Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Joe Mazzulla, and other Boston Celtics mailbag answers

Thanks as soon as once more for all the good inquiries to my open mailbag. There have been plenty of actually good ones and a ton of commerce proposals, which I wish to get to quickly. However just a few properly thought out questions floated to the highest that I needed to deal with first.

Zolak’sclipboard

JB is my favourite Celtic of the final 8 years, however as I take a look at how the tax aprons work, it more and more appears to me that it isn’t possible to assemble a contender round two tremendous max guys. Until you encompass them with guys on rookie contracts (Oklahoma is making an attempt this, we’ll see the way it works).

If buying and selling JB is inevitable within the subsequent yr or two, does it make sense to drag the set off this summer time? Attempt to get items again that match round Tatum or attempt to get a excessive decide again and some rotation items and let the rookie get heavy minutes whereas Tatum is rehabbing?

I don’t wish to commerce JB, however the pathway again to rivalry with each JT and JB on the payroll appears to be like slender

Very properly crafted query. My preliminary intuition is that the crew will attempt to preserve the duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown collectively as a result of they’re a confirmed basis for a title contender (and winner not less than as soon as). The trick, as you level out, is filling the roster out round them after they take up such an enormous portion of the payroll that Brad is attempting to suit beneath the varied aprons and tax strains.

To perform that feat, the crew will both need to be very inventive to dip beneath the 2nd Apron and maybe even the Luxurious Tax line. As soon as the worst of the penalties is lifted, you can begin constructing the salaries up once more (probably a repeating long run course of).

The choice is to hit the “simple button” and easily put Jaylen Brown on the desk and maximize what you get again. That would imply youthful gamers with star potential, draft picks, and naturally wage aid. In concept you might preserve round a number of the costly vets that we’ve been speaking about offloading (Jrue Vacation, Kristaps Porzingis).

The issue I’ve with that plan is the “chook within the hand” of all of it. Within the duo of Tatum and Brown, now we have one thing that the majority groups within the league try desperately to accumulate or develop. Letting go of one among them for a bundle of items that you’re hoping possibly may produce one other star someplace within the vary of Jaylen is a raffle I’d slightly not take if it may be averted.

Stated one other manner, now we have two or three (in case you embody Derrick White, and I believe I do) pillars to construct round. I’d slightly strip every part else right down to the studs and rebuild across the pillars than attempt to prop issues up whereas looking for one other pillar.

In fact, we could be backed right into a nook the place there aren’t any higher choices. If that’s the case, you need to not less than think about the choice of buying and selling Brown. The subsequent issue could be timing. Do you wait until subsequent yr to see how a lot he ranges up as his utilization and duty will increase? Or do you promote groups on the truth that he may very well be the #1 choice for them however hasn’t had that chance right here (but)?

Oh yeah, and if he have been to be traded this offseason, we’d all need to get again within the behavior of calculating ping pong ball odds and scouting the draft pool. At the very least within the brief time period.

357Dust

The place will we get the bigs? Horford and Kornet are FAs and you need to assume they may attempt to transfer on from KP simply because he’s on an expiring and could be simpler to maneuver – not that groups received’t need Vacation however he’s 35 and there’s a restricted marketplace for his expertise.

There isn’t a manner Brad and new possession is letting this experience – it’s only a query of what number of strikes he could make and what items are in play.

Very curious off season for positive and the Tatum damage may give them the license to essentially make extra strikes towards retooling for 26-27.

Good query and one which I’ve been questioning about since earlier than the playoffs even ended. I used to be beforehand hopeful that Kornet may in some way return. Nevertheless, barring some very inventive monetary strikes, I don’t see us having the room to signal him to what he’s price (and he’s made himself very worthwhile).

Queta is a serviceable backup huge choice, however I don’t know that he’ll be dependable sufficient beginning on a contending crew (although you by no means know).

