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Ten days ago, Brad Stevens was asked if owning the Boston Celtics gave him the OK to use a major trade exemption and invest in the luxury tax to bolster the roster for the 2022-23 season.
“We have the OK to do whatever we have to do,” Stevens said.
And he wasn’t joking.
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The Celtics broke out their checkbooks on Friday while having a fashionably late but undeniably big showing at hand. Boston dangled the full taxpayer at mid-level to scoop live-shooting forward Danilo Gallinari off the waiver wire, then re-rotated the entire end of his bench along with a 2023 first-round pick in exchange for expensive point guard Malcolm Brogdon Indiana.
Boston is now around $17 million over the tax limit with just 11 players signed for next season. But the two veteran signings leave Boston much deeper and more diverse than the roster that fell two wins behind Banner 18 last season.
And the Celtics still haven’t touched the $17.1 million exception that Evan Fournier traded. You might not even use the bulk of it until July 18, but it remains a roster building benefit.
When it finally vaporizes, there should be no dismay. With the stunning move to Land Brogdon and the addition of a big ball-handler with defensive versatility, the Celtics acknowledged some holes in last year’s roster and yelled they expect to be back in the title mix next season.
The Vegas odds immediately made them co-favorites for the NBA title.
On landing Brogdon, President of Basketball Operations Stevens caught the one fish Danny Ainge always lamented getting away with. The Celtics were bullish on Brogdon during the 2016 draft but ultimately traded a pair of early second-round picks for a 2019 first-rounder. Ainge later complained that he hadn’t used one to beat Brogdon, who went 36th to the Bucks.
Half a decade later, the Celtics’ willingness to take on Brogdon’s long-term money opened up an opportunity to acquire him cheaply. The Celtics sent Daniel Theis, whose $8.5 million salary was too much for a third center; Aaron Nesmith, who scored 25.4 percent on all 3-pointers in his sophomore season; a series of end-of-the-bank tunes better known for their celebrations than for their playing; and a 2023 first-round pick that should be somewhere in the 26th-30th place.
Brogdon has a long injury history, having played just 61.9 percent of Indiana’s games over the past three seasons. He signed a two-year, $45 million extension that will keep him on Boston’s books through the 2024–25 season.
But Stevens was willing to squander first-round picks to secure players who fit Boston’s style of play and are in control over the long term. Call him Bold Brad. Securing Brogdon comes five months after Boston used a 2022 first-round pick as part of a package to land the San Antonio Spurs’ Derrick White.
All of this after Stevens gave Oklahoma City a first-round pick for 2021 while trading Kemba Walker for Al Horford at the start of his tenure as GM 13 months ago.
The Pacers can give Nesmith the minutes he needs to develop in rebuild mode, but the Celtics essentially dealt out their ninth and tenth men for a player who instantly slotted into an already loaded Top 6.
It comes with a high salary cost, but Boston recognized the value of depth and expense as he watched the Golden State Warriors emerge in the 2022 Finals.
The Celtics have yet to fill at least three vacant roster spots (and fill their 2-way slots). But Boston’s depth chart right now looks like this:
STARTER: Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Al Horford, Robert Williams III
BANK: Brogdon, White, Gallinari, Grant Williams, Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser
You can argue, if you wish, about the prospects of Brogdon rising to a starting role. It’s certainly possible, but Boston had the best starting XI in the NBA last season. If this is the roster the Celtics carry into the new season, there’s a strong opportunity to limit the wear and tear on the core, particularly of Horford, 36, by capitalizing on the new depth and versatility.
Boston could still use a middle of the third string with some weight. Brogdon should help bring in another full-back to relieve Tatum and Brown.
Getting Brogdon at such a cheap price based on outgoing assets made the decision to spend big a lot easier. Ditto the charging of the East rivals early in free agency and the bitter taste of not being able to wrap up last year’s picture-perfect season.
Offensively, Brogdon is the kind of big playmaker that Smart haters have been lusting after for a while. The Celtics can now have the best of both worlds as Smart has proven he can be quarterback and offensive, but also able to share that dominance with Brogdon, who can play both guard spots.
Brogdon’s injury history makes it a luxury to have someone like White in a reserve role as well. The depth chart is a bit congested for Pritchard, whose role dwindled early last year when the Celtics signed Dennis Schroder, but with Ime Udoka embracing his newfound depth, there are minutes to keep Boston’s entire top 10 fresh over the course of 82 – game season.
With playoff rotation crunching, it’s more likely the Celtics will lean more on Brogdon than Gallinari. But Boston’s lack of bench attacks was such an apparent weakness during this year’s run that the soon-to-be 34-year-old sniper could be a key depth option.
The Celtics are currently staring at a potential luxury tax bill in excess of $35 million given the escalators based on total spending. This group will need to prove they can be a surefire contender again throughout the new season to justify carrying so many sizeable contracts (six players worth $16.4 million).
Boston wasn’t content with simply adding a ninth or tenth man. Getting Brogdon at such a cheap price based on outgoing assets made the decision to spend big a lot easier. Ditto the charging of the East rivals early in free agency and the bitter taste of not being able to wrap up last year’s picture-perfect season.
The Celtics can still oversee the Kevin Durant sweepstakes – they have the contracts and enough future picks to still get into the proceedings, although it’s more likely that they’re simply trying to support the Durant move process with their TPE and to gain more assets from the process. Friday’s spending makes it harder to accept big bucks, but not impossible.
Because on Friday, the Celtics proved they were willing to pay to play with the goal of securing Banner 18, especially after it slipped through their fingers last month.
