CHA/BOS (with two other teams) take 2

[HornetJail]

the consensus from the first thread yesterday was that Charlotte was way overpaying for Porzingis+Jrue, and that if the Celtics were to just get straight up cap space for Porzingis+Jrue to duck the tax, that would kind of take care of it. I still think they need *something* to show for it, so here goes.

So with that in mind...


Boston trades:
Porzingis
Jrue Holiday
#28

Boston receives:
Jusuf Nurkic (waive and stretch - assuming min salary buyout, 3 years @ 5.5M/year dead salary)
Tidjane Salaun (waive and stretch, 3 years @ 2.6M/year dead salary, maybe re-traded to a team who wants to try him out? idk if there is one)
Nick Smith Jr
2026 1st (worst out of PHX/WAS/ORL/MEM - projected late 10s to early 20s?)
total immediate cap savings just over $51M (gets Boston fully under the luxury tax), or around $35M if no stretches

The Celtics use the Tatum injury as an opportunity to completely reset themselves financially. They trade away a huge contract in Holiday and an expiring in Porzingis to completely duck the tax, reset the multiplier while they have absolutely no shot next season, and then recharge in the 2026 offseason. Boston is currently $39.9M over the lux tax for next season and shedding $51M leaves them enough wiggle room to fill out the last few roster spots and bring back Horford above the minimum as well.

I was kicking around the idea of Boston using #32 and/or future 2nds to swap Nurkic out for a smaller contract to reduce the amount of dead salary here, but that complicated the matter too much. Salaun might have a taker, I don't know, but cap savings go up to $54M if they can offload him without a stretch.

Charlotte trades:
Josh Green
Grant Williams
Jusuf Nurkic
Tidjane Salaun
Nick Smith Jr
#34
2026 1st (worst out of PHX/WAS/ORL/MEM - projected late 10s to early 20s?)
2026 2nd (better of GSW/DEN)

Charlotte receives:
Kristaps Porzingis
Jrue Holiday

The Hornets get serious about actually building a team. No championships are being won here, but baby steps toward decency are absolutely needed. Jrue is a perfect fit between LaMelo and Miller even if that contract gets ugly towards the end, Porzingis is the kind of big the Hornets should target- a stretch big who can play both C and PF (an important need with Mark Williams' question marks). This trade, along with the Hornets' pick at #4 (VJ?) should get Charlotte moving in the right direction. None of the outgoing pieces will be missed in the slightest.

Team 3 (needs to have full MLE or at least $13.7M in cap room) trades:
nothing

Team 3 receives:
#28
Josh Green

Team 4 (needs to have full MLE or at least $13.7M in cap room) trades:
nothing

Team 4 receives:
#34
2026 2nd (better of GSW/DEN)
Grant Williams

Realistic teams with cap space or MLEs to become Team 3 or Team 4: Brooklyn, Detroit, Memphis, Chicago, NOLA, Atlanta, Washington, San Antonio, Jazz, Kings

Teams 3 and 4 are in it for the draft capital. Both Williams and Green are on nearly identical 2 year $14M/year contracts that will just squeeze into the MLE. No sugar coating it that Josh Green is deadweight. Grant Williams played well in Charlotte before blowing out his knee. I'd like to think he's not deadweight but he's being valued as such in this trade. Fit-wise, I like Sacramento, Atlanta, Washington for Grant Williams. I don't hate Atlanta for Josh Green either. But I see teams like Washington and Utah getting in on these picks, and not really caring about the player that comes back.

[jayjaysee]

I like the idea (didn’t see it) I would use Chicago as the third team to take Grant and make Boston take Green?

I might try to dump both Grant and Green on Chicago honestly. Just pay Boston less / Chicago more.. But they just end up with Nurk and their choice of Salaun or Okogie..