The NBA offseason if officially upon us. With the Milwaukee Bucks taking down the Phoenix Suns in six games last night, things are going to start picking up very soon. While it isn’t necessarily a huge area of interest considering the Boston Celtics have only one pick, the NBA Draft is set to take place only eight days from now, with free agency following only a few days later.
It’s well established now that this is an extremely important offseason for the Boston Celtics. After a very disappointing season, expectations will be high for the Celtics to put together an aggressive offseason that looks to put this team back on a championship path.
That will be easier said than done however. The Celtics will basically be sitting on the sidelines for free agency, and traded away their first round pick in the draft to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The only thing they have going for them is a few trade exceptions (more on that in a minute) that should be used to help revamp their second unit.
With that being said, there are going to have to be some big decisions made this offseason to help get the Boston Celtics back on the right track. Let’s take a look at three of them, starting with the previously mentioned trade exemptions.
Boston Celtics Big Decision No. 3: What to do with Trade Exemptions
The C’s main resource for bringing in new talent this offseason is going to be their list of trade exemptions. They have a few smaller ones, but their biggest one is the $11 million exemption that is left over from the Gordon Hayward sign-and-trade from last offseason.
Since Boston is significantly over the cap, these trade exemptions will allow them to sneak a few new players onto the roster without creating salary cap chaos. The question is what will the team do with them.
We already saw a large chunk of Hayward’s get used on Even Fournier, but $11 million allows the C’s to pick up a cheap role player, which they certainly didn’t have enough of last season. After trading away Kemba Walker, the Celtics have an obvious need at guard, but a lot of the targets that fall in this salary threshold consist of big men or off ball forwards.
One of the more popular targets here would be Larry Nance Jr. of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Nance profiles as a hybrid forward/center guy who can both rebound and shoot the ball well, which are two areas of need for Boston. His $10.6 million salary fits right into the exemption, and he would be a great fit in Boston’s offense.
If they want to go with a guard, Tomas Satoransky of the Chicago Bulls would probably be the best option. Satoransky saw a sharp decline in his minutes this season, and after Chicago’s woeful finish to the season, they may be looking to unload him for picks or a different rotation player. Satoransky has hovered right around five assists per game over the past three seasons, and his playmaking would be a welcome sight for the C’s.
Regardless of what the front office decides to do with these exemptions, they are the best way for Boston to acquire talent this offseason. Boston will be active on the trade market, and what they end up doing with their trade exemptions is going to have a big impact on how their offseason goes.
Boston Celtics Big Decision No. 2: Should they resign Evan Fournier?
The Celtics knew what they were getting into when they traded for Evan Fournier at the trade deadline, and now that his contract is up, they are going to have to decide whether they want to extend the 28 year old Frenchman or not.
Fournier certainly didn’t have the best tenure with the Celtics, considering he probably spent as much time in COVID protocols as he did on the court. And even when he was on the court, Fournier’s play could only be described as erratic at best. It seemed like you were only going to get a 20 point outing or an 0 for however many shots he took game, with nothing in between.
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And now, Boston needs to decide whether they want to resign Fournier or not. It would feel like a waste after Fournier took up a large chunk of the Hayward trade exemption to not resign him, but you also don’t want to throw money at people just to do it.
Fournier didn’t exactly do anything during his time in Boston to make people think he was worth a huge deal, but he is still most likely going to command somewhere between $15-20 million. The good news is, the wing market is filled with other options, which could drive down Fournier’s price tag. Norman Powell and Will Barton are two big names who have already opted out of their deals, and they could be joined by Josh Richardson before free agency starts.
This is a big decision for Boston. It’s not necessarily a bad idea to bring back Fournier, but there is no sense overpaying for a guy who didn’t really do much to make the team better last season. Sure there was a lot working against him, but Fournier won’t be worth the money if it gets up or around $20 million a year.
Fournier could be the Celtics sixth man next season if he resigns. He showed the potential to be a difference maker at times last season, and if the price is right, Boston should do what they can to bring him back. But if the bidding gets too high, the Celtics would be wise to play it safe and stay away from Fournier while focusing on other options.
Boston Celtics Big Decision No. 1: Should the extend Marcus Smart?
Marcus Smart is set to enter his final season on his current contract, and the Celtics should probably decide now if they want to hand him an extension before it’s too late. In an offseason where trades are going to be Boston’s best friend, Smart is probably Boston’s best trade bait, and it may be time for them to reel in the line and see what they caught.
The main reason why a decision should be made now is so you can get a return for Smart if you decide to move on from him, rather than wait and potentially lose him for nothing. By now we have probably seen the full extent of what Smart has to offer; relentless defense and inconsistent offense. If the Celtics want to wait and see what Smart does this season before deciding, that’s probably not a good sign.
Smart’s current contract is a four year deal for $52 million, which averages out to $13 million a season. It’s safe to assume Smart is going to want a raise, and he’s probably looking for something between $16-20 million a season. Based on what we have seen, especially last season, is Smart really worth that amount of money?
Boston may be better off looking to move Smart now while he still has a year on his deal rather than potentially pushing it off to during the season when his value will be lower. Smart is still just 27 years old and if he isn’t in his prime yet, he is set to enter it within the next year or so. Yes he has his limitations offensively, but there probably aren’t five better defensive guards in the league.
Then again, keeping him is certainly an option too. The Celtics already have a lack of guard depth, so while deal away their top guard on the roster. Smart is the anchor of this Celtics team, and maybe it’s worth seeing whether or not he could handle the role of primary ballhandler in this offense.
Personally, I believe now is the time to deal Smart. You already know what he’s going to provide, so there’s no sense waiting until next season to see what he does. His value most likely won’t get any higher than it is right now, so you may as well get something in return while you can.
Whatever decision is made, the time to make it is now. There’s no point in waiting any longer to decide whether Smart is a part of the Celtics future. The Celtics have gotten themselves into this situation by lacking aggression, and if they continue that trend with Smart, they could be kicking themselves again if it comes back to bite them.