With their season now over, the Boston Celtics now have to worry about, among other things, the future of their backcourt.Â
Kyrie Irving all but certainly will opt out of his contract this offseason, making him a free agent, and it’s hardly a guarantee he’ll re-sign with the C’s — despite his verbal commitment in October that he would.
But Irving isn’t the only guard the Celtics have to worry about. Terry Rozier is a restricted free agent, meaning even if he tests the open market, Boston has the opportunity to match any offer he gets. Despite taking a step back this season due to his reduced role as a result of Irving’s return from injury, Rozier surely will have plenty of suitors.
In a piece for The Athletic assessing the Celtics’ current situation, David Aldridge speculated two teams that could make a run at Rozier this offseason.
“Utah and Indiana, for two, would seem to be among the teams that would be interested in the 25-year-old Rozier as a potential starter,” Aldridge wrote. “But what will he ask for? And would Boston match an offer sheet in excess of $18-20 million per year for him? It would be hard to see that.”
Both spots seem like a good fit. The Pacers started 31-year-old Darren Collison at the point 76 times this season, while Ricky Rubio served as the Jazz’s primary point guard. Both are set to hit free agency this summer as well, and if the 2018 postseason is any indication, Rozier could be a starter of a similar caliber to those two.
Much of this might also depends on what happens with Irving, as well. Because if the Celtics know Irving is gone before July 1 hits, then they might push hard to keep Rozier around.
