Trade/Free Agency Thread 2023-24, part 12 is my favorite thread. Out of a dozen...

[hugepatsfan]

Too bad about Bullock. I don't understand why it got such push back here, but still contend he'd have been great here. Low ceiling player but has an established floor of being good enough to be in a competitive team's rotation. Right now we have 6 rotation guys and are hoping that at least 1-2, maybe 3 can emerge as #7-9 (probably want 9 for reg season, can cut down to 8 in playoffs). It'd be more comfortable going into a season with 7 established guys looking for just 1-2 guys to emerge. But not the end of the world, we'll be more than fine.

[165bows]

On the one hand, I get that it's tough to win a war of attrition against a half dozen elite teams looking to get their full squad in one piece to the finish line.

On the other hand, not sure exactly who this mythical deep contender is. Only team that is remotely deep right now as maybe second (round) threat is NY, which admittedly last year this team kind of stunk against. Denver imo should be the clear favorite, but they are thinner than last year and have two starters that rivaled Brogs/Rob for durability levels.

Bullock at 25 had put a solid career best 4.5/2.1/0.9 line on the board so I'm fine letting these prime age guys battle it out and if they need an old guy they can pick him up later.

[Hal14]

I am actually not concerned about Center at all.

Have a slight concern for a big forward, have a larger concern for a backup guard with size. Right now it looks like Pritchard, Banton, SVI and Walsh are the backup rotation of guards and that does not excite me.

Walsh is a rookie, SVI is a cast off, Pritchard is undersized and banton is a scrub.

Really need to look to add there.

Give these guys a chance. Pritchard is undersized but so was Eddie House, so is Patty Mills, Seth Curry and Bryn Forbes. All of those guys were solid rotation guards. Pritchard was the 8th man for us when we made the finals in 2022. Forbes played some valuable minutes for the Bucks when they won the 2021 title. House helped us win the title in 2008..

Svi is a guy who seems to just now really be finding his stride and coming into his own. He bounced around the league, was on some bad teams and/or teams that didn't really give him a shot to actually play (knicks, raptors). Then had some really impressive performances at FIBA eurobasket last year as Ukraine's best player. Then goes to Charlotte last season and when he was actually given some playing time, he put up some impressive numbers. Late in the season he was averaging like 15 PPG for them with around 40% from 3 on high volume. Yes it was a small sample size of games on a bad team but he showed some skills and is entering his prime now, still getting better.

Walsh is a rookie, yes, of course. Does that mean we just completely dismiss him as being a guy who won't contribute anything this season? Of course not. If the C's thought he was a year away from contributing, they would've put him on a 2-way. Some experts said he was a top 5 rookie at summer league. I know summer league doesn't mean everything, but there is a chance Walsh could give us some valuable minutes off the bench, especially if he continues to hit shots like he did in summer league.

Banton has some impressive numbers (his blocks % was crazy high for a guard, impressive points per 36 minutes, very solid assist %, etc.). He didn't get much playing time in Toronto, but when you look at some of the numbers, perhaps he should have been playing more. I mean, right after the season, his coach got canned so clearly he wasn't doing a very good job. Lots of raptors fans on here and on twitter thought he should've been playing more and were sad to see him go. Also, it was just his first 2 seasons in the league - he's still just 23 yrs old so certainly is still getting better with upside for future development. Maybe you're right and he's a scrub, but there's also a chance that he really surprises people and does some good things for the Celtics. Brad scooped him up very early in free agency and put him on a standard contract, when he could've given him a 2-way instead or just a training camp invite - clearly our front office sees something in him.

And it's not like we're relying on all of these guys to be rotation players. We know who our top 6 guys are. Then rumor has it, it's Hauser 7th man, Pritchard 8th man, followed by Kornet and Brissett. So most of the guys you named are end of the bench guys anyways who will be fighting and scratching to try and move up on the depth chart and earn more minutes. So if a guy like Svi, Banton or Walsh is getting rotation minutes, it probably means that they *really* impressed during camp and/or during game action.

Who do you suggest we add, Rivers? He's pretty much the only guard free agent who's any good at this point. And even wit him, his stats have been going down each of the past 3 seasons. He's 31. He seems like kind of a headcase. And might not offer much more than we already get with Svi. At least these other guys we have are younger and on the rise, rather than at the point of their career where they're in decline..

[BK_2020]

Bullock looks like he has poop on his head.

[bigfoot_cryptozoology]

Poopy Head Bullock signing with the Rockets affects the Celtics very little,
though I am surprised Miami didn't grab him.

[31to6]

Brad said they are very high on what they've seen from the guys in the gym pre-training camp. Meaning, for now, 'he likes his guys', and the FA part of this thread might be on hiatus for a bit. I really like the distributed 'bet' on young vets with some upside just reaching their prime years -- I think we'll find some binkies among Stevens, O'Shae, Svi, Banton, and Gabriel, and anyone who washes out gets replaced by a 2nd round pick or overseas import next season, no sweat.

