Brad Stevens spoke for nearly half an hour at the Auerbach Center this afternoon, getting into the specifics he couldn't on draft night. Now that the Celtics trades and signings so far are official, Stevens could address the players by name and get more into the specifics of why things happened.
Here’s all the relevant stuff he said, with my interpretation.
ON TRADING KRISTAPS PORZINGIS AND JRUE HOLIDAY
“I actually talked to both of those guys a couple weeks before and just said, 'Listen, there's a chance you're back but there's also a high chance that you're not.' The agents have done a good job of understanding the challenges of the new CBA and the second aprons. It was really important for us to again get us out of that penalty box in a lot of ways. You can feel those. Those are real things. I had conversations with both of them prior to, but they're still hard phone calls to make. It's harder to think about not seeing Jrue and KP in and around the facility every day. That's the hardest part."
ON WHY THE TRADES WERE MADE
“The second apron is why these trades happened. I think those are pretty obvious, and the basketball penalties associated with him are real. We’ve talked about that, but we were fortunate because we liked the guys we got back. I think that’s one of the things we are excited about, but Jrue Holiday, I think he stamped his Hall of Fame candidacy here if he didn’t already have it, and we’ll look forward to watching and rooting and following him from afar. He’s as good of a person you could ever have in building and being part of your team. And KP fought some of the stuff health-wise the last two years, but when he played, he was awfully good and we think he’ll be awfully good for Atlanta this year. So those are not easy trades to make. Those are not easy phone calls. Obviously those guys have been around the league a long time. They knew the CBA. They knew there was a high likelihood they could be part of a move and they were communicated that before. But it’s still hard when you are. But, again, we will miss them, and we’re thankful for them.”
Karalis’ analysis: Stevens has made it abundantly clear. The creation of the current apron system in the CBA has forced them to make tough decisions.
But also, everyone in the building knew these decisions were coming. I’ll put it this way: by the time I’m writing about something and sounding the alarm that it’s coming, everyone in the NBA has known about it for some time.
No player, agent, or front office should be caught by surprise that this is happening. Holiday and Porzingis were both very well aware of how this was going to go down. Maybe they thought they could squeeze one more year out things, but it’s pretty clear that more than two years over the second apron is a suicide mission.
Three years over the second apron will be rare. If a team is going to go over for a third year, they’d better be THE favorite and prepared for the imminent implosion of their roster. The circumstances will have to be perfect -- like Cooper Flagg is even better than expected, the moves around him have been perfect, everyone is under contract for many years, and they’ve been utterly dominant in the league.
If that ever happens, then Dallas will sacrifice their future for the immediate domination. Everyone will know they're making the deal with the devil that will be followed by a long run at the bottom.
Two years will be the generally accepted maximum. If a team is over the second apron, then go shopping for some earplugs and goggles because things will be blowing up soon.
Later in the availability, Stevens added “We've been in that area, or in that second apron area, for two straight years. We knew that this was going to be, being in it the third straight year, was going to be very punitive.”
This is what the NBA wanted. From a league perspective, this initial outcry from the first crop of affected fan bases is expected. Once everyone gets used to the way things work, people will have a better idea of what to expect. Thunder fans will look around the league and understand better when big names have to go. Jazz fans will have a long time to get used to how good teams operate and how things change after the second apron becomes a reality.
And yes, Celtics fans will be better prepared for the next time this rolls around. The league is expecting this reaction to the painful first wave of a good team with a lot of homegrown talent being ripped apart. Their hope is that people accept this reality as the wheel of rebuilding takes hold. The league wants the talent dispersed throughout all 30 teams and for parity to become the law of the land.
That's what this is all about. Stevens knew what he was doing when he built this team and everyone knew the window would be small. This was always going to be how this went.
ON WHETHER THE LUXURY TAX PLAYED A ROLE
“I mean, I think there's value in those things, obviously, and you weigh those values and and the people at the top have to ultimately make those decisions, but it's been pretty clear and Bill (Chisholm) has been pretty clear from the get-go that he wants to make sure that we're prioritizing basketball assets and the ability to retool this thing at the highest level that we can. Again, the most important acquisition that we're going to be able to make in the next couple of years is getting Tatum out of a boot, right? We're not beating that one, so that's going to be the best thing that can happen for us. Everything else we wanna — we have most of our first round picks still, other than the 2029 one. We have a lot of seconds now, so we have some flexibility there and we wanna just — we don't want to take away our chance to use those to become the best that we can be over the next few years just to make a move to help save money. I think that that's been very clearly stated to me. We'll continue to look at how we can make things a little bit better or tweak things around the edges and maybe something comes up in the next couple weeks, but that's been our mindset.”
FOLLOW UP: IS RESETTING THE REPEATER TAX A PRIORITY?
“Like I said, there's benefits to that, but it's not the priority, right? The priority is continuing to make sure that we have our future firsts and all these things that are in play for us so that we can then use those to build.”
Karalis’ analysis: If Stevens is being honest here, then maybe ducking under the repeater line isn't the priority.
