Buyout/Free Agent Thread, 2023-24

[zoyathedestroya]

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[165bows]

What if the buy-out guy is JD Davison? We've talked about a need for a potential depth back up ball handler, maybe he's in house.

Idk off the top of my head how that would affect his future contract status - can they add him to the new 2nd round draft pick contracts and sign him for a long-term minimum salary deal and make him available for the playoffs? They'll have KP, Al, Tillman, and Kornet all at the five spot without Queta, the guy that's been assumed to be the option for an upgrade, but maybe it's JD.

[Larry_Russell]

What if the buy-out guy is JD Davison? We've talked about a need for a potential depth back up ball handler, maybe he's in house.

Idk off the top of my head how that would affect his future contract status - can they add him to the new 2nd round draft pick contracts and sign him for a long-term minimum salary deal and make him available for the playoffs? They'll have KP, Al, Tillman, and Kornet all at the five spot without Queta, the guy that's been assumed to be the option for an upgrade, but maybe it's JD.

Is there any players currently in the gleague that could be signed?

[Gant]

Unless there's a contractual reason to convert Davison, now is not the time for him. They haven't even looked at JD with the big club, while Queta has contributed.

[Hal14]

What if the buy-out guy is JD Davison? We've talked about a need for a potential depth back up ball handler, maybe he's in house.

Idk off the top of my head how that would affect his future contract status - can they add him to the new 2nd round draft pick contracts and sign him for a long-term minimum salary deal and make him available for the playoffs? They'll have KP, Al, Tillman, and Kornet all at the five spot without Queta, the guy that's been assumed to be the option for an upgrade, but maybe it's JD.

Maybe.

But I feel like the position that is more of a need is wing. We had 2 wings on the team (Stevens, Banton) but then replaced them at the deadline with a guard (Springer) and a big (Tillman), even though lots of the rumors leading up to the deadline were about us getting a wing.

So it wouldn't shock me if the 2-way guy for us who gets converted is Peterson. You look at Peterson's full season G League numbers this season and they're pretty impressive. 15 PPG, 40% from 3. 63% TS. 20% assist, 9% rebound. 1.3% steals. Good size at 6'9" and should be pretty far along in his development so more NBA-ready since he's 24 yrs old.

Honestly, JD is probably as good as any PG in the G right now, Peterson is probably as good as any wing in the G right now and Queta is probably as good as any big who's in the G right now. Brad did a good job of filling those 2-way spots and our org has done a god job of developing these guys.

It wouldn't shock me if any of the 3 of them got converted. Or maybe we sign Danuel House or snag OPJ if he gets bought out..

[Hal14]

Unless there's a contractual reason to convert Davison, now is not the time for him. They haven't even looked at JD with the big club, while Queta has contributed.

But it might be about positional need.

The thing that you gain by converting a 2-way guy is it allows them to be eligible to play in the playoffs. But with Tillman here (plus all of our other bigs we already had - KP, Al, Kornet) the chances of Queta being needed in the playoffs are slim to none.

Perhaps Brad thinks that we have more of a need at PG.

But you bring up a fair point - since JD has not really gotten any meaningful mins outside of garbage time with the big club, the odds of him getting in there and contributing anything in the playoffs are also slim to none.

[Curmudgeon]

Madar is better than Davison, although not as athletic.

[165bows]

What if the buy-out guy is JD Davison? We've talked about a need for a potential depth back up ball handler, maybe he's in house.

Idk off the top of my head how that would affect his future contract status - can they add him to the new 2nd round draft pick contracts and sign him for a long-term minimum salary deal and make him available for the playoffs? They'll have KP, Al, Tillman, and Kornet all at the five spot without Queta, the guy that's been assumed to be the option for an upgrade, but maybe it's JD.

Maybe.

But I feel like the position that is more of a need is wing. We had 2 wings on the team (Stevens, Banton) but then replaced them at the deadline with a guard (Springer) and a big (Tillman), even though lots of the rumors leading up to the deadline were about us getting a wing.

So it wouldn't shock me if the 2-way guy for us who gets converted is Peterson. You look at Peterson's full season G League numbers this season and they're pretty impressive. 15 PPG, 40% from 3. 63% TS. 20% assist, 9% rebound. 1.3% steals. Good size at 6'9" and should be pretty far along in his development so more NBA-ready since he's 24 yrs old.

Honestly, JD is probably as good as any PG in the G right now, Peterson is probably as good as any wing in the G right now and Queta is probably as good as any big who's in the G right now. Brad did a good job of filling those 2-way spots and our org has done a god job of developing these guys.

It wouldn't shock me if any of the 3 of them got converted. Or maybe we sign Danuel House or snag OPJ if he gets bought out..

Brad categorizes positions as ballhandler, wing, swing and big. Meaning imo they swapped out a ballhandler/wing in Banton and a swing in Stevens for a wing (Springer isn't a real ball hnadler yet at this point imo) and a swing in Tillman (they wanted a big who could play alone or with a wing).

[Gant]

The depth of the team is big dudes, which gets even deeper if they do convert Queta. You'd think there'll be plenty of experimentation with double big lineups.

