Marcus Smart free agency Take 2. "He works hard for the money" Agrees to 4 year 52$ million deal page 32

[Andrew McCeltic]

Wait wait wait.. Happy Walters was Nerlens Noel’s agent? The one who had him turn down 17 million annually from Dallas?

[celticfan42487]

He turned that down to go to RFA and reportedly now that the reality has hit him that he isn't going to get anything close to that on the market he is "hurt and upset" that the team didn't wildly trump that offer on the first night of FA. He is reportedly not responding to the team's efforts to sit down and talk right now.

This is all just "reports" but there is actual video evidence of Danny and Brad reaching out to Marcus directly in Vegas while he was "meeting with other teams" who didn't offer him anything.

I don't think the issue is the team being willing to sign him to the 4/48 contract (until we hear otherwise) I think the issue is Marcus accepting that. To be fair an additional issue is that he immediately becomes trade bait as soon as he signs that deal (at least in December).

I wouldn't be so sure that 4/48 is on the table (or that it was actually even offered last year). That puts the Celtics in luxury tax immediately.

Last year perhaps with Hayward Ainge thought Smart would break out finally and play well as a role player.

But that was last year, instead in his contract year he didn't do much different from the previous 3 seasons besides break his hand because he has mental issues.

Ainge has Irving and Rozier coming up next season and has to think of the future. Why wouldn't he want Smart on a 1 year QO as someone who is only really good for a team as a defensive specialist off the bench.

Maybe Ainge wants some Irving insurance in case Irving walks or someone offers a S&T for the injury prone star and Ainge feels good about a Rozier/Smart PG situation going forward.

Maybe Rozier gets the full max from the Nets next off season after they strike out and suddenly Ainge is willing to instead move forward paying luxury tax on a 14 mil a year Smart contract instead of a 20ish Rozier one after Irving resigns.

Or maybe he feels like even next off season Smart won't receive an offer about 9 million and he can resign him for a reasonable deal while easiely avoiding the tax this year.

Ainge could make the bet Smart breaks out again, but he'd have to do it at the expense of taking options out of his hands or if he truly believe Irving and or Rozier is gone regardless of what he does (which in that case he should work to trade them).

I don't think the lux tax is as big of an issue for the team as we act in discussions it is a thing but that is what it is. The team will pay it if it has to when it has to.

More important is managing assets. It is pretty clear Ainge offered a deal approaching 12 mil per season it may have been structured in a way that allowed the team avoid the tax this year and it may not have. Marcus is toast once he signs the QO as an asset.

Sure the team can lower the offer and great if he signs but the team kind of needs contracts, everyone is either on a minimum salary, rookie deal or max salary it makes it very hard to make trades.

If Smart goes for the QO I expect that Ainge will offer the same 4/48 to Rozier, which if he takes it will likely diminish Marcus' role on the team significantly.

Well yeah if you think the luxury tax isn't a big deal then that changes our perspective completely.

If the owners will pay any amount then there's no reason to worry about anything and we'll just resign everyone.

No one really knows how much they'll pay. It does get expensive fast though. Over the past 16 years from what I can find they've paid $47 million in luxury tax since becoming owners. In 15/16 season CLE paid 54 million in one year alone. So it isn't like salaries where people can just say "take a percentage compared to the old cap and they'll pay that"... these are real dollars our owners have be willing to become poor by.

I think it's inevitable we have to lose one of Rozier or Smart because of this (or someone else with one of them or both depending on what they get), if I didn't then no one would want to lose Rozier, Smart, or Kelly O even for nothing. And it seems we will already going to be asking the owners to pay luxury tax money in the Rozier/Irving resigning year while AL takes the last 30 million he'll ever see. (unless we lose some players).

But let's see how the market shakes out then, maybe we can keep it to just one season of luxury tax. Maybe Rozier gets hurt and gets lowballed. Maybe Smart is valued below MLE come next season by all NBA teams. Because of that, and because I think the lux tax is a thing, that's the only reason a 1 year QO for Smart is by far the best case for the Celtics franchise.

[SmartWentCrazy]

I feel this ends the same way as Randle— 2 for 20. Smart gets more up front but less in year two and gets to be a UFA when theres more money. Celtics cut Nader and get under the tax.

