Free Agent/Trade/Waiver Thread, 2025-26, part 2

[brackdan70]

I think a players value does ebb and flow with their success. I agree 14 games doesn’t change thing a ton, but does a little. Especially because GMs might consider the Tatum factor in his past success.

[jfs1000d]

I have never thought Sam would get us a first, fwiw. He was excellent value, obviously, before he got his new contract. I saw someone suggest that he could have gotten 20M elsewhere, but signed with us for less. 20 mil for Sam seems insane to me. He has a niche on a true contender when he's surrounded by all star level talent. Outside that context, his limitations are quickly evident. In the playoffs, if his one trick is not working, his minutes can be costly. You have to determine quickly if he's on that night or not.

I do like his archetype on a stacked roster, though. Anyhow, I don't think he nets a first.

verdict is still out on Simons, dudes buried on the bench when he should be starting....Joey needs to give the guy a chance, even when he blew up for 20+ in 8 minutes, Joe sat him. Whether you want to keep him or not, Simons need to play and be showcased. Simons next to JB, White, and JT is a lethal 4 on offense and the D hasn't been bad.

I just don’t see it with Simons game. I think PP is better.

[redslastlaugh]

I think it hurts us that he has 3 yrs left after this year, because that limits his value. Some contenders are going to have to pay big extensions coming up and Hauser $10 million is fine this year, but his $12.5 million owed in 2028-29 is a problem for other teams' cap planning.

Take Detroit for instance, if they keep Duren, Ausar, Jaden Ivey, Ron Holland... these are a lot of expensive extensions gonna kick in the next 2-3 yrs.
So right now, yeah, Hauser fits for a lot of teams, but teams don't want to go into the 2nd apron 3 yrs from now as a price for getting Sam Hauser, a proven 3-D bench player, but still like a 7th man at best

San Antonio for instance, they also have extensions coming down the pike for Wemby, Castle perhaps Sochan ... and Sam being so many years at a not insignificant $12 million per year, this poses a problem

If Sam's deal ran this year and then 2 yrs after this, he'd be more tradeable in this present cap environment where flexibility is prioritized

I'm very confident even now somebody would give you value for him.

Look at it this way. Duncan Robinson just got 16 million a year from Detroit. Hauser is making 11 million a year. Hauser is younger than Robinson, he won't Robinson's age until the end of his current contract. He's probably also a better defender than Robinson. Making 5 million less than your market value over 4 years is 20 million in surplus value, easily worth a late first round pick.

One option would be trading Hauser to Washington at the deadline in exchange for what is pretty much guaranteed to be OKC's #30 pick. Washington can absorb him into their Mide Level and either use him to provide spacing for their young guys or flip him this offseason probably for more than the #30 pick.

Idk maybe. I think he was pretty borderline in value for a pick before this season and his value certainly hasn’t increased.
It would be a contender that needs a shooter that would want him.

[Fierce1]

2029 is so far away.

Next season the salary cap will be 166m.

So 12m in 2029 will be like 7-8m in today's NBA.

At the rate the cap increases every year, even JB's 300m contract is not an albatross anymore.

[jmr07019]

Chism should have beers thrown at him if that's the route they go. The standard has to be higher

Not sure if this is a thing or not already but that’s his nickname if he doesn’t pan out.

We're nick naming Chism "The standard" ?

[Celts17Pride]

There is no showcasing Anfernee Simons. Every team in the league knows exactly who he is as a player. He did have a pretty good game against Brooklyn

[hugepatsfan]

Chism should have beers thrown at him if that's the route they go. The standard has to be higher

I doubt it would ever escalate to that. Look at the timing of moves in the plan I outlined...

1) this season/deadline: Dump Hauser and Boucher/Tillman. No one is going to care about Boucher/Tillman. Dumping Hauser will draw some ire but fans are also already kind of settled in on the fact that this is a bridge year and part of my post was predicated on the idea that Hugo/Walsh/Minott continue to play well. In a bridge year where Tatum is out and guys have actually stepped up into Hauser's role as a backup wing, I think it will be a relatively easy thing for fans to get over moving a guy who isn't even playing well so far.

