The Celtics, as well as the rest of the NBA, are waiting for some clarity in the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes that appear to be delaying the rest of the offseason’s activity. That’s the main order of business, but once that’s settled, Boston has quite a few other matters to attend to.
One of those that stands at the forefront is the status of breakout center Neemias Queta. Neemy had a great season in Boston, emerging as an above-average starter center in his first real opportunity and proving he’s a worthwhile investment for the future.
The only problem is that the Celtics are likely going to try to stay below the luxury tax line for a second straight season, resetting the dreaded repeater tax. So, from a financial standpoint, it would make sense for Boston to pick up Queta’s $2.67 million team option.
But the issue with that is it would mean letting Neemy hit free agency next season, whereas they could otherwise decline his option and bring him back on a team-friendly deal. John Hollinger of The Athletic and a former Grizzlies executive released his free-agent rankings and had Queta at 8th overall in a category titled "More than MLE, less than Max."
Celtics could extend Queta and still duck the tax
That’s a wide range, but the simple takeaway is that Hollinger has Neemy valued at more than $15 million a year, and, in fact, by his own BORD metric, he had Queta at $25.64 million in annual value. That number may be jarring to Celtics fans and would be a tough ask for the front office, but that’s the reality of how well Queta played last season.
Luckily, there may be a bit of a middle ground where both sides can be happy. By declining the option and extending Queta, the Cs would be doing him a bit of a favor, allowing him to get paid a year early. In return, they’d ask that he take somewhat of a lower deal - Hollinger suggested something in the range of four-years and $65-$70 million.
That would lock Big Neem up for the rest of the decade, paying him roughly $17-$18 million a season, a relative bargain for a starting center. That discount could also afford the Celtics the opportunity to stay under the tax. It would be tacking on about $15 million for Queta, but they’d be removing $20+ million by letting Nikola Vucevic go.
Add in the rise in the cap, and Boston could definitely make that work and still have some wiggle room to play with some of their mid-level exception in free agency. It wouldn’t stop them from doing any other deals, and it would be a good piece of business to lock up their promising young big man. It won’t be easy to toe the line, but if it’s possible, they should try to get it done.
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