[RickyDizzle]

Too bad about Bullock. I don't understand why it got such push back here, but still contend he'd have been great here. Low ceiling player but has an established floor of being good enough to be in a competitive team's rotation. Right now we have 6 rotation guys and are hoping that at least 1-2, maybe 3 can emerge as #7-9 (probably want 9 for reg season, can cut down to 8 in playoffs). It'd be more comfortable going into a season with 7 established guys looking for just 1-2 guys to emerge. But not the end of the world, we'll be more than fine.

People continue to sleep on Brisset, who was clearly signed to replace Grant's minutes. Last year he didn't play as much as the previous two, but the two years before last he played 24 mpg and averaged 10 and 4. He's definitely a proven regular season rotation player at least. Lamar Stevens played 18 mpg last year. Payton Pritchard played a lot his rookie year and was pretty good besides getting torched on D in the playoffs. But especially a defensive guy like Lamar Stevens, there's absolutely no reason to think he can't play 10 to 15 minutes in a playoff rotation.

[ConstableGeneva]

Read on Twitter

I wonder if both Sixers and Heat are cool with swapping Harden for Butler.

[bigfoot_cryptozoology]

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[bigfoot_cryptozoology]

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[SatchSanders]

I am actually not concerned about Center at all.

Have a slight concern for a big forward, have a larger concern for a backup guard with size. Right now it looks like Pritchard, Banton, SVI and Walsh are the backup rotation of guards and that does not excite me.

Points
Jure
Pritchard
Banton
Davidson (2wp)

Guards
White
Svi
Walsh
Scrubb (2wp)

Forwards
Brown
Stevens
Hauser

Power Forwards
Tatum
Brissett
Gabriel

Centers
Porzingis
Horford
Kornet
Queta (2wp)

Walsh is a rookie, SVI is a cast off, Pritchard is undersized and banton is a scrub.

Really need to look to add there.

I think Stevens can play some 4 too. He's built like semi but with longer arms, slightly taller. Ofc not offensive game whatsoever but with horford/KP at center he can just play the dunker spot offensively and rebound. He's got real beef. Same with Wenyen.

Yeah I really like the set up they have at this point - highly skilled versatile C then it's easier to just plug in an athletic, mobile dunking four. A lot of these athletic dunking fives are more limited on the perimeter so this solves that issue a bit by having the dunker guy also quick enough to guard wings.

Agree they should think about these permutations. Obviously, they get the most talent on the floor with White, Brown and Tatum starting at 2 through 4. Those three with Holiday and Porzingis would likely be the death lineup. But that requires Brown and Tatum absorbing more minutes against bigger players (even with switching). To maximize them for the playoffs I'd be inclined to see how much they think they can play some combination of Horford, Brissett, Gabriel, Stevens and even Hauser at the 4. Doing that would let White get 30-35 mpg as 6th man playing the 1 or the 2. Brown would play a handful of minutes at the 3 and Tatum at the 4, but I'm thinking that might save wear and tear on their bodies while giving the aforementioned candidates for the 4 perhaps the easiest role they can fill.

Assuming Jrue plays 36 mpg, White takes the other 12 plus say 24 of Brown's at the 2. Then if Tatum played 36 mpg at the 3, Brown could play his remaining 12 at the 3 to get to 36 mpg. That leaves the 48 mpg across two spots for Porzingus, Horford, Gabriel, Brissett, Stevens, Hauser and Kornet. Say Porzingis is held to 30 mpg and Horford 24. Horford could split evenly between the 4 and the 5, with Kornet or Gabriel filling the remaining 6 minutes at the 5 (48=30 + 24/2 + 6). Outside of Horford's 36 mpg, that would leave Gabriel, Brissett, and Stevens to fill the remainder.

If they think Tatum needs to fill some mpg at the 4, they can play Pritchard some backcourt minutes and shift Brown to the 3 for those mpg while reducing the mpg Gabriel, Brissett, Hauser et al play. Should mean good competition for spots and lots of flexibility.

[shackles10]

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[shackles10]

If you're into binkies (and I know a lot of you are) I think this bench will have plenty of them. You'll have the "they provide more than the stat sheet shows" variety, the "this is just the tip of the iceberg for this player and you can see their future impact unfolding" variety, and the always popular "I love them so much, why does Joe hate them, they shouldn't be rotting on the bench" variety as well. Some guys might fall into multiple binky categories even.

[Joshyjess]

OK, I just watched a Kylor Kelley highlights reel. Obviously anybody can look good in a "best of" highlights clip (especially agasint international players) but there were two things about him I really liked.
1 - He actually looks really smooth on the floor. There was no stiffness or "clunkiness" about him, the game really seems to flow well for him. From shooting, to defense to passing, he looked really comfortable on the floor.
2 - He seems to have that "bulldog" mentality that should fit in well on the C's. Even if he doesn't get much floor time, I think his attitude should be great for practice. Practicing against guys who just let the stars do what they want isn't very helpful. Practicing agasinst guys who try to bring it every play should be a great help to the team.
Most likely this is not going to be a move that does much for the team, but there's always that hope that a guy like this can fight and claw his way into top 8 or 9 guys.

