The Celtics are finalizing a second deal with a negotiating deadline on Thursday, moving Daniel Theis into a three-team exchange with the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards, who will also see Jeff Teague and Javonte Green being pulled out. Boston takes fourth-year pivot Mo Wagner to Boston along with Bulls big shot Luke Kornet.
So, what are the motivations behind the business from Boston’s point of view, which is apparently a dismissal from Boston on the court? Let’s look at the factors involved.
The Celtics needed to cut wages after acquiring Fournier: Boston had a few million dollars that they needed to spend on payroll to fall below the luxury tax line this season, a priority for a team that is below the .500 mark and will be paying the luxury tax for years to come, if they want to get a candidate together at a loaded Eastern Conference.
The Celtics had a variety of options for cutting wages, but leaving Theis was the easiest way to achieve that goal without losing other assets on the list. Bringing Wagner ($ 2.1 million at salary) is a downgrade on the court, but it offers a great extension option for Boston that could replace some of Theis’s 3-point pitches. In the meantime, the Celtics fell under the luxury tax line, giving them some breathing space needed to stay under the tax and potentially add a buyout player. The payment of the tax this season was not a major problem for Boston property according to league sources, but the prospect of unleashing the more severe repetition tax earlier in the decade, staying on it for 2020-21 was enough to make a priority to stay below that limit at present. Avoiding the tax now keeps Boston three years away from triggering the repeater tax, instead of facing it next season.
Opening the door to more opportunities for young people: Changing Theis was done for financial reasons, but the other factors involved with other names in this business were clearly to open the door for Boston’s younger bankers. Jeff Teague had played two of his best games of the season last week, but all year long he was eating the playing time of Payton Pritchard and Carsen Edwards with results that were far from impressive. Likewise, Javonte Green gives Brad Stevens a less veteran option on the wing, opening the door for more chances for Aaron Nesmith to get regular reps along with Romeo Langford as soon as he is cleared to return. Rob Williams is also set to become the team’s starting center while Tristan Thompson stays out and can retain that position if he plays well in the new role. The Boston board knows that a large part of the team’s future depends on recent draft choices turning into useful rotating players (or more) and for that to happen, they need to play more now. Not all of them will turn out to be worth keeping in the long run, but taking some veteran guys out of the equation will put Brad Stevens in a situation where he will have to rely more on the younger guys at the bank, for better or worse.
Theis was not part of the long-term plan for Boston: The German center played well in its 3.5 years in Boston, but the team’s payroll for the next season made it very likely that the team would be able to pay Theis what he would command in the open market this offseason, as he was set to become an unrestricted free agent player. Instead of letting it go aimlessly in this off-season, they chose to move it proactively. The team will also create a new $ 5 million trading exception after dealing with it, as they will take Kornet and Wagner to Boston’s smaller TPEs.
All things considered, there wasn’t much about today that would change some difficult decisions that approached the big picture for Boston. They still have tough choices to make this off-season involving future payroll and important players. However, they have acquired a name that updates the team at present in Fournier and potentially more if the two sides agree to a long-term agreement. This exchange helps to keep the team’s finances in order at the moment and paves the way for young people to play a more important role the rest of the way in a variety of positions. We’ll see if they’re ready for the challenge.