2) This offseason: Even though I have them staying below the luxury tax there, I still think fans will be fine because look at the causes for excitement:

- returning ALL of this year's rotation except for Simons' who hasn't really endeared himself to fans
- Simons' departure is more than offset by the return of Tatum, which is a huge cause for optimism/excitement
- they'll be adding the highest draft pick they've had in some time
- even without going to the tax, they're still adding $20-25M worth of salary or salaries between the MLE and/or Porzingis TPE, so it's not like they won't be improving

All in all, fans are going to be looking at an offseason where Tatum comes back, you add the most exciting young prospect they've added in a while AND the team signs/trades for 1-2 rotation pieces. Even if the final number is below the tax, I don't think fans are going to feel "cheated" by ownership to the point of misery.

3) Next season/trade deadline: this is probably where ownership faces the most pressure. If the team is looking nice and they don't add salary at the deadline, fans might get upset. Tatum will be back and people will be hungry for another playoff run. Between the salaries on the books (inc. the MLE/TPE acquisitions) it's not like they won't be able to make ANY trades without adding salary. They'll also, presumably, be a very good team with Tatum back and one of the few that can sign significant buyout pieces midway too, so there's more avenues to improve.

4) 2027 offseason and beyond: repeater rates would be reset and Tatum/Brown/White still have prime years left. Wouldn't be subject to repeater rates again until I believe 2031. So no reason not to consistently go into the tax for the rest of their primes and at lower tax rates they get like 4 times as much bang for their payroll buck on the tax dollars they spend.

I just don't see fans ever rising to the level of extreme hatred for ownership unless they don't go back into the tax in 2027, which I believe they would. And the dollars stretch sooooooooo much further at regular rates than repeater rates so I think they'd be setting themselves up way better to actually get over the hump and win another title in one of those years vs. playing 2027 and beyond at a reduced level because they didn't want to do more in 2026-27 (next year) than "only" add Tatum back, also add their highest pick in a long time, and replace Hauser with $20-25M of other rotation pieces. That's still extremely solid improvement to next year's team after this bridge year.

The crux of our disagreement is the cost/benefit analysis of resetting the repeater tax. I don't think there's value in it for the on court product. Adding salary back will not be an easy task due to the CBA and that's a detail that shouldn't be overlooked. It's a move that will result in a net decrease to our chances at #19 while Tatum and Brown are here.

It should be noted that Brad and ownership have stated multiple times that getting under the tax is not a mandate. Kicking the can down the road, not putting our best foot forward, the 13th pick and an MLE signing doesn't do it for me. Trade for a big man and try and maximize our chances next year. The trade deadline should clear things up on whether or not the Celtics plan to reset the repeater tax or not.

I see a 3-4 year window starting next year but it could be shorter than that! Things change quickly. Look at Tatum's injury as an example. There's a million what if's .... what if Wemby becomes durable? What if Giannis forces his way out of Milwaukee and forms a super team somewhere? Etc. etc. Time is of the essence!

I would add I don't think the Celtics are all that far away. I still see 40-45 wins this year without Tatum and with him back the Celtics are a 50+ win team easily. Nobody in the east really scares me.

I disagree there's no on-court value in resetting the repeater tax. I think there's tons of value in it because it means you actually are putting more talent on the court under whatever ownership's payroll limit is. Ownership isn't going to tell Brad how far he can go into the tax. They're going to tell him how much payroll they're ok with. Remember that massive tax bill we were set to pay if we kept Porzingis/Holiday... it would have been about $100M less if we were at regular rates vs. repeater. That's just how the math works. Once you're in repeater rates, only a tiny percentage of your incremental spending actually goes to the guy on the court. You end up in a spot where even backfilling your open roster spot with a minimum player costs you like $20M. So the on court benefit of repeating the tax is that the payroll ownership approves Brad to spend actually goes to the on court product. They're going to be ok spending what they're ok spending, so it benefits the on court product to have more of that set number go on the court.