I think the real crux of all this is the mention of Tatum and his Achilles injury. The Celtics have Tatum in his prime for a few more seasons so finding ways to maximize that is the actual priority.
So not having him this season means an opportunity to get new guys in and see what they have (more on that below). Getting guys on a bargain deal who can help when Tatum is healthy will be a big help moving forward. If the Celtics can hang around just over the tax or first apron, the tax bill will be a bit more manageable as the team tries to get another ring with Tatum.
The last thing they want to do is blow an opportunity by trading Jaylen Brown or Derrick White just to duck the tax. The tax will go away at some point when the full post-Brown/post-Tatum rebuild happens in earnest. The team will get super cheap at some point and whatever taxes they pay now will be offset by the tax payments they receive in their full rebuild phase.
It doesn’t mean more moves to save money won’t happen. There is no reason to be financially irresponsible, either. But there won’t be a hard reset as long as Tatum is part of this team.
ON THE IMPACT OF JAYSON TATUM’S INJURY ON THIS SUMMER’S MOVES
"I think the reality is that we knew going into this year, regardless of how it ended, that we were going to have some really hard decisions to make because of the penalties. Because of the way that this apron is and where we've been the last couple years. We've been now in it for two years and it was the two years that were the least punitive years. And now that it's fully kicked in three years after the CBA started. That was part of making the decision to push in and put our chips on the table and go for it the last two years. But we've known for a long time that hard decisions were coming. And I think the agents and players have known that, too, that's been pretty well-communicated. Tatum's injury is certainly something that we have to consider. But more so, I think it's about like, we've still been very focused on, OK, we're going to have some change, we have limited tools to bring back the guys like Luke or Al or the guys that we've really appreciated being here and how do we bring in the right people then that have upside that can accentuate Jaylen and Derrick and Payton and Sam and make sure that we continue to build and grow this thing and put ourselves in position to maximize it."
Karalis’ analysis: A popular question has been “would this be happening if Tatum didn’t get hurt?” And I think the answer is “yes, at least in some form.”
Maybe the sequence of moves would be different. Maybe the original Holiday and Sam Hauser package to just duck under the second apron would have been enough. But whatever it was, we would probably still be talking about the second apron today.
Yes, I’m harping on this. I want people to understand how punitive the second apron really is.
ON WHETHER HE’S DONE MAKING MOVES
“I think the reality of kind of the schedule of things is there'll probably be some conversations that all the teams, all 30 teams have in Vegas (at summer league), but it's a lot less than around the draft and a lot less than even around as the moratorium comes to a close. I’d say that who knows what will happen, but as far as us, we're very comfortable with this group heading into next season.”
Karalis’ analysis: Comfortable with the group and “this is the group” are two different things. The Celtics are still talking and they still have moves to make. I still don’t expect Simons and Niang to start the season in Boston, but it’s not out of the question, either.
Maybe some minor heat stroke from the July heat in Las Vegas, mixed with the rapid absorption of alcohol by the dehydrated bodies of those in attendance will knock a few players loose. This is where mister straight-edge Stevens has his biggest advantage. Sip on some Diet Pepsi while another GM crushes Grey Goose martinis and get some business done.
ON ACQUIRING ANFERNEE SIMONS AND GEORGES NIANG
“I think Anfernee is a guy people out here probably don’t see as much because of the time that they play. But his ability to score, to shoot the ball, make really hard shots, is pretty elite and you look a guy that’s 26 years old and averaged 20 a game for three straight years, I think he’s a really good player, and I think he can get better. That’s a big part of it. Then Niang is just added value to winning on each team he’s been on. He’s a pain to play against, which I very much admire. And he knows what he does well and knows how to bring out the best in his group. It’s not a coincidence he was part of the rotation on those really good Philly teams, he was part of the rotation in Cleveland before the trade. The guy’s a winner. He knows how to play and knows how to bring out the best in people. So, happy he’s here.”
Karalis’ analysis: … Aaaaaand CUT! Great take, Brad. Very believable. You really made the words on that script sing. It felt like you made those words your own; like they really came from somewhere deep inside of you.
Let’s print that one. Strike the set and let’s get the Lakers set ready for LeBron James’ speech about always wanting to finish his career in Los Angeles. I’m told the realization that no one will trade for him this summer is going to hit quickly, so let’s get this done BEFORE lunch.
ON SIGNING LUKA GARZA AND JOSH MINOTT
“I think one of the things that we’ve, obviously, we’ve been limited in what tools we can use with where we are right around the second apron. So we’re looking for guys on those contracts that have upside, that are competitors, that are workers, that want to be good, that haven’t hit their peak yet but we’ve seen something in them that we think gives them a chance to be very impactful. Luka obviously has been a stats darling but on limited time behind very, very good players. And same thing with Minott. Minott is a guy that brings a lot of versatility to the table. He’s a person who can guard several positions, can shoot a little bit but plays with great energy and length. Both those guys really rebound. So as we have a team that is being retooled, I think the biggest thing is that bringing in guys that can complement our best players and our core but also have some upside and maybe some unrealized upside thus far. And they were in a great situation, they were coached by a great coach in Chris Finch in a great organization with a ton of talent. And they’re used to winning. I like that too.”
