The Celtics remain title favorites after a busy offseason around the league but there is still a little work to be done finalizing the roster. With Summer League in progress and the Olympics on the horizon, let’s get to a jam-packed mailbag. If you have questions about the Celtics or NBA, email brobb@masslive.com or tweet @briantrobb
I know this is not ideal, but couldn’t Boston get below the second apron by offloading Payton Pritchard and Jaden Springer for picks and signing Anton Watson and another minimum salary player (with low or no years of service) to the active roster (14 spots filled)? Springer has real potential and nobody wants to trade Pritchard, but could that be an option in Brad’s back pocket in order to keep the core six together a year longer? — Finn
Technically, the Celtics could try to offload some salary to dodge the second apron but in all honesty, it wouldn’t solve a lot of their future problems from a spending standpoint. They would still be a luxury tax team this year even with those cuts and that matters next season when the repeater tax come into play for the first time with enhanced penalties for teams like Boston that will have paid the tax for three straight seasons. Boston would be able to dodge some of the basketball penalties imposed by the second apron but would that really be worth giving up a rotation player for a undrafted rookie. Pritchard had enough of an impact this past season where the answer is no in my mind. The Celtics should be maximizing their ability to contend and win now since it’s only going to get tougher with every year going forward as bigger salaries start to phase in.
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Is JD Davidson really this bad defensively? For such an athletic freak, he gets blown by a ton and seems to ball watch and lose his guy too often off the ball. Is this normal for him or just a summer league aberration?
Thanks,
Matt D
The defense has certainly not been a strong suit in Las Vegas so far but I think that’s a result of his size limitations more than anything else. Davison works hard but his size makes him an easy candidate to get stuck on screens and it’s not easy for most guards to keep quicker guys in front of them unless you are Jrue Holiday or Derrick White. For a 21-year-old, there’s obviously plenty of room for growth on this end but I wouldn’t expect there to be a ton of defensive upside for him in his career given his limitations. If he can get better on the offball stuff, that will eventually increase his odds of earning a 15-man roster spot in Boston or elsewhere. Overall, this has been a good Summer League for him though from a development standpoint offensively.
what is stopping Brad from extending Hauser to maintain control of the asset? is it Hauser wanting to bet on himself and not accepting a lowball offer by Brad? like say 4yr/$48mill — CFBHOOPS
The Hauser extension stuff is worth keeping an eye on. I would say based on how the free agent market has shaped up so far this July, it helps the Celtics’ negotiating position. Not a ton of teams are using their full mid-level exceptions and you have guys like Gary Trent Jr. and Taurean Prince that are settling for veteran minimum contracts after being offers faded away. Even a playoff-proven guy like Caleb Martin didn’t get $10 million per year. Hauser’s size and shooting prowess is better than all of those guys but realistically his best chance of getting paid remains in Boston rather than the open market. I wouldn’t go higher than the mid-level if I was Boston and while Hauser could certainly do much better than that with another great season, locking in long-term money for a role player is likely a priority given his modest current deal. The unpredictability of the market and/or a down year could leave him with a tighter market than expected next summer.
Besides the trip to Abu Dhabi to face the Nuggets, any other tidbits of info about the C’s preseason schedule? Also, any guesses for Ring Night opponent? (My guess is New York) — Brooks
Nothing yet on preseason games, would expect to be a pretty modest schedule given the travel involved to Abu Dhabi. Would imagine some of it starts to leak out in the next few weeks. I would bet on the 76ers or Knicks as the ring night opponent since an Eastern Conference Finals rematch with the Pacers wouldn’t quite have the same buzz after this offseason.
If Brissett does not return, can you name a couple veterans on the market that could be camp tryouts? Did Moses Brown catch Brad’s eye at Summer League? — Matt
At this point, I don’t think the Celtics will be bringing in more veterans for camp tryouts beyond guys we’ve seen in Summer League. They will reportedly be bringing in Ron Harper Jr. on a camp deal and perhaps 1-2 other Summer League standouts could get a nod. If another injury hits the front court, another big could be signed outright as added depth but I wouldn’t expect Moses Brown to get a look at this point since you have a better version of him in Neemias Queta at this point.
Realistically, can a loaded team line the Celtics repeat as NBA champions next season? Or might the journey have too many twists and turns along the way? — Ed H
I think it will be a far tougher path than last year based on the opposition and injuries but the Celtics are certainly built to do it. Everyone outside of Al Horford is still in their prime with this group with the team’s best two players still improving. Other teams around the East are loading up from a talent standpoint but they are still a step below the Celtics at full strength. If Kristaps Porzingis doesn’t come back like the guy we saw last year, things could get dicey in the front court but Boston has earned the rights to be favorites again after how they dominated their competition last year.
Did Jay Scrubb sign with the Celtics? I saw a report out there can you confirm this. Is there anyone in Summer League management is really high on? — Michael P
Checked in about this after his agency posted something. Nothing is officially done with the Celtics yet but there is interest in getting something done. Would be a cool story for him to get a chance again after suffering such a brutal injury during preseason. Would expect him to try to find a two-way deal somewhere but he may have to show he’s back first physically in the G-League. A lot of rave reviews so far in Summer League on Anton Watson, especially with his defense.
Hello Brian. Which summer league player on the big roster do you think gets playing time in the regular season? Scheierman? Springer? Watson? Besides Queta, who will for sure. Should they sign Brissett or Svi back if they don’t find more playing time on another team/more money? — TruthFaustino
My bet right now would be Springer or Watson if more front court injuries hit. Scheierman definitely has shown good feel for the game but the shots have to start falling. Springer and Watson’s defense could end up being valuable in certain lineups when Boston is already down a couple bodies. I don’t think Svi will be back after the drafting of Scheiermann but the door should remain open for Brissett if he doesn’t like other options.