Just to level set on the numbers and roster implications... if they move Hauser at the deadline this year to replace him with a pro rated minimum player (and then do the same with Tillman/Boucher) they will be below the tax this year with the following 10 man rotation:

Pritchard / Simons
White / Hugo
Brown / Scheierman
Walsh / Minott
Queta / Garza

That is the same 10 man rotation they have already except Hauser's role goes to Scheierman. First, I don't mind that for development puproses and secondly I don't think it's some crippling drop off. We also have 3 roster spots to backfill and as a below the tax team we'd be one that can sign guys who made more than the MLE, so we could even add more talent.

Looking ahead to 26-27, with Hauser off the books, we'd be $31,270,215 below the projected tax line with 10 players signed:

White / Pritchard
Brown / Hugo
Walsh / Scheierman
Tatum / Minott
Queta / Garza

So again, it's pretty much the same 10 man rotation we currently have except now in addition to going from Hauser to Scheierman like I outlined above, we also go from Simons to Tatum. PRETTY BIG WIN in my opinion! The Porzingis TPE allows them to add a significant salary for a starting big man like you're imploring them to do even after signing their pick. Even if they go a bit over the tax to start the year they can get under midyear by dumping 3rd unit guys and backfilling with pro rated minimums and moves like that.



I'm a Hauser fan so both of those rosters look better with him on them. But for the cost of not having him in these next 2 years, the benefit is that they'll be able to go DEEP into the luxury tax for the rest of Tatum/Brown/White prime without repeater tax soaking up all of the payroll dollars of doing so. IMO for the cost/benefit analysis, Hauser is a replaceable enough player that this is worth it. If we were talking about a better player than Hauser or Walsh/Minott/Hugo all looked like crap then I'd feel differently. But considering the guys who have stepped up this year, I think this is just good teambuilding and managing finances for the on court product's best interests.

[GoCeltics123]

Hugepatsfan is absolutely correct about the repeater tax. Zarren LITERALLY SAID IT in the preseason against Toronto, they're going to try to get under the tax (he didn't say it directly but heavily inferred it).

I like Hauser but the Zubac for Hauser/Picks on the KP TPE is calling my name right now (for next offseason). I just love the idea of it, I know he can't shoot but neither can Queta, and his defense and rebounding is very valuable. It's true that hitching your wagon to young wings is risky and Hauser is proven, but I'd take that risk for Zu

[Hal14]

There is no showcasing Anfernee Simons. Every team in the league knows exactly who he is as a player. He did have a pretty good game against Brooklyn

Imagine saying that about Luke Kornet, Josh Hart, Derrick White, Jalen Brunson, Jaylen Brown, KCP, Finney-Smith or countless other players when they were like 15 games into their age 26 season..

Now imagine if those same players..the only full seasons they ever played in the NBA were on a dumpster fire of a team with zero coaching, no hopes of winning anything and the player had to be the no. 1 option on a tanking team..they probably wouldn't be thought of very highly..

Simons is 26. Players typically peak around age 28-31. He is not a finished product.

[Hal14]

Hugepatsfan is absolutely correct about the repeater tax. Zarren LITERALLY SAID IT in the preseason against Toronto, they're going to try to get under the tax (he didn't say it directly but heavily inferred it).

I like Hauser but the Zubac for Hauser/Picks on the KP TPE is calling my name right now (for next offseason). I just love the idea of it, I know he can't shoot but neither can Queta, and his defense and rebounding is very valuable. It's true that hitching your wagon to young wings is risky and Hauser is proven, but I'd take that risk for Zu

Do you have a link to the Zarren quote? Kind of seems like you're being hyperbolic here with all the capital letters and the strong words like literally and heavily so I'd like to see exactly where Zarren says this..my understanding is that ownership/Brad have said the goal is getting under 2nd apron - not getting under the tax line completely.

[Cricket23]

When trade restrictions are gone, how about something along the lines of White and Hauser to Houston, VanVleet and picks from hopefully Houston to the Clips, and Zubac and Jabari Smith to Boston? Add small filler. Jabari is poison pilled but fits into the KP TPE.

