There is a lot of discussion of potential moves for the Celtics this offseason in the wake of the NBA lottery. A lot of that discussion is without the essential framing of the actual viability of proposed pathways under the cap. This thread is intended as a brief primer on the current cap status of the team. This initial post is a bit rough from a presentation standpoint. I will, hopefully, come back and edit it to improve presentation.
The relevant short version of the data is:
The Cap projects to $101 million.
The Celtics currently project to use $80.6 million.
The Celtics currently project to have cap space of $20.4 million.
To sign a max contract, they need to clear $10 million.
The Celtics currently have 12 players I am counting commitments to. For every player under 12, a $815,615 cap hold is added.
Now, a few notes. The current salary cap projects at $101 million based on my best ability to figure that out. I've also seen $103 million. At the former, a max free agent will cost $30.33 million (assuming 6-9 year veteran), at the latter, $31 million. I will assume the lower figure for all future calculations. Also, I am not listing cap holds for players who will only be kept if we don't sign a free agent. Thus, guys like Amir Johnson, Tyler Zeller, Jonas Jerebko, and Gerald Green are not included. Zeller has $8 million unguaranteed and could be a part of a trade.I include Demetrius Jackson because, assuming one player is removed to cut salary, Jackson is cheaper against the cap retained than cutting him is as his unguaranteed salary is less the $815,615.
The full roster salaries for players I am considering is:
Al Horford $27,734,405
Avery Bradley $8,808,989
Isaiah Thomas $6,261,394
Jae Crowder $6,796,117
Jaylen Brown $4,956,480
Marcus Smart $4,538,019
Kelly Olynyk $7,735,034
Terry Rozier $1,988,520
Demetrius Jackson $1,384,750
#1 Pick $7,026,240
Guerschon Yabusele $1,888,200
Ante Zivic $1,439,880
Note, any signing of a rookie for below their projection could shave a few dollars off these numbers.
The most obvious ways to clear space for a full max is to trade Bradley and Rozier ($10 million total cap savings) if only draft picks come back. Renouncing Olynyk and trading Smart also gets the team there ($11.6 million in cap savings). Trading Bradley and Jackson gets the Celtics within spitting distance of a max contract ($500,000 short) but not quite there. Just renouncing Olynyk leaves the team over $2 million dollars short, which is a much bigger gap.
For those who want to trade any of these guys for current NBA talent, whatever the salary that comes back obviously lowers the savings.
Please use the above as a guide for thinking about trade/FA signing possibilities.
The relevant short version of the data is:
The Cap projects to $101 million.
The Celtics currently project to use $80.6 million.
The Celtics currently project to have cap space of $20.4 million.
To sign a max contract, they need to clear $10 million.
The Celtics currently have 12 players I am counting commitments to. For every player under 12, a $815,615 cap hold is added.
Now, a few notes. The current salary cap projects at $101 million based on my best ability to figure that out. I've also seen $103 million. At the former, a max free agent will cost $30.33 million (assuming 6-9 year veteran), at the latter, $31 million. I will assume the lower figure for all future calculations. Also, I am not listing cap holds for players who will only be kept if we don't sign a free agent. Thus, guys like Amir Johnson, Tyler Zeller, Jonas Jerebko, and Gerald Green are not included. Zeller has $8 million unguaranteed and could be a part of a trade.I include Demetrius Jackson because, assuming one player is removed to cut salary, Jackson is cheaper against the cap retained than cutting him is as his unguaranteed salary is less the $815,615.
The full roster salaries for players I am considering is:
Al Horford $27,734,405
Avery Bradley $8,808,989
Isaiah Thomas $6,261,394
Jae Crowder $6,796,117
Jaylen Brown $4,956,480
Marcus Smart $4,538,019
Kelly Olynyk $7,735,034
Terry Rozier $1,988,520
Demetrius Jackson $1,384,750
#1 Pick $7,026,240
Guerschon Yabusele $1,888,200
Ante Zivic $1,439,880
Note, any signing of a rookie for below their projection could shave a few dollars off these numbers.
The most obvious ways to clear space for a full max is to trade Bradley and Rozier ($10 million total cap savings) if only draft picks come back. Renouncing Olynyk and trading Smart also gets the team there ($11.6 million in cap savings). Trading Bradley and Jackson gets the Celtics within spitting distance of a max contract ($500,000 short) but not quite there. Just renouncing Olynyk leaves the team over $2 million dollars short, which is a much bigger gap.
For those who want to trade any of these guys for current NBA talent, whatever the salary that comes back obviously lowers the savings.
Please use the above as a guide for thinking about trade/FA signing possibilities.