Hoops Rumors is in the process of looking back at each team’s offseason, from the end of the playoffs in June right up until opening night. Trades, free agent signings, draft picks, contract extensions, option decisions, camp invitees, and more will be covered, as we examine the moves each franchise made over the last several months.
Signings
Trades
- Acquired an unprotected 2015 first-round pick from the Clippers in exchange for coach Doc Rivers.
- Acquired the No. 13 pick in 2013 from the Mavericks in exchange for the No. 16 pick in 2013, the Celtics’ own 2014 second-round pick, and the Nets’ 2014 second-round pick.
- Acquired the No. 53 pick in 2013 from the Pacers in exchange for cash.
- Acquired Kris Humphries, Gerald Wallace, MarShon Brooks, Kris Joseph, Keith Bogans, three first-round picks, and the ability to swap 2017 first-round picks from the Nets in exchange for Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Jason Terry, and D.J. White. The three first-round picks acquired are for 2014 (lesser of Nets’ and Hawks’ picks), 2016 (unprotected), and 2018 (unprotected). Bogans was signed-and-traded for three years, $15.86MM (final two years non-guaranteed). Joseph was subsequently waived.
- Acquired Donte Greene from the Grizzlies in exchange for Fab Melo and cash. Greene was subsequently waived.
Draft Picks
Camp Invitees
- Chris Babb
- Damen Bell-Holter
- DeShawn Sims
- Kammron Taylor
Departing Players
Rookie Contract Option Decisions
If the Red Sox can do it, why not the Celtics? This summer, the C’s pressed the reset button on their aging core and loaded themselves up with draft picks that should put them in position to contend again in the near future. Seeing Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce move on – to divisional rivals, no less – will sting for Boston fans for quite some time, but it was an opportunity too good to pass up for team president Danny Ainge.
Garnett and Pierce were at the center of Boston’s best teams in the modern era, leading the green and white to championship gold in 2008. In the summer of 2012, the C’s decided to bring the band back together even as the pricey stars were showing their age. This time around, they really would have been pushing their luck if they decided to hang on to the duo. Sure, the Celtics could have rolled the dice one more time, but in an Eastern Conference where the Heat show no signs of slowing down, the Pacers have taken a quantum leap forward, and the Bulls have Derrick Rose back, it’s hard to imagine that Boston could have found their way to the FInals (especially with their own star guard sidelined until Christmas or later).
In the medium-to-long term, it looks like the Celtics have positioned themselves to return to prominence. In the short-term, it’s anyone’s guess. Gerald Wallace looked like a shell of himself during his tenure with the Nets, but he says that he’s healthy once again and a healthy Crash is a problem for any opponent. Kris Humphries regressed majorly in 2012/13, but he shined for the Nets in the two seasons prior to that. And even though MarShon Brooks is effectively auditioning for the Celtics after having his fourth-year option declined, the Providence product is a devastating scorer and he should have a future in Boston if he’s given enough burn to prove himself.
Garnett, Pierce, and Jason Terry weren’t the only big names to ship up out of Boston. Coach Doc Rivers did what every Northeast resident wishes they could do this time of year and bolted for the West Coast. The C’s did a good job of playing their hand and raising the price on Rivers (an unprotected 2015 first-rounder is a pretty solid haul) and it only made sense for the club to drop his top-tier salary after kickstarting the rebuilding process. In Rivers’ place, the Celtics went outside of the box and hired Butler’s Brad Stevens. Stevens may look like he’s 20 years old, but he comes with plenty of experience and, perhaps more importantly for Boston, a willingness to implement advanced analytics into his decision-making.
Stevens takes over a club that will almost certainly take a step back but still has a decent amount of talent. The C’s believed in Gonzaga forward Kelly Olynyk enough to trade up for him and aside from Victor Oladipo, no one has had more Rookie of the Year buzz. The C’s also went out and signed Italian big man Vitor Faverani to a reasonable three-year, $6.27MM pact. Faverani isn’t the smoothest offensive weapon, but he offers physical play and can run the pick-and-roll for Celtics guards for 15-20 minutes a night. Boston also rounded out the bench with undrafted guard Phil Pressey – a guy who had enough talent by some estimations to get taken late in the first round.
The Celtics won’t be in the championship mix this season, but Ainge has made it clear that the team won’t go Riggin’ For Wiggins. While they’re not a popular pick, it’s clear that there’s enough talent on this Celtics squad for them to possibly fight for one of the final seeds in the Eastern Conference. Sure, the East is deeper than it has been in years past, but are the other contenders for the No. 8 seed (think Cavs, Wizards, Pistons, etc.) locks for winning records? There’s a difference between renovating a house and leveling it and starting from scratch and the Celtics did the former. If Rondo can come back healthy before the New Year, then the Celts have a puncher’s chance at seeing the postseason.