston. It’s an interesting strategy, but eventually, teams are going to learn that if Brad Stevens and company are done with a player, it’s probably for a good reason.
Celtics confident in their frontcourt
There were plenty of question marks around the Celtics’ center position coming into the year, but for the most part, they’ve all been answered. Neemias Queta has stepped up and become a rock-solid starting center, and Luka Garza has stepped up and done a great job as a backup big man.
The Nikola Vucevic trade bolstered the position even further, and it appears he’s set to return from his finger injury, possibly as early as Sunday.
Add that to how good Jayson Tatum has looked playing the five in bursts, and the decent play they’ve seen from second-round rookie Amari Williams, and Boston obviously feels confident enough moving forward with the guys they’ve got in the building, feeling Bassey was expendable.
They’ve tried bringing in veterans, signing Chris Boucher in the offseason, and thinking Xavier Tillman Sr. would take on a bigger role, but Neemy and Luka sufficiently outplayed both to the point they were dumped at the trade deadline for cap savings. Now, with a week left in the regular season, the Celtics seem perfectly content to bid farewell to yet another veteran big man.
We’ll see what it looks like in the playoffs, but Queta and Garza have done more than enough to earn the opportunities, and Celtics fans should feel confident based on what they’ve proven all season long, and the belief that the front office and coaching staff have shown.