Karalis’ analysis: Hey Gemini, filter out the BS complimentary stuff and leave me with the meat of that last quote.
“We’ve been limited in what tools we can use … we’re looking for guys on those contracts that have upside … that haven’t hit their peak yet but we’ve seen something in them that we think gives them a chance to be very impactful … as we have a team that is being retooled … I think the biggest thing is bringing in guys that … have some upside and maybe some unrealized upside thus far.”
Okay, the compliments are nice. Garza has some good size to him and I see the potential in him. I get what he’s saying about Minott. I’m not trying to undersell what Stevens and the Celtics front office are saying about these guys.
At the same time, the motivation for signing those guys in particular is clear. They were cheap and under-used. They weren’t getting a lot of minutes in Minnesota but those minutes are now available in Boston and getting them on good prices can be a huge part of minimizing this re-tooling phase.
If Boston can hit on one of these signings and one of the draft picks, this will go down as a successful summer. If Baylor Scheierman can find his way into the rotation too, then the Celtics might be able to move forward with a pretty good team once Tatum is healthy.
And if Stevens can get far enough under the first apron heading into next season, they will have a full mid-level exception to play with, which will be around $16 million next summer. It’ll take some maneuvering, but if they can get a few hits and manage their money right, they could .. MAYBE … be a player in free agency next summer.
There are a lot of ifs in there, for sure. But the potential is there.
ON THE BIG MAN ROTATION
“We're going to find out, right? I think we had an incredible luxury with Luke and Neemie as our third and fourth centers, because I think they were both much better than that. I think Luke will have an amazing impact in San Antonio, and I think Neemie has a great chance to be impactful here. We've always liked Luka Garza from afar, and we think that he has the real physicality that's necessary on both ends of the floor, especially on the glass, in addition to his ability to score. And then you got Amari, who's down there now, and we think that he has a high upside. And then you can flex other guys into that center role. You know, Tillman is more of a four, probably, but he can flex into that center role. And so we'll have to do that by committee. That group will not be the group that people will single out based on paper, on what they've done with their careers thus far, as our strongest position. But it's up to them to prove it otherwise.”
Karalis’ analysis: I love this quote so much. Brad basically said ‘yeah, on paper, it sucks, so they have to prove everyone wrong.’
He ain’t lying.
Garza is an interesting project and will probably be the starter. Neemias Queta will get a chance to grab some rotation minutes. Amari Williams has a lot of work to do, but he does have an elite NBA skill with his passing and floor vision. Xavier Tillman exists.
This frontcourt will be a contender for worst in the league heading into the season. I think Stevens needs to find some more help in whatever eventual Simons trade happens, if for nothing else to support guys like Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard. All of those guys will be working their butts off this summer and coming back to a frontcourt with that many issues will be frustrating as all hell.
That is, unless those guys can actually prove me wrong. I hope they do.
ON LUKE KORNETT AND AL HORFORD LEAVING
"I don’t know what I can say about this or not say about it. We made offers to both Luke and Al. We would love to have had both of them back. I'd say that's unlikely, and you know, the only reason I haven't talked about Al is because that's not final. I could probably talk about out my whole press conference and not say enough. I don't want to speak in absolute terms until an ultimate decision is made, but another guy that, if he were to go and play somewhere else, I think, is an all-time Celtic and a winner and did everything he could for this organization. Not only from the games but also how he impacted our younger players, who in a lot of ways, now have to take what they've learned from the Jrue and the Als and people like that and apply that from a leadership role."
Karalis’ analysis: I’m sure those offers weren’t very good. At the same time, I wouldn’t have given Kornet $41 million and I wouldn’t give Horford more than the minimum.
I’ve often said I’d make a terrible GM because I get attached to players, but even I can tell you that this was smart business for Boston while also being smart business for Kornet and the Spurs and Horford and whichever team (Golden State) he goes to.
ON HIS EXPECTATIONS
"My expectations are always the same: Compete like hell to win the next game. That will always be it and that’s the way we’re going to try to put our foot forward. We’ve got some new guys, some guys that are going to take on extra in their roles. But we believe in the guys we have in the building and we look forward to getting the guys that haven’t, and all working together to try to create a team that functions well together and plays hard as hell. And that’ll be it. I’ve said many times the north star for me is winning championships. Without question, when you trade guys like Jrue and KP, there’s some retooling going on. But the one thing when I was coaching, when the term ‘rebuild’ came up I thought it was a crazy term. None of us were here before, so it should be ‘build,’ right? You’re always building and growing toward something. For this group, we’ve got so many guys back that are really good players that that’s not going to be part of the lexicon in our building, and that’s the way we’re going to focus moving forward."
Karalis’ analysis: Boy that “rebuild” came up and hit you like a sinker in the dirt hits a catcher who forgot to wear his cup.
It’s a soft rebuild. Or a soft tank. Just throw “soft” in front of the tough thing and it makes everything easier.
“No, babe, I don’t want a divorce. Just a soft breakup.”
See? It takes the sting right out of it.