Can Boston Celtics RUN IT BACK? | Jrue Holiday TRADE IDEA: Mailbag episode

Can Boston Celtics RUN IT BACK? | Jrue Holiday TRADE IDEA: Mailbag episode

could the Celtics just run it back will other teams play hard ball in potential trades with the Celtics who’s the next rotation guy and USA versus the world in the All-Star game I’m answering mailbag questions now on the Locked On Celtics podcast Uh-huh Y ready to see who else could it be what they going to say now screaming like JT coral We kept the madness every game every practice Prime time Deon D White on the sideline Rain and J How we started Rais how we finish Locked on Celtics by home of the winners Hey there Welcome back to the Lockdown Celtics podcast Right here on the Lockdown Podcast Network It’s your team every day Your team’s the Boston Celtics and I give you five free podcasts about the Celtics every week through June and July this off season three a week August September and then back to five days a week They’re all free They’re available everywhere It’s on YouTube Watch the show there Get into the comment section Share your thoughts with me I’m John Corales I cover the Celtics for Boston Sports Journal and I’ve been doing a version of this job for about 20 years or so Today’s show is brought to you by Monarch Money Take control of your finances with Monarch Money Use the code lockdown NBA at Monarch Money for 50% off your first year It’s a mailbag episode Mailbag questions uh can be submitted at johncrowalis.com That site’s undergoing uh a rebuild a remake So right now uh questions not being accepted Uh but that will be very soon Priority of mine to get the site back up and running so you can submit the mailbag questions I’ll let you know when that happens But lots of mailbag questions Later we’ll get into the all-star commissioner says USA some version of USA versus the world is going to happen What would that look like who’s the next rotation guy we got fake trades Will teams play hard ball in trades but first we got to ask about the possibility of of running it back Actually first can I just give a shout out to the Lincoln High School boys volleyball team my nephew Evan uh on that a starter on that volleyball team just wrapped up an undefeated season Just won the state championship in Rhode Island Uh undefeated just clean run throughout every It’s incredible Shout out to the Lincoln boys for uh an incredible season and capping off an incredible run with a championship So good for those guys Let’s get to the mailbag here Matthew asks “How much stock would you put in the possibility of Bill Chisum just biting the bullet and paying the tax to keep the team together?” I think you could still make the case of the Celtics still having the best team in the league Now I I don’t put much stock into that because it’s not really about keeping the team together and paying the tax First of all when it comes to the tax we’re talking about a tax bill alone that’s over a quarter of a billion dollars Just the tax bill That’s not that’s not the salaries That’s the tax on its own Significant number So I don’t think we’re looking at that being feasible right it’s just too much money They’re gonna have to do something How deep do they cut chisum’s gonna have to pay a tax no matter what I think this season it’s impossible unless I I shouldn’t say it’s impossible It’s improbable that they go all the way down to the tax It’s going to have to be a tiered kind of tearown of the Celtics where uh look it’s coming You start with the HolidayPzingis one or both type of deals You move on to a secondary wave of deals Uh maybe the Sam Hower deal Then you move on to does Jaylen Brown have to go It’s it’s a multi-phaseed this summer pre pre-trade deadline next summer next pre-trade deadline that it’s it’s just kind of like a tumbling thing and you just got to have to hold on for as much as possible He’s going to bite the bullet and pay some level of tax And as I’ve said multiple times on this podcast a lot of this depends on how uh Jason Tatum’s recovery is going Now Jason has posted updates on his social media saying on Twitter 25 days uh days are starting to get better This is great great news He posted a picture on his Instagram of his shoe no longer in a boot So he’s out there He’s doing stuff It’s been less than a month He’s out of the boot Days are getting easier I don’t know what that really means but so far so good If there’s a chance of him playing next season if there’s a chance of him being somewhat good next season even if it’s not his full self if he can be available and still like some level of Jason Tatum in the playoffs that changes a lot of these dynamics Maybe Maybe you stay over the second apron and then you go into next summer being like “Okay under the apron under the tax let’s go.” Uh but you can leave yourself those options Bottom line I do not think everybody is coming back Somebody is going to get traded You have to make a deal Remember trading if the only trade you make is Sam Hower into someone’s cap space/exception you’re talking about more than $80 million alone in tax savings So trading if your only move or if your first move