The REAL Reason behind the Celtics Moves…

The REAL Reason behind the Celtics Moves…

Boston’s general manager Brad Stevens made some massive moves this afternoon. And we’re going to dive into the real reason why he picked up Chris Buché and signed him to a veteran minimum contract and why the Boston Celtics ultimately traded George’s Niang away to the Utah Jazz for RJ Lewis Jr. We’ll be diving and exploring what these changes could bring for Joe Missoula’s team and how it also could shake up how this roster could look even more different heading into the season. We’ll be diving and exploring all of this and more on this episode of Celtics Digest. I’m your host, Bruce Veles, and thank you guys so much for tuning in and showing your guys’ support. Nick had a video on the channel earlier dropping the breaking news of both of those uh transactions happening in rapid succession. So, if you missed that, go check that out to see his reaction and to breaking down all that news. But let us know your thoughts down below in the comment section on what you thought from these moves and if you like them or if you dislike the direction that the Celtics are heading in. If you think this is going to make the team a little bit better, put them in a better position. I’d love to hear your guys’s thoughts. But without further ado, let’s dive in and let’s get into the updates and go over the reasoning behind these moves. So, make sure to grab that snack and let’s get into it. as I personally believe the Celtics did make the smart decision here in performing both of these transactions. And we’ll have to see what else kind of shapes up due to the fact that these moves did transpire. But the first thing we did see from Shams Strawn on your random Tuesday evening or afternoon wherever you are slated in the United States, we saw that the Boston Celtics are trading Georgia Niang alongside two future second round picks, the Utah Jazz for RJ Lewis. in Utah is acquiring George’s Nang with part of that $26.6 million John Collins trade exception that they got on the day where they traded away John Collins basically for it was uh Kyle Anderson and Kevin Love. Nyang is obviously on an expiring $8.2 million contract for the Celtics. This drops their tax bill from $73 million to $30 million saving them an absorbent amount in the tax threshold. something that we’ll look at it later, but has been one of the main goals of the Boston Celtics as they traded away Drew Holidayiday, they traded away Kristoff Sporzing, and now they’ve traded away George’s Nang. They are now 10.2 below the second apron with only being $1.7 million over the first apron. And with the Celtics still having an open roster spot after doing this move and the other move as well, which we’ll get into in just a little bit, they could potentially find themselves to get underneath the first apron or even underneath the luxury tax, which would then take away all these uh hindrances for the Celtics in, you know, having to pay this extra money in the luxury tax. Not only just that helps them be potentially not to lose their draft pick and getting it frozen, but also added to the fact gives them that non-tax mid-level exception, which could potentially bring some more faces into Boston that could help this team. And like I mentioned, the Celtics did make another transaction right after trading Georges Niang and basically are replacing George’s Nyang with Chris Bucher as they signed the free agent forward from the Toronto Raptors to a one-year $3.3 million deal, which is an absolute steal for the Boston Celtics. Chris Bucher led the Toronto Raptors in all of their bench categories. Was a part of that championship team in Toronto. can play a solid power forward pretty decently at that rate. A little bit of a small ball five and can come in and compete within this Celtics rotation alongside guys like Luca Garza, Neicada, Xavier Tilman and etc to really make a statement here. Now Keith Smith lets us know that when RJ Lewis is being traded for the Celtics, he has signed to a two-way contract already. So, he’ll fill the Celtics open two-way spot where Boston already has two other current two-way players in Miles Nuris Norris and rookie Max Schulga. We know that they drafted Amari Williams. He was expected to get one of those final two-way spots, but with RJ Lewis now coming as a two-way contract. We’ll have to see how that really works for the Boston Celtics. Chris Bush will be on a veteran minimum deal and will fill the open roster spot that the Celtics created by trading George’s Niang and with waving JD Davidson. The Celtics still do have one roster spot open and are about $7.8 million underneath the second apron. They have access to not the full non-tax mid-level exception, but partial of the non-tax mid-level exception would allows him to offer a contract up to $5.5 million. So maybe potential to bring back a guy in Al Horford on this contract. Maybe there’s the possibility of a guy Miles Norris or RJ Lewis getting a guaranteed contract and then they were able to bring in Amari Williams on that deal. We’ve talked about Charles Bassie. He obviously would like to come back to Boston and maybe get into that center rotation room. And now with the Celtics having an open roster spot, could they look to bring in him and maybe lose a guy in Amari Williams? Obviously, the Celtics drafted Amari Williams with that second over with their uh 40th overall pick. So, I think they would like to keep him. Maybe it’s not. Maybe it will be a guaranteed roster spot, but I ultimately think that he would find himself on a 2A. So, maybe that does mean that Miles Norris is going to get a roster spot or find another spot on a 2A. We’ll have to keep our eyes on him. But that’s a lot of jazz talking about the other stuff. So, the real reason why the Boston Celtics did these moves, ladies and gentlemen, is obvious. The Celtics are still trying to save money. And they’re trying to save some salary. And by doing these moves, they’re able to do this. They’ve now had a luxury tax of $540 million in June 15th. Now, their luxury tax projected salary and luxury tax is 239 million. They shed over $300 million, which is just absolutely insane to think. Not off just their salary books, but off of their luxury tax. This is going to help them in their savings for the future of this team. Now, Bobby Kavitzky lets us know that Bucher is expected to have a significant role in this front court. The 69 center has averaged one blocks per game in his entire career where he also shot 36% on almost four attempts from three point last season. an intriguing addition option at the five for Boston into that front court. Like I mentioned, he’s going to be coming in replacing that George’s Nang role and I think can be a quality