By moving a few players around in the hours leading up to the NBA trade deadline, Brad Stevens and the Celtics’ front office did most of the heavy lifting for the season, and accomplished the biggest and most challenging goal: getting out of the luxury tax.
The fact that they were able to achieve that without trading away meaningful assets or making the team meaningfully worse (it’s debatable whether swapping Anfernee Simons for Nikola Vucevic was an upgrade or not) is very impressive, but the work isn’t completely done.
NBA rules dictate that teams can’t carry fewer than 14 players on their active roster for more than 14 consecutive days. The Cs were carrying 14 ahead of the deadline, they sent out Simons, Josh Minott, Chris Boucher, and Xavier Tillman Sr., and only added Vucevic, bringing the total to just 11 players on the roster.
They immediately converted second-round rookie Amari Williams’ two-way contract, making him the 12th player, but that still leaves them two short. Thursday will mark two weeks from the deadline, which means Boston is running out of time. They are going to have to make at least two moves in the next 24 hours or so.
Celtics can convert two-way players
The most likely and perhaps smartest approach would be for the Cs to do exactly what they did with Amari, and convert a couple more two-way players to full-timers. Ron Harper Jr. has balled out in the G League and has had a few nice appearances for the big club lately, making him an obvious candidate.
Max Shulga is another option, as the Celts drafted him late in the second round. And the other option is Jon Tonje, whom they acquired on a two-way from Utah in the Boucher deal. There’s no harm in signing either of them to a standard minimum contract for the rest of the season, likely with a non-guaranteed team option for next year.
Celtics can look to free agency and buyout market
If Boston doesn’t want to convert two more two-way guys, they can sign a veteran off the street. The buyout market hasn’t been super active yet, but there are a few options and guys who have been sitting at home or playing in other leagues.
There aren’t any obvious names that jump out, but the Celtics rarely make obvious moves, so don’t be surprised if Brad and his crew have been eyeing a certain free agent that we haven’t even considered yet.
Celtics can cycle through 10-day contracts
The other option is for the Celtics to push this problem forward and bring in a player or two on a 10-day contract. This would satisfy the rule while allowing Boston to keep flexibility in case a player they fancy hits the buyout market later.
That’s a reasonable option, and there’s no harm in giving guys these short deals to see if it’s anything worth pursuing. That could end up leading to a full contract, or they could keep experimenting with different players until something sticks.Â
This option really just buys them time, as they can continue considering their two-way options and the buyout market while adhering to the league rules and also keeping the team’s salary below the luxury tax. A win/win/win scenario, and perhaps the path we’ll most likely see.