Boston Celtics: Is Dewayne Dedmon a potential target?
By James Carson
With Avery Bradley on his way to Detroit, the Boston Celtics now have a bit of salary cap space to work within the form of the mid-level exception.
The Boston Celtics could be utilizing their mid-level exception to bring in one more free agent now that Avery Bradley has been traded to the Detroit Pistons for Marcus Morris. Morris is making less money than Bradley this season, allowing the Celtics to both sign Gordon Hayward and use their exception to bring in one more player.
The NBA has three forms of the mid-level exception: a non-taxpayer exception for teams under the salary cap, a taxpayer exception for teams over the salary cap, and a room exception for teams too close to the salary cap to use the non-taxpayer exception. These exceptions allow teams with an extra bit of cap space to bring in a free agent and go over the luxury tax threshold without having to pay the penalty.
The Celtics will only have enough space to use the room exception, which would be a $4.328 million per year contract for two years with 4.5% raises annually. The best candidate for this exception could be free agent big man Dewayne Dedmon.
Don't be surprised if #Celtics target FA 7-footer Dewayne Dedmon. Avg'd 5.1 PTS, 6.5 REB in 76 GM for #Spurs last yr in 17.5 MPG. He's 27.
— Adam Kaufman (@AdamMKaufman) July 7, 2017
Who is Dewayne Dedmon?
Dedmon is a 27-year-old 7-footer who has been in the NBA for four seasons. He has played for four teams and saw his biggest workload last season with the San Antonio Spurs. Dedmon played 17.5 minutes per game and averaged 5.1 points on 62% shooting with 6.5 rebounds. He has never attempted a three-pointer, which would be unusual compared to other Celtics big men, but his rebounding ability outweighs his lack of outside shooting.
While 6.5 rebounds in only 17.5 minutes is impressive enough, Dedmon’s per 36 averages were 10.5 points and 13.6 rebounds, with 9.9 of those rebounds being on the defensive glass. His season high in boards was 17 against the Pistons on February 10th. Dedmon’s defensive rebounding percentage, which counts the percentage of rebounds a player pulls down while he is on the floor, was an excellent 30.6%.
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The downside
The concerns with Dedmon are that he may not live up to his per 36 numbers if he plays more minutes and that those numbers may make his value higher than the room exception number the Boston Celtics could offer him.
There is no solution to the first issue; Dedmon started 37 games for the Spurs last season and would have a good chance to start at center for the Celtics, so the team will just have to hope his rebounding numbers can carry over into an expanded role.
The second issue is likely a bigger problem. Dedmon is likely worth more than the $4.328 million room exception. He would likely take a better offer, unless he receives none, even if it comes from a non-contending team.
If Dedmon is willing to take less for a potential starting job on one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference, he would certainly be a welcome addition to the Celtics’ frontcourt.
Next: Boston Celtics rumors: C’s reportedly trading Avery Bradley to the Motor City
There are only a few possible moves left, but it seems like Dedmon’s skillset would be a big help where the Celtics are weakest.