bench uh player here for the Boston Celtics. I do think we will see a lineup depending of Derek White, either Anthony Simons or Pton Pritchard at that guard position, Sam Hower, Jaylen Brown and maybe Chris Buchet at that starting five. Maybe they run names Kada and they have Chris Buchchet come off the bench, play that back up for kind of where George Nyang was going to play. But they get Chris Bucher who’s clearly better than a 3.3 million uh contract for a Flyer season. Obviously the Celtics taking flyers on Luca Gars and Josh. Those guys a little bit younger. Buchet on the older scale at 32, but has that veteran experience has been in playoff plenty of playoff experience and even has won a championship with the Toronto Raptors. So, I think he’ll kind of fit in well to that Boston culture. And once again, if he can stand out and be a solid player, if the Celtics can shed some even more salary going into the season or or even next year with some expiring contracts, free up some more money, they have the potential to find a guy in Chris Buché who could be a key potential role playinging piece for a Celtics team, you know, in his mid30s at 33, 34, 35 where he can be a solid contributor off the bench for this team for their next championship push. And that’s something that the Celtics can really buy on. A guy in RJ Lewis as well, I would like to mention, played at UMass Amherst, but before after that went and transferred and played at St. John’s last year, where he was solid in Rick Patino’s offense. Obviously coming in as a two-way guard, but on a two-year two-way contract will give him that availability to play either for the Celtics or for that main team predominantly probably with that main squad. But I think is another intriguing piece. You obviously look now at the Christophs Porzingis trade. trading Christophs Porzingis for RJ Lewis, but you ultimately do free up all that money in that Christophs Porzingis contract, freeing up $30 million in salary and then basically replacing that guy and a player with a guy in Chris Buchche, who obviously isn’t 100% replicable replicable of a guy like Chris Porzingis, but I still think fill in a solid role at that power forward/ uh small ball five for this Boston Celtics team. And I don’t think Brad Stevens is done. Like we’ve mentioned and like we’ve kind of discussed here throughout this video multiple times. The Celtics saved that $40 million just in this George’s Nang deal. They saved about what is it around $5 million from the George’s Nang contract as well, $4.9 from bringing in now Chris Buchet after they traded away his $8.2 million expiring. And now the Boston Celtics set them up with one open roster spot. Still with access to the non uh partial non-tax mid-level exception. Still have the options to, you know, trade maybe an Anthony Simons and shed some more salary as we get closer to the season. Maybe flip one of those smaller contracts in a name or a Xavier Tilman down there. Maybe they do consider ultimately trading Sam Hower, even though that doesn’t seem the case at this moment because it doesn’t seem like they were getting the value that they clearly present for Sam, which which he definitely deserves. Ultimately, I do think there still could be some more tweaks to this roster here. There still is Al Horford out there in free agency. There still is Charles Bassie who is still intrigued to coming to the Boston Celtics, and we talked about that in a latest video here on the channel. So, if you missed that, definitely check that one out as well. And there’s also the interest of now Amari Williams, the Celtics draft pick. They can’t they can’t draft someone and just completely lose him and just only see him in the summer league. At least with Anton Watson, he was on that two-way contract, was playing with the main Celtics team. Then they decided to wave him for Miles Norris after seeing him for a little bit. I don’t think you can really give up on a guy Amari Williams just like that. And I don’t know if he’s going to go to the team just on a G-League contract. So, we’ll have to wait and see how that can be plausible for him. But those are some names I think to keep an eye on surrounding the Boston Celtics. Obviously Bassie obviously um Omari Williams within that center rotation within those two-way and final roster spot. But then also on the trade market, maybe a guy like Anthony Simons does get moved as Brad Stevens did ultimately move a guy in George’s Nang. Maybe that still is on the table for Anthony Simons and that’s something he’s trying to get figured out. Without all of that though, obviously I think this was a big big thing for Brad Stevens. They saved more money. This is why they did this. They got a better player in my opinion in Chris Buchet than George’s Niang for this roster and what he can bring for this team. And I think the Boston Celtics, even though obviously the roster on paper, maybe with the depth, isn’t looking like a top four, top five team in the Eastern Conference, I still think it’s going to be able to hold its own, be a low tier playoff team, at least playin team, and still be at least exciting with these options. And if some of these flyers really do stick, a guy in Josh Man, maybe a guy in RJ Lewis develops and is really nice. The Celtics have had maybe an eye on him. Maybe a guy like Chris Buché has a good season this year. The Celtics can turn some of these pieces into key rotational guys like they did in the past with Luke Cornet, Sam, and Peyton Pritchard, and they can even just get this team a little bit more deeper for when Jason Tatum does ultimately come back alongside Jayla Brown, and Derek White to then get another championship squad ready to go. So, let me know your thoughts down below in the comments section. what you guys ultimately think on the latest signings here with the Boston Celtics. If you guys have liked the moves that Brad Stevens has been doing this summer. Like I said, thank you guys so much for tuning in. I really do appreciate all the support and I’ll catch you guys in the next one. Have a great rest of your day and go Boston Celtics.

In this video, Bruce Veliz talks about the latest Celtics moves and the real reason these moves were done.

Celtics Digest is a YouTube Channel that covers all the latest news, trades, reports, and rumors regarding the Boston Celtics. Our channel provides in-depth analysis, game highlights, and player performance reviews. We focus on key players such as Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porziņģis, and Derrick White, as well as the insights of Head Coach Joe Mazzulla and General Manager Brad Stevens. Stay tuned for all the exciting updates and engaging discussions on everything Celtics!

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