Pritch
JB
JT
Jabari
Zubac

Same general idea, how about Zubac and Kuminga, and whatever other asset you could get?

Add Simons and a couple of picks and make it Sabonis plus Jabari or Kuminga, if they can afford it.

I've been hoping for a complete tank but it's not going well so far.

Either way, I want Brad Stevens to be aggressive and I believe he will be.

[Curmudgeon]

Simons is 26. Players typically peak around age 28-31. He is not a finished product.

Let's hope some other NBA GM can be conned into believing this.

[Fierce1]

The chemistry will be disrupted if DWhite is traded.

JT, JB, and White should be off limits.

Only trade PP if the return is really good.

Chemistry and continuity are vital elements of a championship team.

[redslastlaugh]

Clippers won't trade Zubac, I don't think. They don't have their picks for several years and Zu is only 28 and signed to a good salary. Why trade him?

FVV has an implied no trade clause because of his contract, so he can veto any trade. If he moves from Texas to Mass, he loses a good amount in the income tax difference between the states, so I don't know if he'd sign off.

I do like the idea of Brad and the front office being aggressive. But also, it's really hard to make trades now with some teams restricted by being in the aprons, some teams hardcapped, etc so I don't want to expect no miracles, lol

When trade restrictions are gone, how about something along the lines of White and Hauser to Houston, VanVleet and picks from hopefully Houston to the Clips, and Zubac and Jabari Smith to Boston? Add small filler. Jabari is poison pilled but fits into the KP TPE.

Pritch
JB
JT
Jabari
Zubac

Same general idea, how about Zubac and Kuminga, and whatever other asset you could get?

Add Simons and a couple of picks and make it Sabonis plus Jabari or Kuminga, if they can afford it.

I've been hoping for a complete tank but it's not going well so far.

Either way, I want Brad Stevens to be aggressive and I believe he will be.

[keevsnick1]

I think it hurts us that he has 3 yrs left after this year, because that limits his value. Some contenders are going to have to pay big extensions coming up and Hauser $10 million is fine this year, but his $12.5 million owed in 2028-29 is a problem for other teams' cap planning.

Take Detroit for instance, if they keep Duren, Ausar, Jaden Ivey, Ron Holland... these are a lot of expensive extensions gonna kick in the next 2-3 yrs.
So right now, yeah, Hauser fits for a lot of teams, but teams don't want to go into the 2nd apron 3 yrs from now as a price for getting Sam Hauser, a proven 3-D bench player, but still like a 7th man at best

San Antonio for instance, they also have extensions coming down the pike for Wemby, Castle perhaps Sochan ... and Sam being so many years at a not insignificant $12 million per year, this poses a problem

If Sam's deal ran this year and then 2 yrs after this, he'd be more tradeable in this present cap environment where flexibility is prioritized

I'm very confident even now somebody would give you value for him.

Look at it this way. Duncan Robinson just got 16 million a year from Detroit. Hauser is making 11 million a year. Hauser is younger than Robinson, he won't Robinson's age until the end of his current contract. He's probably also a better defender than Robinson. Making 5 million less than your market value over 4 years is 20 million in surplus value, easily worth a late first round pick.

One option would be trading Hauser to Washington at the deadline in exchange for what is pretty much guaranteed to be OKC's #30 pick. Washington can absorb him into their Mide Level and either use him to provide spacing for their young guys or flip him this offseason probably for more than the #30 pick.

Idk maybe. I think he was pretty borderline in value for a pick before this season and his value certainly hasn’t increased.
It would be a contender that needs a shooter that would want him.

I think its the exact opposite actually. Knowing that number is locked in is a massive benefit to teams ability to budget and plan around the cap. A BIG number on a long term deal may be a hindrance, but a small number on a long term deal is literally the ideal contract.

[redslastlaugh]

I want Brad to be daring. If he finds a good trade for White, and the return makes sense age-wise and money-wise, it could make sense to trade Derrick.

