NBA Summer League came to an end this past week as Celtics players and executives went their separate ways for the next couple of months. Boston finished Summer League with a 2-3 record leading into a quieter time in the team’s offseason after some big roster changes by Brad Stevens over the past month.
Stevens did some additional work in Las Vegas by agreeing to two-way deals with JD Davison and Summer League guard Jay Scrubb. However, between Jaylen Brown’s unresolved extension talks and potential other roster openings, there is still work to be done. Let’s take a closer look at the group that Stevens has assembled and what possibilities lie ahead this offseason.
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2023-24 Celtics projected payroll (14 players signed)
Kristaps Porzingis: $36 million
Jayson Tatum: $32.6 million
Jaylen Brown: $30.7 million
Malcolm Brogdon: $22.5 million
Derrick White: $18.1 million
Robert Williams: $11.8 million
Al Horford: $10 million
Payton Pritchard: $4 million
Luke Kornet: $2.4 million (non-guaranteed)
Oshae Brissett: $2.2 million
Dalano Banton: $2 million (partial guarantee)
Sam Hauser: $1.9 million
Justin Champagne: $1.9 million (non-guaranteed)
Jordan Walsh: $1.1 millón
JD Davison (two-way)
Jay Scrubb (two-way)
Open roster spots on 15-man roster: 1
Open two-way roster slots: 1
Total guaranteed salary: $172.3 million to 12 players
Salary cap for 2023-24: $136 million
Luxury tax line for 2023-24: $165.2 million
First Apron: $172.3 million
Second Apron: $182.7 million
Analysis: The first intriguing decision the Celtics have to make soon is with the future of Champagne, who had a mediocre run in Summer League last week. He was a late-season signing last year with Boston’s open roster spot at the very end of the regular season so he hasn’t played any meaningful minutes with the team. Champagne’s partial guarantees on his deal begin to kick in on August 1st with a $50,000 guarantee and that jumps up to $350,000 on opening night. With luxury tax penalties figured in, those guarantees are far more costly to Boston’s books than those totals indicate. Champagne could compete for a roster spot in camp with just the $50,000 guarantee but it sounds like the Celtics have bigger goals for the wing spot based on Brad Stevens’ comments last week.
“I think we’ll try to add obviously a little bit,” Stevens said of the roster. “I’d like to get a little more depth, maybe on the wing, and then also maybe with a 4/3 type. I feel pretty good about our bigs. We’ve got a couple two ways, so we’ve got some things we’re still very much looking at.”
The Celtics don’t have many options to add in free agency beyond giving out more veteran’s minimum deals. They would need to cut salary elsewhere in a trade to gain access to the taxpayer midlevel ($5 million) under the second apron so cheap deals are probably what’s left for them to spend on the open market.
Boston did add a $6.2 million trade exception in the Grant Williams sign-and-trade that could be helpful in a minor move. Whether they want to use that now or keep it as a tool for the trade deadline remains to be seen. If Boston wants to do something bigger, they will likely need to use a sizable salary with Malcolm Brogdon being an obvious candidate to be moved after his trade to the Clippers fell through last month. Stevens also has an open two-way slot to fill, likely with a big for added depth.
Boston has the ability to have 21 players on their roster entering training camp so with just 16 signed right now, there are still a lot of possibilities left. Keep an eye out for at least two more signings/trade additions to the 15-man roster along with a two-way deal to be added in the coming weeks.
