The Celtics could very well be looking at bringing back a familiar face as it looks like Avery Bradley’s days with the Clippers are numbered. Los Angeles reversed course early Wednesday morning with the stunning trade of Tobias Harris to the 76ers and are now very much looking at creating enough cap room this summer to sign two max contract players. In order to get the requisite cap space, the Clips would need to unleash Bradley. This is what The Ringer’s Dan Devine had to say about the Clippers situation on Wednesday.
“The trade essentially confirms the Clippers’ commitment to an all-in push to land superstar free agents this summer,” Devine wrote. “Harris will hit the unrestricted market in July, but the Clips pretty famously are dreaming bigger. Shedding Harris’ $22.2 million cap hold give LA more than enough financial flexibility to offer a maximum-salaried contract in free agency this summer. The franchise also sits just a couple of other moves – trading or waiving Avery Bradley, whose $13 million contract for 2019-20 is guaranteed for only $2 million, and offloading Danilo Gallinari – from having as much as $78 million in cap space this summer. Before too long, the Knicks might not be the only suitor in a glamour market that can sell a max-caliber superstar on both making as much money as possible and picking his preferred top-flight teammate.”
Kawhi Leonard looks like the primary player that Jerry West and company will target this summer. Kawhi is a Los Angeles native and has often says he wants to play at home but also hinted that he doesn’t want to be a mercenary for LeBron James with the Lakers. It makes the Clippers the favorite to sign Kawhi this summer, even ahead of the Raptors who are thriving right now with Kawhi as their top player.
As for the Celtics it is now looking like they will at least be able to be a part of the conversation in a trade for Anthony Davis this summer. That’s the good news for Boston fans.
The bad news is that it is almost certain that they will have to trade star swingman Jayson Tatum as the centerpiece in a Davis deal.
Beggars can’t be choosers when it comes to building a championship team, but the Celtics would absolutely be accused of “buying a title” if they were to trade away a homegrown talent like Tatum in exchange for Davis. The Celtics’ top four players by salary in this scenario would be Kyrie Irving, Davis, Gordon Hayward and Al Horford. None of those players were drafted by Boston.
It’s another reason why Bradley would be a good fit back with the Celtics. Bradley would assume the 2-guard position role by the outgoing Tatum, and he has the resume of a player that was groomed by the Celtics having been drafted by them in 2010.
