NBA trade season officially kicked off this week on Dec. 15 as 87 percent of the league’s players are know eligible to be dealt. The Warriors kicked off the action on Sunday by landing former Celtics guard Dennis Schroder from the Brooklyn Nets in an effort to boost their backcourt but more action is expected in the days and weeks to come. A largely healthy Celtics squad isn’t expected to be busy for the time being amid a 21-5 but some tinkering on the fringes is entirely possible ahead of February’s trade deadline. Let’s take a closer look at where things stand for Brad Stevens and the front office as trade talk heats up around the league and what options the Celtics now have at their disposal.
Celtics roster (14 players)
Jaylen Brown: $49.7 million
Jayson Tatum: $34.9 million
Jrue Holiday: $30 million
Kristaps Porzingis: $29.2 million
Derrick White: $19.6 million
Al Horford: $9.5 million
Payton Pritchard: $6.7 million
Jaden Springer: $4 million
Baylor Scheierman: $2.5 million
Xavier Tillman: $2.4 million
Neemias Queta: $2.1 million
Sam Hauser: $2.1 million
Luke Kornet: $2 million
Jordan Walsh: $1.9 million
Players now eligible to be traded as of December 15th: Luke Kornet, Neemias Queta, Xavier Tillman
Analysis: All three of these players were free agents at the start of the offseason so they were ineligible to be traded until Dec. 15. Currently, the only players that can’t be dealt on Boston’s roster are Jayson Tatum and Sam Hauser after they signed extensions this past offseason.
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Players with a no-trade clause: Luke Kornet
Analysis: This is an interesting quirk of the CBA where players who re-signed with a previous team on a one year deal have to consent to a trade due to the fact they would lose their Bird Rights at the end of the season. This should not be a concern for the Celtics since Kornet is a important part of Boston’s big man rotation and isn’t going anywhere
WHAT CAN CELTICS DO WITH SECOND APRON RESTRICTIONS WITH TRADES AND SIGNINGS?
Free agent signings: The Celtics can not offer more than the veteran’s minimum to free agents. They do have an open roster spot currently but aren’t likely to fill it until far closer to the end of the season due to luxury tax penalties.
Trades: The Celtics are unable to send out cash in a trade and aggregate two or more players salaries. With salary matching, Boston can only take back 100 percent or less of the salary that they send out in a deal. The Celtics have very limited movable salary on the roster that are not key parts of the rotation. Jaden Springer ($4.2 million) is the biggest salary chip on the front.
In-season buyouts: If a player makes more than the mid-level exception ($12.8 million) and gets an in-season buyout, the Celtics will be ineligible to sign them. That means any bigger names (a la Ben Simmons) will not be eligible to sign with Boston if they end up hitting the open market in the coming weeks.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
Cost-cutting moves: The Celtics are still paying a hefty tax bill this year with one of the biggest payrolls in the NBA. Trimming down some excess salary on the roster by even a couple million of dollars would save the franchise millions more in tax savings. That makes any player making more than the minimum in the team’s rotation a candidate to be dealt. Jaden Springer is a name to watch on that front.
Where does team need depth help? Stevens added a big last trade deadline in Xavier Tillman who played valuable spot minutes in the playoffs in a couple stretches following Kristaps Porzingis injury. This year the frontcourt looks quite solid from a depth standpoint while two-way small forward Drew Peterson has seen minutes when Boston’s best shorthanded on the wing. If Peterson doesn’t eventually get a roster spot, this is a place Stevens could look to add in the coming weeks.