just because it’s a ne nice neat round number $10 million approximately for Sam Hower for nothing in return saves you $10 million plus 80 plus million you’re talking about 90 or so million dollar in savings just by trading Sam Hower So that’s how significant these savings are So if you can trade Drew Holiday and save 15 million or 20 million somehow that becomes exponentially bigger and so you have to explore that It’s just I know it’s not your money I know it’s not my money and you you’re not we’re not worried about rich people’s money but I deal in reality and the reality is these guys aren’t going to want to spend the money So I can’t sit here and just be like “No you just got to do it because it’s not going to happen Somebody’s being moved.” So unfortunately even some level of biting the bullet will not involve everybody coming back I just I don’t see that happening at all Something is going to change Josh asks “What restrictions does Boston have this calendar year and going into the next calendar year if they were just to get under the second apron before we switch over to the next year?” So here’s here’s a the there are a couple of things at play We talk about the end of the league year The league year is still happening So for example Sam Hower or let’s go let’s say Drew Holiday Drew Holiday gets traded somewhere tomorrow All right It’s we just finished game two of the NBA Finals OKC1 It’s a 1-1 series And then tomorrow Boston decides we’re trading Drew Holiday Well they’re gonna use his 2024 numbers tomorrow But if they wait until after the draft well now you can use his 25 numbers The league switches July 1st but when it comes to the second apron that’s the end of the regular season So nothing the Celtics do even in under this last league year still the 2024 league season 20242 nothing they do is going to get them under the second apron that’s done the calculations are done at the final day of the regular season so next next year this is why we keep saying the Celtics have time you can get close to the second apron this summer and then at the trade deadline you can get within let’s just say a million dollars and then you can at the end of the season wave and stretch uh Jordan Walsh let’s say or Nish Kada because you have a team option so you can wave and stretch and have like a million or so dollar cap hit and you don’t worry about that but gets you just under the salary uh the second apron on the last day of the regular season You can do that That is allowed So unfortunately there’s the restriction for this year It’s done It’s over Second apron It’s that we’re focusing We’re moving forward They have to now they have until the end of the regular season last day of the regular season to do it for next year if you follow me More questions when we come back including will other teams try to mess with the Celtics by playing super hard ball in trades and a potential fake trade for Drew Holiday That’s all coming up next Today’s show is brought to you by Monarch Money We’ve all been there right i’ve certainly been there I My first job paid me like $14,000 So it was a long time ago but I’ve certainly gone into my bank account gone there There’s not a lot of money here Where did it all go i’ve been on these budgets Monarch Money didn’t exist back then It exists now And it’s your personal CFO I would have loved this It gives you full visibility and control over your finances It’s not just a budgeting app It’s a complete financial command center You can track all your accounts investments spending in one place So you’re not just managing your money You’re building your wealth So it helps you realize how much money you’re spending in different places Could be food delivery could be on in-game purchases on something that you know you don’t realize how many little $3 $5 you’re spending here and there Uh it’s got the convenience of an all-in-one kind of command center uh instead of juggling multiple apps And my wife and I can collaborate because it manages both and tracks both our personal accounts to help us set goals and stay on the same page without the stress Take control of your finances with MonarchMoney Use the code lockdown at monarchmoney.com for 50% off your first year That’s monarchoney.com code lockdown NBA for half off your first year I want to thank you for making Lockdown Celtics your first listen every day Go check out Lockdown NBA Game Night Like I said I just I started this podcast as soon as game two of the NBA Finals wrapped up Lockdown NBA game night’s going to have everything covered the whole game covered And then Lockdown NBA is going to get into the big meaty storylines out of game two So go check that out wherever you get your podcast Let’s get back into the mailbag where uh we start getting into uh trades and uh Chris wants to know uh what’s to stop other teams from declining to trade with Boston just to mess with us um do you think it’s likely that teams will pull something like that so I get I get it what you’re saying here We have to also understand that other teams are trying to accomplish something here So what’s hard ball um what’s declining to trade with Boston