The Boston Celtics are expected to lose a pair of stars in the coming weeks, but they soon could put themselves in position to bring one in.
Kyrie Irving and Al Horford both are expected to sign elsewhere on the open market, which will free up a bit of salary cap space for the C’s. While this new-found cash alone wouldn’t be enough to legitimately pursue a marquee free agent, Boston could execute a few follow-up moves to broaden its flexibility.
One of these moves already might be in the works, as the Celtics reportedly have made Aron Baynes available for trade in an effort to free up cap space. If Boston put more emphasis on this tactic by renouncing the rights to all of its free agents — most notably Marcus Morris and Terry Rozier — it suddenly could find itself with the financial backing to be a major player in free agency.
Yahoo Sports’ Keith Smart laid out the details Thursday morning:
So, what should the Celtics do with this money should they go all in on dumping salaries? Reports on Wednesday indicated Boston will target centers in free agency, which would make sense given Horford’s and Baynes’ potential exits. But point guard also is an area of need for the C’s, and the franchise would be able to make a real run at a player like Kemba Walker if it maximizes its cap space.
It’s anyone’s guess what Danny Ainge currently has up his sleeve, but the picture could become a bit clearer Thursday night during the NBA draft.
