The Celtics are expected to reduce salary and possibly move away from being title contenders next season in the wake of Jayson Tatum‘s Achilles tear, but ESPN’s Brian Windhorst suggests a more aggressive strategy, relays Brian Robb of MassLive. In a Thursday morning appearance on Get Up, Windhorst stated that Boston could still be in a good position to trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo if the Bucks star decides he wants to remain in the Eastern Conference.
“I think Boston was more interesting before the devastating Tatum injury because I don’t know what you can possibly get from Jayson Tatum next year,” Windhorst said. “Before that, I think that was a real conversation and maybe it still could be.”
Robb analyzes the possibility of an Antetokounmpo deal, noting that it wouldn’t be feasible unless the Celtics can cut roughly $20MM in salary and get below the second apron. That can happen either before a trade with Milwaukee or as part of the deal if Boston can find a third or fourth team willing to absorb unwanted contracts.
Once they’re free from the second apron restrictions, the Celtics can aggregate salaries, likely starting with Jaylen Brown‘s $53.1MM for next season, which nearly matches Antetokounmpo’s $54.1MM. From there, Robb states it would be a matter of determining which players the Bucks like enough to part with their perennial MVP candidate.
Robb doesn’t think Milwaukee would be interested in a reunion with Jrue Holiday or in taking on Kristaps Porzingis‘ expiring contract. He suggests Payton Pritchard‘s team-friendly deal might inspire the Bucks and wonders if the Celtics could be willing to part with Derrick White if they can take back a similar player from another team in the trade.
There’s more from Boston:
- The trade market leaguewide and for the Celtics should heat up after the conclusion of the NBA Finals, Robb says in a mailbag column. He notes that draft assets will likely be part of any deals involving the league’s bigger names, so teams will want to get those trades finalized before the draft starts June 25. In the same piece, Robb states that if Boston is limited to veteran’s minimum contracts to fill out its roster, Jae’Sean Tate and Taurean Prince could be appealing additions.
- With three years and $104.4MM left on his contract, Holiday is the most obvious player for the Celtics to move this summer, observes Danny Leroux of The Athletic. Leroux acknowledges a risk for any team thinking about taking on Holiday’s contract and states that he would be willing to include the No. 28 pick in the draft as a sweetener. Leroux’s recommendations for the Celtics include trading Holiday, re-signing veteran center Al Horford, along with Luke Kornet if possible, listening to trade offers for Brown and White, and seeing if they can work out an extension with Porzingis.
- Once the major deals involving Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant are worked out, the remaining trade market could work to the Celtics’ advantage, per Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe (subscription required).
Giannis trade talk
June – July 6
Durant trade talk
July 6 – July 15
Holiday trade talk
July 10 – July 20
Sillivan unexplainable and non transcribed posts – Jan 1 – Dec 31.
Surprised to see all these rumors about trading Derek White. He’s got a team friendly deal for the next several years 4 years. Without Derek White (and Jrue Holiday), what’s the backcourt?
Celtics fans care to comment?
I wouldn’t trade White, but when you see the haul the Nets got for Bridges, how could you not think about it?
I don’t get all these celtics trade scenarios. I think I’ve seen every current Celt be mentioned in a rumor… like it’s so easy to reassemble a title caliber roster a year later…
@aristotle, @Ghost:
As usual, I can’t reply to aristotle (smh), but Arthur Hill not only misstates what Tatum’s injury was but also what Robb wrote (the quote from the article really doesn’t rise to the level of a “trade White” rumor):
“Would Derrick White become a possibility if the Celtics had more coming back from the Bucks or other teams in the deal than just Antetokounmpo? These are the tough questions Boston would need to ask internally upon considering getting involved in these types of trade talks.”
Keep White and Jaylen. I like Jrue, but his contract and age merit a trade. KP should go. You’ll never see Giannis in Boston unless they can unload those two and Hauser and let Horford and Kornet leave. But I would try and keep Kornet.
Tatum tore Achilles not ACL.
Anyone that considers BRobb a reliable source for trade rumors shouldn’t be allowed to write NBA articles.
EVERY year the Celtics are the team mentioned as targets for every available player and they are according to the same people ALWAYS considering trading the best players on their team for a bag of peanuts.
The fact that anyone suggests the Celtics are considering trading Derrick White should be your immediate red flag that its fluffernutter.
Of course you’re ignoring the important context having to do with the second apron. They were going to have to dump some salary even before the Tatum injury. No team on a earth, including the Celtics, is going to foot a huge tax bill for a fringy playoff team.
It really isn’t about the tax. It’s about the non-financial penalties that would make it more or less impossible for the front office to maneuver.
It’s both.
@Bleedingreen
If you read the linked article, Robb doesn’t actually suggest that the Celtics are considering trading White. But it’s a comprehensive analysis of how the Celtics could potentially trade for Giannis IF he wanted to become a Celtic.
IMO if Giannis decides to leave the Bucks, it will only be to a team that can immediately be a legit contender. With Tatum even in the best case scenario missing most of next season and having to trade Brown as the major part of a potential deal, realisticallyy there’s not much chance of that happening.
The Warriors have a way better chance of acquiring Giannis than Boston does. This article writer does not know ball.
Scottie & Quickley with 3 firsts for Giannis.
@Farcry
The Raptors won 30 games with those 2 overpaid/mediocre starters (Barnes $38.6 mil, Quickley $32.5 mil – with 4-5 years left on those contracts), neither of which avgd 20 ppg.
There’s zero chance that the Bucks or Giannis would be interested in that proposal.
Well you know everything….
The Giannis bidding starts at 5 first rounders, including the ones Portland owns, and a young star. The Bucks aren’t moving Giannis before 2027 otherwise.
JB is a good player, but… Giannis is one of the greatest players ever!
The fact that their salaries match is testimony of BOS bad management, so JB would be a nice appetiser for Giannis before adding 5-6 first round picks and a few other good players, then we have ourselves a trade.
BOS always seems to want to get the best players for their mediocre ones, ain’t working like that folks!