[Dogen]

When did we sign this guy?

Kylor Kelley C

Current Team: Boston Celtics

Born: Aug 26, 1997 (26 years old)

Birthplace/Hometown: Gervais, Oregon

Nationality: United States

Height: 7-0 (213cm) Weight: 215 (98kg)

He reminds me of a stick, with attitude. Nice add for Red Claws.

Watch on YouTube

[Dogen]

Read on Twitter

That's too bad, Bullock was penciled in as the Celtics starting two guard. It's a shame.

Would have been amazing to see him starting out there alongside Quentin Grimes.

[Dogen]

Brad said they are very high on what they've seen from the guys in the gym pre-training camp. Meaning, for now, 'he likes his guys', and the FA part of this thread might be on hiatus for a bit. I really like the distributed 'bet' on young vets with some upside just reaching their prime years -- I think we'll find some binkies among Stevens, O'Shae, Svi, Banton, and Gabriel, and anyone who washes out gets replaced by a 2nd round pick or overseas import next season, no sweat.

I'm having OCBD with this team: Obsessive Compulsive Binky Disorder. So hard to choose one this year!

In Walsh's interview yesterday, he said he understands that he may not get minutes this year. He's my frontrunner for BOY (Binky of the Year), but it's gonna be hard to win if you don't play.

I think Gabriel will end up getting some minutes, and be a fan favorite when he comes in with the hustle plays.

After that, Maine has binkies galore with Queta, Steward, and this new guy Kylor Kelley, who looks like a G-League highlight reel waiting to happen.

[Dogen]

OK, I just watched a Kylor Kelley highlights reel. Obviously anybody can look good in a "best of" highlights clip (especially agasint international players) but there were two things about him I really liked.
1 - He actually looks really smooth on the floor. There was no stiffness or "clunkiness" about him, the game really seems to flow well for him. From shooting, to defense to passing, he looked really comfortable on the floor.
2 - He seems to have that "bulldog" mentality that should fit in well on the C's. Even if he doesn't get much floor time, I think his attitude should be great for practice. Practicing against guys who just let the stars do what they want isn't very helpful. Practicing agasinst guys who try to bring it every play should be a great help to the team.
Most likely this is not going to be a move that does much for the team, but there's always that hope that a guy like this can fight and claw his way into top 8 or 9 guys.

When you say "claw his way into top 8 or 9 guys" I assume you mean the claw is red?

He does look intriguing. Would not get away with all of his block party stuff in the NBA, and needs to get stronger, obviously.

Brad seems to be serious about the Maine pipeline. The team will need some young, affordable backup players during the next couple of contending years, and the guys they have on the Claws have promise. Steward and Kelley look good but need to develop their bodies. Queta has the body, but probably needs a lot of work on things like being able to switch and help out on the perimeter, lateral quickness, and jump shot.

Red Claws are going to be fun to watch.

[165bows]

When did we sign this guy?

Kylor Kelley C

Current Team: Boston Celtics

Born: Aug 26, 1997 (26 years old)

Birthplace/Hometown: Gervais, Oregon

Nationality: United States

Height: 7-0 (213cm) Weight: 215 (98kg)

He reminds me of a stick, with attitude. Nice add for Red Claws.

Watch on YouTube

Yeah dude plays with a nice fire. Never heard of him but seems like a fitting camp add with a little bit of spice thrown in the mix.

[playa-hater]

Brad said they are very high on what they've seen from the guys in the gym pre-training camp. Meaning, for now, 'he likes his guys', and the FA part of this thread might be on hiatus for a bit. I really like the distributed 'bet' on young vets with some upside just reaching their prime years -- I think we'll find some binkies among Stevens, O'Shae, Svi, Banton, and Gabriel, and anyone who washes out gets replaced by a 2nd round pick or overseas import next season, no sweat.

I'm having OCBD with this team: Obsessive Compulsive Binky Disorder. So hard to choose one this year!

In Walsh's interview yesterday, he said he understands that he may not get minutes this year. He's my frontrunner for BOY (Binky of the Year), but it's gonna be hard to win if you don't play.

I think Gabriel will end up getting some minutes, and be a fan favorite when he comes in with the hustle plays.

After that, Maine has binkies galore with Queta, Steward, and this new guy Kylor Kelley, who looks like a G-League highlight reel waiting to happen.

If we are announcing Binkies, I want to declare Jordan Walsh my Binky.. In fact I will declare myself the President of Jordan Walsh's fan club.

Too late Shak... If you snooze ya lose!!