With most of the NBA’s business now settled for the offseason, the focus is squarely on the restricted free agents, Jalen Duren, Peyton Watson, and Bennedict Mathurin, and, of course, last season’s big restricted free agent who still needs a home, Jonathan Kuminga. These situations have gotten ugly with teams playing hardball with their own players, but other teams not exactly sweeping them off their feet with sign-and-trade offers either.
It’s a bad situation for the players and the teams, and luckily, it’s one that the Celtics are able to completely avoid thanks to nailing their wing depth and doing a great job of extending these players before they come close to free agency.
Duren is kind of a different story, as he’s seeking a 5-year max deal, but Watson, Mathurin, and Kuminga are all solid, but not great two-way wing players seeking close to $20 million or more in average annual value on their next contract.
Sure, they are good players, but are they markedly better than the likes of Jordan Walsh, Baylor Scheierman, Sam Hauser, Ron Harper Jr., and Hugo Gonzalez? Perhaps, as of today, in a one-for-one type of comparison, you could argue that Watson is better than any backup wing on the Celtics.
Celtics have the best two-way wing depth in the NBA
But with that combination of five players, the Celtics can put just about any type of skill set on the court. And the best part is that Boston is paying roughly $22 million combined this season for all five players, with almost half of that going to Hauser alone. Watson may get a deal that pays him more than $22 million this season alone.
These types of players are some of the scarcest in the league, and they generally make good money on the open market. Every team needs guys who can slot into this role, defending at a high level and offering shotmaking or creation on the other end. There aren’t many guys who fit that mold, and somehow, the Celtics have five of them on their bench.
It’s an outstanding situation to be in and, if anything, almost creates a problem as the Celtics are going to have a hard time finding minutes for everyone this season. But that’s the beauty of having all of these guys locked up on team-friendly contracts. They can afford to play the long game a little bit, ease everyone in, experiment with different roles, and see what’s what.
With those guys backing up Jayson Tatum and Paul George, the Celtics may have the best wing room in the entire league, and they aren’t even breaking the bank to do it. It’s excellent for the team, and it’s even better when you realize it’s keeping them from getting involved in these nonsensical restricted free-agent situations that are dragging on around the NBA. Be thankful.
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