For instance, Derrick will be earning an average salary of $32M/per for the 3 yrs after this. If we could land a better player or a comparable player who is younger & earning less, a trade might make sense.

But... I think Brad values continuity and stability. I don't think he'd make a risky trade with someone as valuable as D White. If the deal wasn't a clear upside deal that increased our championship odds, I don't think Brad would entertain the offer

The chemistry will be disrupted if DWhite is traded.

JT, JB, and White should be off limits.

Only trade PP if the return is really good.

Chemistry and continuity are vital elements of a championship team.

[djFan71]

I want Brad to be daring. If he finds a good trade for White, and the return makes sense age-wise and money-wise, it could make sense to trade Derrick.

For instance, Derrick will be earning an average salary of $32M/per for the 3 yrs after this. If we could land a better player or a comparable player who is younger & earning less, a trade might make sense.

But... I think Brad values continuity and stability. I don't think he'd make a risky trade with someone as valuable as D White. If the deal wasn't a clear upside deal that increased our championship odds, I don't think Brad would entertain the offer

The chemistry will be disrupted if DWhite is traded.

JT, JB, and White should be off limits.

Only trade PP if the return is really good.

Chemistry and continuity are vital elements of a championship team.

Being BFFs with JT on top of being really good probably makes it a non-starter. I think JB, White, PP are basically locks to stay unless some crazy can't pass it up deal comes along. Everyone else is the opposite - open for business. Maybe Neemy is closer to the first group, but not in it.

[redslastlaugh]

I think it hurts us that he has 3 yrs left after this year, because that limits his value. Some contenders are going to have to pay big extensions coming up and Hauser $10 million is fine this year, but his $12.5 million owed in 2028-29 is a problem for other teams' cap planning.

I think its the exact opposite actually. Knowing that number is locked in is a massive benefit to teams ability to budget and plan around the cap. A BIG number on a long term deal may be a hindrance, but a small number on a long term deal is literally the ideal contract.

I really hope so. At the end of the day its just hard to build a 14-15 man roster if Tatum + Brown are two players comprising $107 million this year just between them and we are also (maybe) trying to stay beneath the tax line ($189 million). So 14 man roster, 2 guys take up almost $110 million and you have $80 or so for 12-13 more players ... you just really start scrutinizing every dollar and players like Sam get put under the money microscope

[Fierce1]

I want Brad to be daring. If he finds a good trade for White, and the return makes sense age-wise and money-wise, it could make sense to trade Derrick.

For instance, Derrick will be earning an average salary of $32M/per for the 3 yrs after this. If we could land a better player or a comparable player who is younger & earning less, a trade might make sense.

But... I think Brad values continuity and stability. I don't think he'd make a risky trade with someone as valuable as D White. If the deal wasn't a clear upside deal that increased our championship odds, I don't think Brad would entertain the offer

The chemistry will be disrupted if DWhite is traded.

JT, JB, and White should be off limits.

Only trade PP if the return is really good.

Chemistry and continuity are vital elements of a championship team.

Yeah, if a trade like Josh Giddey for DWhite is on the table then Brad will do it.

But not for Jabari Smith and Zubac.

[Cricket23]

I want Brad to be daring. If he finds a good trade for White, and the return makes sense age-wise and money-wise, it could make sense to trade Derrick.

For instance, Derrick will be earning an average salary of $32M/per for the 3 yrs after this. If we could land a better player or a comparable player who is younger & earning less, a trade might make sense.

But... I think Brad values continuity and stability. I don't think he'd make a risky trade with someone as valuable as D White. If the deal wasn't a clear upside deal that increased our championship odds, I don't think Brad would entertain the offer

The chemistry will be disrupted if DWhite is traded.

JT, JB, and White should be off limits.

Only trade PP if the return is really good.

Chemistry and continuity are vital elements of a championship team.

Yeah, if a trade like Josh Giddey for DWhite is on the table then Brad will do it.

But not for Jabari Smith and Zubac.

I would not trade White for Giddey but I would for Jabari and Zubac. This team needs to add a quality starter or 2.