With March 1st a little more than a week away, time is running out for the Boston Celtics to find some help on the buyout market.
Of course, Boston would need to be interested in one of the available candidates in the firs place for the franchise to add a new face, and for several reasons, they haven’t been.
Yet.
There’s a few reasons why this is co, chief of which is that the Celtics don’t have a roster spot open to add a player.
Meaning anyone who could be of interest to Boston won’t just cost the veteran minimum the Celtics can offer as a hard-capped team with no remaining exceptions.
They’d also have to cut a player and eat their remaining salary, and thus the combination of low pay, open spot, and cutting an existing player together represent not-small barriers to adding such a player.
The Celtics aren’t cutting a player just to make a move, and players aren’t asking for buyouts just to get stranded as a free agent or to end up in a situation that’s a lateral move for them.
And with only Javonte Green, Vincent Poirier and perhaps Carsen Edwards within the range of plausible options to cut for the franchise, the sort of player who would make sense for all parties simply hasn’t materialized.
Green, for example, is the lowest contract on Boston’s books, but has also been able to put together some solid performances not much worse than most players available could in a position of importance for the Celtics system.
Poirier may not be doing much in terms of production, but he’s still owed $2.6 million next season, so it’ll cost the team a lot to pay both him and his replacement once you include the remainder of this season’s $2.5 million owed him.
Edwards has been having a rough rookie season, but still shows enough flashes that it’s worth keeping him around save for perhaps a handful of true impact players who probably won’t get bought out anyway.
Particularly when you consider the Purdue product is owed another $3.2 million in guaranteed money.
Other low-salary options like point guard Brad Wanamaker and forward Semi Ojeleye actually provide important minutes and skill sets the team will need in the postseason.
Taken together, this all means the right player may simply never materialize for Boston. But who are the candidates?
THE FIELD
There’s a number of players who, in a vacuum, have enough of a skill or narrative (or both) that they could help the Celtics.
But when you factor in who would have to be cut to realize that potential in a league governed by CBA rules, it quickly becomes clear why Boston hasn’t made a move just yet.
These players include a few former Celtics like wing Evan Turner and point guard Isaiah Thomas, whose returns would almost be worth it for the narratives alone. Trying to think which player would actually be better to cut to add them, however, makes it clear these reunions are just not going to happen, at least not before summer.
Others may be able to help a thin bench like Boston’s, but not enough to justify sending a player already under contract packing, like shooting guard Tyler Johnson or point guard Trey Burke.
Still others have yet to be bought out and may never be, particularly big men Tristan Thompson, Maurice Harkless and Bismack Biyombo.
There’s a small chance other options right at the fringe of “players it makes sense to cut a player for” end up getting bought out, such as the Detroit Pistons’ John Henson, Markieff Morris and Langston Galloway.
But, at present, not even these options are looking like a lock to change teams before the first of March.
Celtics fans should prepare themselves for the strong possibility the roster looks the same on March 2nd as it does today, and not just because there’s no especially impactful options to be had at the moment.
The Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets, and other teams with pretensions of contention may compete for any potential buyout options, and may be able to offer larger roles as well.
Barring a surprise entry into the buyout market scrum of mediocrity or one of the bigger fish actually cutting bait on their current franchise, the end of the month is looking more and more likely to pass uneventfully.
One thing to keep in mind is the possibility of picking up an additional floor general to help take the load off of an ailing Kemba Walker. The UConn product has been dealing with knee pain and swelling, bad enough to need his knee drained ahead of Boston’s game against the Timberwolves on Feb. 21.
Should the team deem adding some depth in the backcourt prudent, we might see a move the Celtics would otherwise pass on.
A middle-ground option following this line of thinking could be to elevate two way point guard Tremont Waters to a full contract, using the two way contract that would open to take on an eligible player not quite good enough to rate a full deal themselves.
But then, if Waters wouldn’t be needed that much in the postseason, the team could also simply exhaust whatever remains of his regular-season availability with the parent club just to give Walker more time to rest.
This would cost no roster slots, players and their salaries, nor would it risk upending the chemistry driving the season’s success.
Whatever way the team decides to turn, it won’t be long before we know.
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