One question is- how will the they play with Tillman alongside another big guy, rather than instead of them? Porzingis/Tillman, Horford/Tillman, Kornet/Tillman, and Queta/Tillman. This may influence who the 15th man is.

How the Celtics utilize Tillman will also be the interesting part of the deal. The 6-foot-7 big man brings a lot to the table defensively, and while his offense is a question mark, the C’s won’t ask much from Tillman. Notably, he should mesh well with Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford in any double big lineups, where his defense affords the Celtics more options.

https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2024/02/xavier-tillman-reveals-what-marcus-smart-told-him-about-celtics.html

[165bows]

The depth of the team is big dudes, which gets even deeper if they do convert Queta. You'd think there'll be plenty of experimentation with double big lineups.

One question is- how will the they play with Tillman alongside another big guy, rather than instead of them? Porzingis/Tillman, Horford/Tillman, Kornet/Tillman, and Queta/Tillman. This may determine who the 15th man is.

How the Celtics utilize Tillman will also be the interesting part of the deal. The 6-foot-7 big man brings a lot to the table defensively, and while his offense is a question mark, the C’s won’t ask much from Tillman. Notably, he should mesh well with Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford in any double big lineups, where his defense affords the Celtics more options.

https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2024/02/xavier-tillman-reveals-what-marcus-smart-told-him-about-celtics.html

Personally I think it allows them to rest Al more. Horford/Tillman is pretty limited in scoring as a pairing, whereas Tillman/KP is less so. The other pairings can't really shoot at all and don't figure in much in the playoffs other than some mop up or spot duty.

In other words when they want to go big on defense they can maximize defense and minimize scoring loss with KP/Tillman.

[Hal14]

The depth of the team is big dudes, which gets even deeper if they do convert Queta. You'd think there'll be plenty of experimentation with double big lineups.

One question is- how will the they play with Tillman alongside another big guy, rather than instead of them? Porzingis/Tillman, Horford/Tillman, Kornet/Tillman, and Queta/Tillman. This may determine who the 15th man is.

How the Celtics utilize Tillman will also be the interesting part of the deal. The 6-foot-7 big man brings a lot to the table defensively, and while his offense is a question mark, the C’s won’t ask much from Tillman. Notably, he should mesh well with Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford in any double big lineups, where his defense affords the Celtics more options.

https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2024/02/xavier-tillman-reveals-what-marcus-smart-told-him-about-celtics.html

Personally I think it allows them to rest Al more. Horford/Tillman is pretty limited in scoring as a pairing, whereas Tillman/KP is less so. The other pairings can't really shoot at all and don't figure in much in the playoffs other than some mop up or spot duty.

In other words when they want to go big on defense they can maximize defense and minimize scoring loss with KP/Tillman.

I agree but think Joe will tinker with the Tillman/Horford pairing at times - at least to see what it looks like and how they do together. You still have enough shooting on the floor (with Horford), you have enough size, of course. Tillman and Horford can both handle the ball pretty well for a big, even in the open floor. And while that pairing is limited in terms of scoring, driving, posting up, going iso and stuff, I think we'd be in good shape as long as we have at least 2 out of Jrue/white/JB/JT out there with them.

Heck, we've gotten by alright with bench units where it's like Tatum/Al/Pritchard/Hauser/Brissett or Tatum/Kornet/Pritchard/Hauser/Al..

And this would only be for short stretches here and there, too.

With that being said, I think the more common double big lineups we'll see moving forward will be KP/Al and KP/Tillman, for reasons you mention in your post and because in general, Al/Tillman are a bit too similar, whereas KP and Al/Tillman complement each other more in terms of skill set and size differences..

[brackdan70]

What if the buy-out guy is JD Davison? We've talked about a need for a potential depth back up ball handler, maybe he's in house.

Idk off the top of my head how that would affect his future contract status - can they add him to the new 2nd round draft pick contracts and sign him for a long-term minimum salary deal and make him available for the playoffs? They'll have KP, Al, Tillman, and Kornet all at the five spot without Queta, the guy that's been assumed to be the option for an upgrade, but maybe it's JD.

Maybe.

But I feel like the position that is more of a need is wing. We had 2 wings on the team (Stevens, Banton) but then replaced them at the deadline with a guard (Springer) and a big (Tillman), even though lots of the rumors leading up to the deadline were about us getting a wing.

So it wouldn't shock me if the 2-way guy for us who gets converted is Peterson. You look at Peterson's full season G League numbers this season and they're pretty impressive. 15 PPG, 40% from 3. 63% TS. 20% assist, 9% rebound. 1.3% steals. Good size at 6'9" and should be pretty far along in his development so more NBA-ready since he's 24 yrs old.

Honestly, JD is probably as good as any PG in the G right now, Peterson is probably as good as any wing in the G right now and Queta is probably as good as any big who's in the G right now. Brad did a good job of filling those 2-way spots and our org has done a god job of developing these guys.

It wouldn't shock me if any of the 3 of them got converted. Or maybe we sign Danuel House or snag OPJ if he gets bought out..