So my present hope is that we are able to get a serviceable huge man as a part of one of many wage slashing trades involving Jrue or KP. As well as, I’m hoping that there’s some good, younger bigs accessible the place the Celtics are drafting. They most likely received’t be prepared instantly, however possibly they may very well be developed subsequent yr and prepared for a bigger function by the point Tatum is able to go.

mahonedog88

I’m curious the place the brand new possession and Brad stands on a brand new Mazzulla contract. He’s going into the ultimate yr of his deal, and so hardly ever in skilled sports activities these days will we see a coach go into the ultimate yr of their contract. I do assume he’ll get an extension, but when it’s solely a 1 or 2 yr extension, I believe that may very well be a delicate signal that his seat is getting heat.

As a result of whereas sure, the resume speaks for itself for his first 3 years in case you zoom out…57 wins and the ECF, 64 wins and a title, and 61 wins and the second spherical. That’s objectively wonderful. However one other manner to take a look at this objectively is that in two out his three years, they misplaced to inferior groups together with his play model and system enjoying a significant function in it.

Are we positive Invoice Chisolm is on board with chucking up 50 to 60 3s each sport? Are we positive Brad Stevens is?

I recognize the nuance of this query. The knee-jerk response to dropping a playoff collection to a crew the Celtics have been favored to beat is accountable the coach and name for his head. That will be a bit foolish given his monitor report and the belief he’s constructed up in that locker room.

My first intuition is to present coaches the advantage of the doubt as a result of I’m absolutely conscious that the majority of them know the sport manner higher than I do. There are such a lot of elements at play that it’s by no means so simple as it appears from our seats. With that mentioned, I don’t assume Joe had an ideal collection and possibly deserves share of the blame for the primary two losses that slipped away.

Does he get an extension? Almost definitely. After successful a title, he most likely earned himself a pleasant elevate. It doesn’t depend towards the cap anyway. Is it price giving him solely a shorter time period deal with a view to keep flexibility if he isn’t really the long run reply? I believe I’d want to present him a pleasant extension and see how subsequent yr goes (it is going to be a complete completely different problem for him).

A aspect word: It looks like usually, coaches have a restricted shelf life. Even Brad needed to transfer to the entrance workplace when it appeared just like the crew wasn’t essentially all-in on his imaginative and prescient. Joe has solely been right here 3 years and the report speaks for itself.

Agit8or

Celts have two or three contracts that may carry again worth, assuming JT is untouchable: JB, DW, and PP. All different trades will get you a ham sandwich again.

DW is getting previous. I imagine subsequent yr is a misplaced season. Perhaps the one after that as properly, as JT might take two full years to get again to prime kind. By yr three, I believe DW is on the downhill slide.

So, regardless of the creator’s place re DW, he’s one Celts can commerce excessive, and goal youth or picks that could be prepared three years from now.

KP must go, and Jrue, for no matter Celts can get. I believe Celts ought to reset with the purpose of creating a giant run once more in 27/28. JB, JT, PP, and no matter youth and picks we get for DW, and no matter we are able to do to develop the bench, and Celts ought to have a good crew in 27/28. I simply don’t see the Celts making a run subsequent two years given wage cap and damage points, and Father Time is catching up with DW. Tatum can be 29, and assuming he’s as soon as once more wholesome, Celts get just a few extra years of prime JT, and JB.

JB would draw the largest haul, however once more there may be the 2 yr delay, and DW isn’t sufficient.

So DW is my alternative of who to commerce, together with as huge a wage dump as we are able to get.

Pie within the sky: JB, DW, and a pair picks for Giannis. If the salaries work? However it might waste one other yr or two of Giannis prime, so completely unfair for him.

Placing apart my visceral response to the considered buying and selling Derrick White, I can not less than see the place you might be coming from. White would carry again a haul. Perhaps not the complete Mikal Bridges bundle, however you by no means know.

I simply return to the feedback I mentioned about Brown. It’s so very laborious to search out guys like White, and I might even argue that he’s bought one other stage he can attain. He’s making amount of cash over the following few years, but when he was on the open market proper now he’d most likely be commanding close to max stage. So from that perspective, he’s a cut price at his worth level.

As for the age, he’s about to show 31 in July. Which means he’ll nonetheless be 32 the season after subsequent. His sport doesn’t appear to be one that may age poorly. Signal me up for 4 extra years please.

Thanks once more for the questions everybody. I’ll do what I can to get to the commerce concepts quickly.