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Bazz-ness time
The Boston Celtics
concluded their 2016-17 playing season with a disappointing playoff exit in the
first round. They concluded the business portion of the 2016-17 season by
completing two small trades that barely make a ripple in the NLL landscape, but
address two big needs for the cap-strapped Celtics.
In two separate deals, the Boston Celtics traded a 2018 second round pick
(Chicago) to the Pelicans in their second deal of the week, getting first year
player A.J. Hammons.
The second deal was a three-way deal between Detroit and Washington. Washington
absorbed Leandro Barbosa’s contract after a previously deal for him fell
through. Detroit sent Shabazz Napier to the Celtics for cash considerations,
after the Pistons landed Fox in the draft.
Here is our take on why the two small deals went down…
The first deal addressed two things – a multi-year, cheap contract and a player
with size, strength and defensive capabilities. A.J. Hammons was drafted at
pick 39 in last year’s draft. He is 7’0’ tall and weights 250 lbs, and his
skill set is to rebound, block, play post-defense and take up space. Ideally,
that’s all the Celtics will want him to do. With so much offensive firepower,
he won’t be asked to shoot at all. In fact, they’ll likely encourage him not
to. But in the event that Dewayne Dedmon leaves in free agency, Hammons is
there for insurance.
He played the full four years in college and is already 24 years old, which is why he slipped to the second round and why he has doubts surrounding him as a prospect. Fortunately, he just has to be himself to be effective in Boston.
The second of these deals was purely financially motivated to begin with.
Celtics are capped out if all their incumbent free agents return, so it was
about balancing the books. Barbosa was the odd man out and was apparently being
shopped all over the league. However, after talking to sources and conducting
research, the best plan of attack was to acquire a back up point guard in the
process, just in case Shelvin Mack walks in free agency.
After talking to several GMs about the prospect of acquiring a back up point
guard and getting no bites, the Celtics took the Detroit Pistons up on the
offer of Shabazz Napier.
Napier, 25, is most well known for his Cinderella run in the NCAA tournament a
few years ago and his personal brilliant performances. As a pro, he has bounced around the league and only been a role
player. The Celtics appear to like what they see in Napier – a player who can
make plays and make big shots, and a player who might not have been giving a
fair shot at proving what he can do. For just cash considerations, this is a
good deal for what the Celtics wanted. Napier is on a cheap deal and they also
acquired his rights, meaning they can make him a restricted free agent next
season (if all goes well).
Ariza was the big catch, but Celtics brass see these two players as
contributors in the near future, particularly Shabazz Napier. With so much uncertainty ahead about how the roster will look, there is peace of mind in having some control over the futures of these two players.
Overall, Boston acquired Ariza, Napier, Hammons for Patterson, a 2018 first
(Minnesota), a 2018 second (Chicago) and cash. One veteran they are thrilled to have back and two young guys they are happy to take a chance on.
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