just to screw with you what does that accomplish for the other team other than just screwing with the Celtics which might be fun for some GMs but each team is trying to accomplish a goal So when we were talking about the Utah Jazz for example are the Jazz in a rush to help the Celtics out by trading for Drew Holiday and giving them back money uh savings that that can help them out no The Jazz are in a rush to help their own team And by training for Drew Holiday theoretically you’re giving the guards there or guards that they may draft a mentor a role model a you know a a vet a pro that helps them accomplish their long-term goals If a team is interested in Kristoff’s Porzingis or maybe a team’s interested in Sam Hower or whichever other Celtic might be on the trade block they are trying to improve their team So teams will do business with other teams and help teams It might be like “Why did you help the Celtics get out of this financial bind what are you doing?” But they get something back Even if it’s a draft pick that they’re looking for even if it’s participating as a third team you’re like “Why did you send this useful player to Boston you’re you’re make you’re keeping them good.” Well they that team has gotten something in return So I don’t think they’re going to just be like “Nah we’re not we’re not doing anything with you because you know you’re stuck.” Team teams will do what’s what’s best for them and getting Drew Holiday or Christophs Porzingis or somebody like that at a bargain That’s that’s what’s best for them Kyle asks “I wonder what you think about the possibility of Anthony Simons of the Trailblazers straight up He’s only 25 great shooter.” Um look I I don’t know that uh I’m I’m dying to get into the Anthony Simons business I know there is an appetite in Portland for him to be traded Um he is making 27.6 27.7 million next year Uh and that money would work straight up the Celtics Look I I I’m I am looking for potential unrestricted free agents and Simon certainly is an unrestricted free agent Somebody’s going to have to pay for Anthony Simons and I don’t know that I don’t know where he is as ter in terms of like a winning player He had an off year or down year after probably playing his best And he can certainly score the ball And you can argue look at 20 27 million he’s either going to be a team that a player that you can flip for somebody if you want to do that or or maybe you fashion some sort of three team trade centered around him Uh look as I’ve said before I’m not I’m not expecting the Celtics to get high value If Simons ends up being the guy then that’s fine 26-year-old shooter scorer uh has averaged 20 in the league uh considering that Tatum is out maybe a year of him and then letting him walk as a free agent helps you bridge a gap and then you can see what he costs next year Maybe trading for him you know you get his bird rights There’s you could also have uh a potential sign and trade that that could work for you Um you can sign and trade somebody away without restrictions Uh acquiring somebody via sign and trade does put restrictions on you the in the in the salary cap a thing it hard caps you at with the first apron but you can do you can execute the signing trade and not not be hardcapped So you do give yourself some flexibility and maybe you pump up his value So I’m not going to I’m not going to argue against literally any fake trade like if there’s a smidge of uh value there then I’m I can see I can see why the Celtics would do it My argument my biggest argument against it would be the savings aren’t significant enough because he’s making 20 27.6 and it’s it’s a less than $10 million savings That’s that’s kind of where I’d like I’d like a bigger savings in the holiday deal but if that’s where it’s it ends up I’m I’m fine And maybe and maybe it becomes a long-term thing maybe it doesn’t There’s always the possibility that in one of these trades the sellers are going to find a long-term solution and they could pivot So it’s it’s not out of the question In audition year sure As I’m talking I’m like you know what sound sounds fine It sounds fine Um so yeah why not it’s if that’s where it goes I’m fine with it Randon says “With guys like D White and Pritchard having stepped up and become more integral players for this team do you think in the coming year see uh guys like JD Davidson Jordan Walsh Baylor Shyman could become the next in-house rotational players?” So Baylor is obviously at the front of the line here He’s played some minutes He’s had some success He’s experienced what he needs to experience He’s played in the playoffs a little bit He’s got a little touch uh a little taste of everything So I think he’s at the front of the line Jordan has the potential but this is a this is a really important summer for Jordan Walsh because he’s he’s right on that line of he could be a player he might not be a player He’s um I think shown especially defensively some of the the things that you’re looking for in a rotation guy but offensively he’s he’s struggled to find that footing So I’m not I’m I’m a little less uh a little less excited about him but he has he has the