No sign of Celtics deals as NBA free agency tips off, and no resolution to the Jaylen Brown saga
Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said last week the team planned to pursue a big man and a speedy guard in free agency. But after the leaguewide negotiating period opened at 6 p.m. Tuesday, the first few hours appeared quiet for his team
There was also no clear resolution to the ongoing Jaylen Brown saga, with the Celtics remaining mum about the possibility of trading the five-time All-Star. Brown was the centerpiece of an offer to the Bucks as they pursued star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, but the two-time MVP was eventually dealt to the Heat.
League sources said the Celtics have continued to field calls from teams interested in acquiring Brown, and one league source said Brown, who has not requested a trade, had grown frustrated with Boston’s approach following a season in which he finished a career-best sixth in MVP voting.
Read more Should the Celtics make a run at LeBron James? It’s not as crazy as you might think.
After the first round of the NBA Draft last Tuesday, Stevens mostly tiptoed around questions about Brown’s status. He said he had communicated with the forward and that it was unfortunate his name was being tossed around in rumors. But for now, there remains a lack of clarity about the situation, at least publicly.
The Celtics have two empty roster spots, and veteran guard Dalano Banton is on a non-guaranteed deal, so he could be waived to create another. Boston could sign a player using the $15 million non-taxpayer midlevel exception, and it also has a $27.7 million trade exception that would allow it to take back up to that amount of salary without sending back matching contracts.
Read more Long vexed by ballot questions, Mass. House Democrats want options for overhauling process
Post Comment