[SmartWentCrazy]

My offer:

Year 1: 9,615,385
Year 2: 10,384,615

Would put us ~1M over the tax. We send cash+Nader to Atl/Sac/Chicago to remove his 1.4M hit [400k guaranteed], dropping us below the tax.

[Andrew McCeltic]

https://www.sbnation.com/2017/8/26/16209330/nerlens-noel-agent-happy-walters-mark-cuban-mavericks-free-agency

Happy says Nerlens turned down the 17 million deal - claims report it never happened was Noel’s new agent trying to do pr.

[celticfan42487]

I feel this ends the same way as Randle— 2 for 20. Smart gets more up front but less in year two and gets to be a UFA when theres more money. Celtics cut Nader and get under the tax.

Yeah, I mean Randle I thought was 2 for 17.7 with a player option for the second year but the Celtics could do that.

Basically it's a tiny bit above MLE offer but with a player option to pick up the 0.5 a million above MLE salary next year if no one wants him.

We can give Smart 8 million this year instead of 6 and still have half a mil before lux tax lying around to sign someone for mid season cuts that comes free. At the very least we can tell Smart with no offers, hey... we're not going to lose our flexibility but here's the extra free money we have to give to you.

That would come at the expense of having that room to outbid contenders for post trade deadline cuts but honestly all roads lead to GS and who cares about a one year mercenary pick up just to face a Curry, Klay, Durant, Green, Cousins.

[brackdan70]

My offer:

Year 1: 9,615,385
Year 2: 10,384,615

Would put us ~1M over the tax. We send cash+Nader to Atl/Sac/Chicago to remove his 1.4M hit [400k guaranteed], dropping us below the tax.

Boom

[Andrew McCeltic]

I feel this ends the same way as Randle— 2 for 20. Smart gets more up front but less in year two and gets to be a UFA when theres more money. Celtics cut Nader and get under the tax.

Makes sense, less than Marcus wants, but fewer years means more flexibility for both sides. If he’s good enough to get more money in two years, we’ll give it to him, and if he’s the same player, we’ll pay him to be the same player.

I can think of a couple of other scenarios - where we want him at 12+ because it helps us to have him to match salaries for a bigger fish - or where we want him signed for 4 years because we genuinely want him in Boston long-term as part of the culture, because he’s such a great defender and intangibles guy, he leaves it all on the floor, he plays with no ego..

[brackdan70]

I feel this ends the same way as Randle— 2 for 20. Smart gets more up front but less in year two and gets to be a UFA when theres more money. Celtics cut Nader and get under the tax.

Seems likely but I think This not a great move by Smart. Year there will be more money next year but a lot more free agents on the market. So many one year deals this year. Does Smart rise above the fray as a highly desire able FA next year to command good money...I would bet he is better off signing a fair long term deal this year that pays him 10 ish next year and 11 ish the year after etc Not sure the Cs are offering that but I bet he doesn’t get a better deal next year.

[CeltsfaninDC]

Jabari Parker appears to be in the exact same spot. That speaks to where the market is and not necessarily where Smart is in relation to it. He can try to get the 4/48 back or sign the QO and try it again next year. If I’m him I sign the 4/48 and KNOW that I have a great place for the next four years while making nearly $50,000,000.

[robdog_5]

Next year many teams will have money but next year is a huge free agent year. Maybe unprecedented at how many star or just below star level players are available.

[Parliament10]

Watch on YouTube

[jfs1000d]

Smart should go 2 years $20 million. That beats $6 mil this year and $15 mil the next.

No way do I play on QO. Stupid.


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[canman1971]

Watch on YouTube

[ConstableGeneva]

Read on Twitter

Sherrod said SAC are preparing an offer for Smart days ago. Does it really take that long? SMH Blakeley.

[cloverleaf]

Read on Twitter

Sherrod said SAC are preparing an offer for Smart days ago. Does it really take that long? SMH Blakeley.

Danny's been doing a good job keeping his scent sprayed all over Marcus.

[cloverleaf]

This whole episode probably contributes to KO and ET still pinching themselves years now after they bagged their deals.

[klemen4]

One Vivek Ranadive is enough

[cloverleaf]

One Vivek Ranadive is enough

That's what Parker and Capela are telling themselves. Somehow it would be Ranadivian to make the big offer to Rodney Hood.

[3D Chess]

This whole episode probably contributes to KO and ET still pinching themselves years now after they bagged their deals.

KO played to his deal and is a nice player.