potential He’s under contract for one more year Then the Celtics have a team option They could easily trade him as part of a deal but uh I think I think there’s something there but not as much as Shyman at this point And then there’s JD Davidson who I’m he got the the the um full NBA contract the that that was great for him He’s done a lot of good things in the organization I just I’m not I’m still not sold on him as a as a a future Celtic Uh not saying he’s not NBA ready or might not be uh okay in the NBA in the future I just don’t think it’s going to happen in Boston So I think Shyman has the potential to be a rotation guy Uh Walsh needs some work and Davidson I’m going to say no All right we’re going to come back all stars We’re going to talk about Aaron Nesmith and more That’s all coming up next Today’s show is brought to you by Door Dash Now NBA Finals are here Uh there’s at least three games left And in one of these games someone could drop 50 Now it didn’t happen in uh it didn’t happen in this game In game two uh let’s see where do we have a 34 point game nope that was uh Yeah here we go 34 for uh Shaildas Alexander Uh nice night but not 50 But if he has 50 if he scored 50 then you would have the opportunity to get a three-piece crispy tenders combo from Wingtop the very next day It’s called a swoosh you score Use the code Wingstop50 at checkout and that combo is yours It’s crispy It’s delicious It’s totally free All you got to do is place an order of $20 or more with the code wingtop 50 So whatever you want to do the next day after someone scores 50 So your next opportunity is in a couple of days on Wednesday So on Thursday if you want to have a little get together if you want to uh just after work or maybe for lunch you place an order on Door Dash You can use that code wingstop50 at checkout Place that order of $20 or more and you add a free threepiece crispy tenders uh to your order for free Sign up for Dash Pass to unlock this and more exclusive deals all season long When any player scores 50 in a playoff game Dash Pass members can grab a free threepiece crispy tenders combo from Wingstop the next day Just have to place a $20 or more order and use a code Wingstop 50 It’s Dash Pass your door to more savings more flavor and more ways to win Terms apply Thank you for making Lockdown Celtics your first listen every day Go check out the Locked On NBA Big Board podcast Locked on NBA Big Board is going to get you all caught up on everything draft everything uh with prospects Raphael Barlo does an amazing job He is the draft expert that you should be following So go check him out on the Lockdown NBA big board podcast Let’s get back to the mailbag Starting with Wawi from the Philippines They’re doing it USA versus the world in the NBA Allstar What are your thoughts so it was announced by the uh commissioner that the league uh I shouldn’t say announced but he answered a question saying the league is going to do in some form in some form USA versus the world in the upcoming all-star game It’s a unique All-Star game It’s airing during the winter the the Olympics Yeah Winter Olympics right it’s going to be uh during the day Uh so it’s going to be Olympics All-Star game then Olympics again So some level of USA versus the world Okay makes sense I think it’s still going to be a tournament style thing because I do not think it makes sense to have two full All-Star teams that have a regular old All-Star game USA versus the world It’s you can’t get 12 international allstars You can get I don’t know seven maybe eight They’re not going to give four all-star spots to international guys and and hold off four spots that could have gone to other guys that are deserving You you can sit there and say “Oh the All-Star doesn’t mean anything.” It means something to these guys It means something They will not stand for uh four or however many all-star spots being taken away from deserving allstars so they can go fill out an international team That’s not going to happen I can see the four teams and maybe they fill out that fourth team some it could be three teams that are I don’t know from regions or whatever I don’t I don’t know how it’s going to work And like a fourth team like international that could be all your international players Uh that team is going to be really really good because it’ll have like Sheay and Giannis and Joic and I’m not even going to go down Dantic I mean come on It’s going to be a ridiculous roster Um but some level of maybe they split it up Uh but there I I I see it I can get it Um it’s fine Uh why not i like the tournament I thought the tournament worked Doing it four teams like that works for me Uh I would I would do it even with like a a fifth team or a sixth team you know and expand the rosters and and make more teams and just make it like six players per team Play shorter games and just do it that way That that that’s fine with me USA versus the world in that scenario totally fine USA versus the world in a 12 versus 12 you know just two team roster not fine because it’s just not you’re not going to get the full teams We’re not at that point yet It’s like 30% of the league is