Rajon Rondo is on his way to Dallas, and while one group of Celtics fans reaches for the tissue box and another is ready to buy a round for everyone at the bar to celebrate, it’s back to work for Danny Ainge and the rest of Boston’s front office.
Regardless of where you fall on the trade that sent the polarizing point guard over to the Western Conference, it’s done, and it is now time to move on for the Celtics. That being sad, within the emotional roller coaster that comes with trading such a pivotal piece of the franchise, there are finer details of the trade that are worth paying attention to. Here are some of those finer details and what they mean for Boston going forward.
1. This is the final year of Brandan Wright’s contract: Just like Rajon Rondo, Brandan Wright, the centerpiece of the return the Celtics received from the Mavericks, is in the final year of his contract. This means that if the Celtics like what they see in him for the rest of the season, they will have to compete with the rest of the NBA to re-sign the 27-year-old center.
This presents a sort of catch-22 for the Celtics. If Wright is able to breakout in his increased role with Boston, he will certainly demand a hefty contract this offseason. Wright is a lengthy 6’10” center whose athleticism helps him to contribute on both ends of the court. Wright’s combination of athleticism and rim protection could warrant him a nice deal this offseason if he proves he can continue his current production while playing more minutes every night.
If Wright does not breakout, at least to some extent, or chooses to sign elsewhere this offseason, then what did the Celtics really get in return for Rajon Rondo? Crowder is a nice role player, but it will be difficult to sell this deal long term if all Boston got in return is Crowder, Jameer Nelson and a protected first round pick.
Brandan Wright is an underrated player who Celtics fans will be surprised by, but even if he breaks out when given more playing time, the Celtics are going to have to pay to keep him.
2. The Celtics received a sizeable trade exception: Reportedly, Danny Ainge did some clever maneuvering to obtain a $12.9 million Traded Player Exception in the Rondo trade. The Cs did this by using past trade exceptions to absorb the contracts coming in from Dallas, and thus obtaining an exception for Rondo’s contract.
The Celtics used Keith Bogans $5.3 million exception to absorb Wright’s $5 million deal, and Joel Anthony’s exception worth $3.8 million to absorb Nelson’s $2.7 million salary. Crowder’s $915k could have been absorbed by one or both of these exceptions, as the details are still being sorted. The Cs will have one year to use the TPE before it expires.
Why does this matter?
It essentially means Boston will be able to absorb $12.9 million in additional salary in a trade they make with another team. They could use it to trade some of their draft picks for a player whose salary is equal to or less than the $12.9 million, without giving up another player, or Ainge could use it in a sign-and-trade scenario for a free agent this offseason.
3. The 1st round pick from the Mavericks will not likely come in the 2015 draft: Here’s what Adrian Wojnarowski reported on the draft pick heading to the Celtics:
“Unless the Mavericks miss the playoffs in 2015, the first-round pick going to Boston will likely come in the 2016 draft. The 2015 first-round pick is protected from picks 1-3 and 15-30. From 2016 to 2020, the pick is protected until No. 7 in the draft, sources said.”
It is a bit of a letdown that the pick coming to Boston is protected, but it was likely going to land in the middle to late first round. All this note means is that it will most likely come in the 2016 draft, where the Celtics now have four first round picks.
The Celtics now have six draft picks in the next two drafts, but don’t expect them to make all of them. Boston could package a few of their many picks in a trade for an impact player, or package a couple picks together to move up in the draft to get a player they really like
4. Jameer Nelson has a player option for next season: While Jameer Nelson is certainly not part of the Celtics future plans, Celtics fans may have to get use to watching him play for at least the rest of this year and maybe next year if he accepts his player option. That is unless Danny Ainge trades him to another team.
On the one hand, you would think maybe Jameer would decline his player option, not wanting to play with the Celtics young core so late in his career, but considering that he is having the worst season of his career, he could very well cash in on his $3.25 million option. Even with Nelson opting in, the Cs will have cap space this offseason.
5. The Celtics released Vitor Faverani: The Celtics needed to clear a roster spot after taking on an additional contract from the Mavericks, and decided to waive Faverani. Faverani was on his way back to playing, but would not find many minutes in the Celtics rotation given Boston’s frontcourt depth after acquiring Brandan Wright.
6. More deals are to come: There’s no doubt that Danny Ainge is not finished. He’s going to continue to push buttons and attempt to turn some of his veterans into young assets. I would expect Brandon Bass is the next to go. The Celtics frontcourt is now even more crowded with Bass, Wright, Sullinger, Olynyk and Zeller.
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