I think Brissett is a better wing than any buyout candidate out there, and Springer can get minutes as a wing ( he plays much bigger than his size.) Svi and Walsh give plenty of depth. If there is a buyout wing that makes us better and gets minutes over Brisset and Springer then great…but I don’t see that guy. I’d rather give a few minutes to Walsh here and there and leave the roster spot empty or add Queta or Davison.

[zoyathedestroya]

Instead of spending on an extra guy plus tax, they should just give me the money and I'll promise to double my efforts in talking about the Celtics on here and on Twitter. Or they could pay me to shut up, their call.

[Hal14]

What if the buy-out guy is JD Davison? We've talked about a need for a potential depth back up ball handler, maybe he's in house.

Idk off the top of my head how that would affect his future contract status - can they add him to the new 2nd round draft pick contracts and sign him for a long-term minimum salary deal and make him available for the playoffs? They'll have KP, Al, Tillman, and Kornet all at the five spot without Queta, the guy that's been assumed to be the option for an upgrade, but maybe it's JD.

Maybe.

But I feel like the position that is more of a need is wing. We had 2 wings on the team (Stevens, Banton) but then replaced them at the deadline with a guard (Springer) and a big (Tillman), even though lots of the rumors leading up to the deadline were about us getting a wing.

So it wouldn't shock me if the 2-way guy for us who gets converted is Peterson. You look at Peterson's full season G League numbers this season and they're pretty impressive. 15 PPG, 40% from 3. 63% TS. 20% assist, 9% rebound. 1.3% steals. Good size at 6'9" and should be pretty far along in his development so more NBA-ready since he's 24 yrs old.

Honestly, JD is probably as good as any PG in the G right now, Peterson is probably as good as any wing in the G right now and Queta is probably as good as any big who's in the G right now. Brad did a good job of filling those 2-way spots and our org has done a god job of developing these guys.

It wouldn't shock me if any of the 3 of them got converted. Or maybe we sign Danuel House or snag OPJ if he gets bought out..

I think Brissett is a better wing than any buyout candidate out there, and Springer can get minutes as a wing ( he plays much bigger than his size.) Svi and Walsh give plenty of depth. If there is a buyout wing that makes us better and gets minutes over Brisset and Springer then great…but I don’t see that guy. I’d rather give a few minutes to Walsh here and there and leave the roster spot empty or add Queta or Davison.

All fair points.

Converting 1 of our 3 2-way contract guys seems like it might be the way to go..

[Curmudgeon]

Having Queta available for the playoffs is the best move they could make, given Horford's age and Porzingis' injury history.

[Parliament10]

Having Queta available for the playoffs is the best move they could make, given Horford's age and Porzingis' injury history.

Agreed. I believe that's the way we go.
Convert Queta. If done by March 4, then we can add another Two-Way to replace that spot.

[zoyathedestroya]

If Queta is converted, depth chart gonna look like this:

White | Holiday | Brown | Tatum | Porzingis
Pritchard | Hauser | Brissett | Tillman | Horford
Springer | Svi | Walsh | Queta | Kornet

I'd still rather have a vet that can play in the postseason but doesn't need to. Guys like Springer, Walsh, and Queta aren't playoff-ready. What is a Svi and why is he still on the roster?

EDIT: Two-ways can join the team in the playoffs. They just aren't eligible to play, correct? They can still practice and join in the sidelines? Queta and Davison should at least experience what it's like in the playoffs (prep, game atmosphere, etc.) even if they won't be able to play.

[BK_2020]

I wonder if Svi is on the roster because he's really good in practice or because teams didn't want him even as salary/roster spot match.

[fallguy]

I'm impressed you guys are still invested in this thread.

[Fencer reregistered]

If only 1 of our rotation guys is lost to injury, the backup situation is pretty straightforward.
If 2 are, at different positions, the same is true.
If 3 are lost, we're presumably sunk.

So when considering depth, perhaps we should focus on the possibility that 2 guys are lost at the same position.


Case 1: We lose 2 PGs/combo guards.

Then as matters currently stand, the remaining rotation PG, the Jays, and Hauser divide the minutes at 1-3, with not a lot left over for Tatum to play the 4. When there's no traditional PG, Tatum is the main offensive PG, while Brown is the main defensive one.

Horford plays a lot of 4, while Porzingis/Kornet man the 5. 20 minutes so need to be eaten by some combination of:

-- Porzingis/(Kornet/Tillman/Queta) playing double-big while Horford sits
-- Brissett (or Springer or Walsh)

Case 2: We lose a Jay and Hauser. (If we lose both Jays, we're sunk anyway.)

The other Jay mainly plays SF, backed up by Jrue in "three guard" lineups. Double big as above. Brissett likely gets some minutes.

Case 3: We lose both Porzingis and Horford

The other bigs play center-by-committee, and it probably takes at least 3 of them, as fouls could be an issue. Tatum's backup at the 4 could be a big, or Brissett, or Brown, or even Jrue.



I'm not seeing a lot there that can realistically be upgraded on the buyout market. And prioritizing Peterson over Queta as the 15th signing makes sense mainly if he's seen as somebody who could play over Brissett.