international players You still have 70% of the league as US players So the the numbers the numbers don’t work unless you do some sort of tour tournament type of thing Christian asks “Does Celtics Nation have a bittersweet feeling of letting Nesmith go?” You know I I don’t think people are like too worked up I haven’t seen a lot of people being like “Oh my god I can’t believe they they got rid of Aaron Nesmith.” because N Smith ended up you know becoming Malcolm Brogden and Malcolm Brogden ended up becoming uh he was he was the Porzingis right so it it ended up it ended up working out fine And I think most people understand that Aaron Eith was never going to become what he’s become in Indie playing behind all these guys in Boston just the opportunity wasn’t there for him to grow He didn’t grow right away in Indie but he’s done a great job So didn’t have the best game in the world in game two but um still I think Mi Smith he’s in the right place He’s in the right situation Good for him No no bittersweet nothing here from my end and I think most Celtics fans are are with me Finally Houston B says “You mentioned that you cover the Connecticut Sun as well Where can I find your content on that?” I do not cover the Connecticut Sun I watch the Connecticut Sun I love watching WNBA basketball I think it’s fun I think it’s uh a a really good product Um and why I don’t cover although I I probably will go cover the game uh at the garden coming up because it’s Caitlyn Clark and all that but I I prefer to keep that separate I don’t really get to watch a lot of basketball just as a fan anymore I don’t get to go to games and sit in the stands and have a beer and you know scream about a ref’s miss call and all of that stuff that everybody gets to do except when it comes to the WNBA So I really enjoy going to a game and being a fan And as a basketball person I do I do find myself like leaning forward and watching quietly a lot more than I used to when I was a fan And I’m just like “Okay what are they doing here what are” And I have to stop myself like “No no no no no no We’re just we’re just watching.” And I’m I’m trying I’m literally trying to be a casual fan when it comes to the WNBA I’m literally trying to be like I’m not overly invested in okay who did who trade what trade was this and what I’m not overly invested in who’s doing what I because I just I just want to be a fan and enjoy the game and it it’s enjoyable to me I think people who wrote off the WNBA a long time ago I understand why I get it Um even if I want to argue it was a mistake you can say no Uh I think I think the game has sped up a lot I think the talent has increased a lot and I think the games are fun So I would recommend you if you haven’t watched the WNBA I would recommend you giving it a try Uh but if you don’t want to that’s also fine You know this is no no real agenda here Uh other than me answering the question and just emphasizing I like I I just enjoy being a fan a basketball fan It’s a lot of fun All right that’s it Again questions for the mailbag can be submitted at johncares.com I am redoing that website So it’s not available right now but before Monday’s mailbag uh there it will be So I’ll let you know on this podcast when the site is back up and running so we can get back to another mailbag Monday next week So just stick with me here I’m here five days a week Uh podcast is free It’s available everywhere All that stuff I will let you know when the website is back up and running So thank you so so much for all of that And then um get on to the YouTube page hop into the comments section share your thoughts what do you think about my questions and answers and all of that stuff And then I would love it if you share the podcast and told everybody they should be listening to and watching the Lockdown Celtics podcast here on the Lockdown Podcast Network It’s your team every day

Celtics’ salary cap crunch looms large. Will Boston make a blockbuster trade to avoid a quarter-billion-dollar tax bill? Or could they run it back?

John Karalis breaks down potential roster moves for the Boston Celtics in this mailbag episode, analyzing trade scenarios involving Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porziņģis. The discussion covers Jayson Tatum’s injury recovery, Anthony Simons as a possible trade target, and the NBA’s plans for a USA vs. World All-Star format. Karalis also shares insights on WNBA fandom and Aaron Nesmith’s development with the Pacers.

Tune in for expert analysis on the Celtics’ financial tightrope walk and how it could reshape their championship aspirations.

1:30 Intro: Mailbag questions, can Boston run it back?
5:11 Jayson Tatum’s injury recovery progress
15:35 Potential trade for Anfernee Simons discussed
26:52 Aaron Neesmith’s development with Pacers
28:24 Host’s perspective on watching WNBA games

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Locked On Celtics is a daily Boston Celtics podcast by Boston Sports Journal beat writer John Karalis. It’s an inside look at the C’s from a former professional basketball player who is at practices & games.

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