What's waiting for the Celtics this season off?



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The Celtics will be able to offer five years and $ 189 million to Irving, while the other teams will only give him four years and $ 151 million, but Irving gave no indication of what mattered, if at all. The Lakers and Knicks are among the teams that will have the salary space to pursue him, and his decision will have a domino effect on the Boston roster.

Irving had a dazzling regular season, but he fizzled against the Bucks, leaving questions about his commitment to the organization as well as his ability to be the No. 1 option of a championship-caliber team. Nevertheless, the Celtics will not turn their backs on him.

After Wednesday's defeat, Irving made no mention of his future.

"I will be honest," he said. "I'm just trying to get back to Boston first, safely, see my family, decompress, do what human beings do."

Al Horford has a $ 30 million player option in the final year of his four-year maximum contract. He could simply join it because it is unlikely that he will get such a high annual salary at the age of 33.

But he could also look for a multi-year deal that gives him increased long-term security with a lower annual salary, potentially contributing to a reduction in the Celtics' luxury tax bill if Horford decides to stay. Horford has had knee problems this season, but remains an All-Star player and second-best defenseman after Marcus Smart.

Horford seemed happy in Boston and he has great respect for Brad Stevens and Danny Ainge. But he never won a championship. Therefore, if he learns that Irving is planning to leave and it becomes unlikely that the team acquires Davis, Horford could look for a better opportunity to win.

"I mean, it's something I did not even think about," Horford said Wednesday night. "Yes, that's one of the things I enjoyed being here in Boston and waiting to see what we're going to do as a team and the steps that management will take to go from there. before."

Marcus Morris is an unrestricted free agent. He took the team with his outdoor shot to his quiet start before collapsing towards the end of the year. But Morris has been redeemed during the playoffs, when he shot 51.9% on the field and 45% on the 3-points.

The Celtics would like to get it back, but if Irving returned – and especially if Davis arrived – the luxury tax situation could make it difficult to maintain Morris, which is expected to hit about $ 10 million a year.

"I love Boston and I have the impression that they've allowed me to really introduce my game to a high level," Morris said. "M gave me the opportunity to win, go to the playoffs, really take my name and my game to a higher level."

The playmaker, Terry Rozier, is a restricted free agent. This means that Boston will be able to match any offer sheet that he signs with another team. The Celtics and Rozier camps held additional talks last fall, in the wake of Rozier's strong performance in the 2018 playoffs in place of the injured Irving. But Rozier was looking for an annual salary of about $ 18 million, which the Celtics were unwilling to offer.

Anyway, Rozier had high hopes for this season but struggled in a reduced role. He played 22.7 minutes per game in the regular season and just 18 per game in the playoffs, averaging 6.4 points and 4.3 rebounds on a 32.2% shot. Sometimes this season, Rozier clearly expressed his frustrations, as well as his hopes of becoming a starting goalie. But he was also conscientiously engaged in the role that Stevens had asked him to assume.

"Think about it really," said Rozier about the free agency. "In anticipation of a family, a person who welcomes me as a family, it will invest me fully."

If Rozier is satisfied that the Celtics will match any long-term bid sheet that he signs with another team, he could choose to win a year-long financial success and sign a qualifying offer of $ 4.3 million, making him an unrestricted free agent after next season. If Irving goes away, though, Rozier might be able to get the contract and the role he was looking for in Boston.

Jaylen Brown, 22, will begin the final year of his contract with the rookies and will be eligible for an extension this fall. The Celtics have not engaged a player in a rookie extension since Rajon Rondo in 2009, but Brown appears to be a likely candidate. After the return of Gordon Hayward, he sometimes struggled to reduce his role in combat, but he progressed further and further, shooting more than 50% of the points after the break of the all-star game and during the playoffs.

"He's tested me," Brown said. "It has put me to the test mentally, physically, and when challenged, it is where growth occurs that I am uncomfortable. I had to adapt, my role changed, my responsibility changed. I had to adapt it in different ways.

Hayward struggled for much of the year as he returned from the ankle injury he had suffered during the opening game of the 2017-18 season. He began to find a rhythm towards the end of the regular season before being shy and worried against the Bucks. Hayward is under contract for next season and will then have a player option for the final year of his four-year contract.

"I'm just excited to be able to participate in a off-season without having to deal with an injury or rehab," Hayward said. "With the work I'm going to put, it will be a difficult season really hard for me, and I can not wait to tackle that."

Striker Jayson Tatum, who had not taken the second year of celebrity fame that some had expected, has another two years on his rookie contract. Tatum will inevitably come in over rumors of Davis' trade and could become the main element of this potential deal. But the Celtics will do everything in their power to keep it out of the way.

Aron Baynes Center has a player option on the $ 11 million contract that he signed for last summer. Both parties have described this negotiation as easier. Although Baynes had persistent injuries, his value as a defender was obvious and he provides needed relief to Horford. It is unlikely that 32-year-old Baynes will order a larger contract in the open market. So look for that he stays in Boston.

Semi Ojeleye's $ 1.6 million contract for next season is not guaranteed, but it seems like an easy choice for the Celtics. Ojeleye's 3-point shot has potential, and it's a muscular wing that has been deployed to defend everyone from Giannis Antetokounmpo to LeBron James.

The Daniel Theis Center is an unrestricted free agent. The Celtics had a robbery when they signed a two-year contract with a minimum wage. If Baynes and Horford come back, though, Theis may try to save somewhere else.

Unrestricted free agent Brad Wanamaker, who left money on the table in Euroleague this season to pursue his dream of the NBA, has never won a notable role, but he has shown promise in briefs relay. The Celtics could offer restricted free agents to Theis and Wanamaker if they offered them one-year offers. Last season, the Celtics opted for the third-year option against striker Guerschon Yabusele. His contract of $ 3.1 million is guaranteed for next season, despite an extremely limited role.

Robert Williams, who has been used sparingly as a rookie this season, will be in the second year of his guaranteed contract.

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