Roster reset: Still room for Allen, Bass
Mark L. Baer/US PresswireJason Terry could be in a Celtics uniform next season if a deal gets done.SIGNED FOR 2012-13 WITH SALARY ESTIMATES (10)
Guards: Rajon Rondo ($11 million), Avery Bradey ($1.6 million), Jason Terry ($5 million)
Forwards: Paul Pierce ($16.8 million), JaJuan Johnson ($1.1 million), Jared Sullinger ($1.3 million**); Jeff Green ($9 million*), Kris Joseph ($473,604)
Center: Kevin Garnett ($11 million*), Fab Melo ($1.3 million**)
NON-GUARANTEED 2012-13 CONTRACTS (2)
E'Twaun Moore ($760,000); Sean Williams ($915,000)
FREE AGENTS FROM 2011-12 SEASON (10)
Restricted: Greg Stiemsma ($1.1 million)
Unrestricted: Ray Allen, Brandon Bass, Keyon Dooling, Mickael Pietrus, Marquis Daniels, Sasha Pavlovic, Ryan Hollins, Jermaine O'Neal, Chris Wilcox
Estimated total salary committed to guaranteed contracts: $58.7 million
(* = Estimated salary, awaiting official; ** = 120% of rookie scale)
For the purpose of this exercise, we're doing a little bit of assuming (that deals with Green and Terry will be finalized) as well as some guesswork on the numbers while awaiting official contract values for the likes of Garnett and Green (which won't likely be finalized until after the moratorium; we're using Green's $9 million figure from last year as a guide this year though that number might be lower).
We're also assuming that the Celtics went to 120 percent of the rookie scale with Sullinger and Melo. But going high on all of the estimated numbers, the Celtics still have roughly $15 million max to fill out their roster. And they don't want to get too close to that $74 million threshold because they want to leave room to absorb more salary during the season (whether it be injury replacements or taking on a little extra salary in the trade).
Even still, that means Boston still seemingly has enough room to bring back both Allen and Bass (though it won't leave much to fill out the end of the bench). Regardless, Boston still has room to do some combination of the following:
* Offer Ray Allen a two-year, $12 million contract ($6 million on book for next season)
* Offer Brandon Bass in the vicinity of $6 million in the first year of a long-term deal (though a lower number would provide more wiggle room). If unable to bring back Bass at an agreeable number, the team could facilitate a sign-and-trade in order to bring back an asset.
* Use the bi-annual exception (or part of it) to bring back a role player like Mickael Pietrus or fend off any modest offer sheets that Greg Stiemsma receives. The $2 million value will still require the likes of Pietrus to take a bit of a discount, but a veteran might be enticed by the roster Boston is putting together for another title run.
* Fill out the end of the roster with low-budget options like Moore and Williams, or any other minimum salary player. Remember that the league pays a portion of all one-year veteran contracts, so even a long-time veteran with a $1+ million price tag only counts against Boston's books at a fraction of the cost. For instance, Pietrus made $1.2 million last season, but Boston only paid $854,000.
PODCASTS
Play Podcast ESPN MLB Insider Buster Olney gives his thoughts on Mike Trout's cycle and compares Trout's production with Miguel Cabrera's. Olney also says Jacoby Ellsbury's lack of production is putting the Red Sox in a tough spot and explains why Cole Hamels' poor start isn't too much of a concern.
Play Podcast Indians manager Terry Francona dishes on his return to baseball, joining Cleveland, Miguel Cabrera, his time with the Red Sox, MLB's usage of instant replay and more.
Play Podcast ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter covers Rob Gronkowski's latest forearm surgery, the possibility of a new league schedule, Super Bowls L and LI, Charles Woodson and more.
Play Podcast ESPN NHL analyst Barry Melrose talks about big wins for the Bruins and Sharks on Thursday night and compares the end of Wayne Gretzky's career to the end of Michael Jordan's career.
Play Podcast Adnan Virk and Chris Broussard discuss another surgery on Rob Gronkowski's broken forearm and wonder if Gronkowski's inability to heal from this injury is a red flag for the rest of Gronkowski's career.
TEAM LEADERS
| POINTS | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Paul Pierce
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| OTHER LEADERS | ||||||||||||
| Rebounds | K. Garnett | 7.8 | ||||||||||
| Assists | R. Rondo | 11.1 | ||||||||||
| Steals | R. Rondo | 1.8 | ||||||||||
| Blocks | K. Garnett | 0.9 | ||||||||||






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