It's been a busy day in Boston, and that's not even counting the doubleheader between the Red Sox and Yankees. You can head over to MLB Trade Rumors for baseball news, but we've got the Celtics covered right here. Already today they've reached an agreement with Jeff Green, and we've heard that negotiations between C's restricted free agent big man Greg Stiemsma and the Timberwolves are on hold, perhaps allowing Boston a chance to woo him back. Stiemsma's agent, however, says his client prefers the Timberwolves and is willing to be patient with them, according to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune (Twitter link). Here's more of what we're hearing:
- The Celtics are "scrambling to add depth" at shooting guard with Ray Allen now in Miami, says Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com, though that pursuit may be tempered by the news that Avery Bradley is still targeting a return by training camp, as Forsberg reports.
- As Forsberg points out, the Celtics can't match any offer for Stiemsma even though he's a restricted free agent. The Celtics have Stiemsma's non-Bird rights, having employed him for only one season, and can pay him no more than his qualifying offer of about $1.05MM next year, unless they use the bi-annual exception to pay him $1.957MM. The length of the non-Bird deal can be four years, with 4.5% annual raises, and the bi-annual exception allows two years with a 4.5% raise in the second year. The Wolves may not have room for Stiemsma if they wind up signing Batum, but their interest in Stiemsma appears to be contingent on whether they get Batum anyway.
