BRIGHTON — Did Bill Chisholm make the Boston Celtics duck the luxury tax? Was ownership being cheap? Does the front office believe in this basketball team?
No. No. And an emphatic yes.
The Celtics traded Anfernee Simons to the Chicago Bulls for Nikola Vucevic on Tuesday afternoon. It was their first in a string of four deals that ultimately allowed them to get under the luxury tax line.
But the Vucevic trade and the final three weren’t connected. In fact, Brad Stevens didn’t even know the Celtics would be in the position to dodge the tax on deadline day.
“After the Vuc trade, we saw that as an opportunity,” Stevens said on Friday morning. “But next year, if there’s something that we look at and we say, we got to take advantage of it right now, then we’re going to try to take advantage of it. Bill’s been really clear with that. I think we saw, again, the tax for me, was just, there was an opportunity with two days left before the trade deadline. We didn’t necessarily think we’d be there.”
Over the summer, Stevens revealed that there was no directive to duck the tax from Boston’s new ownership group, led by Chisholm. That remained true at Thursday’s trade deadline. “The directive was more, how can we best position ourselves and win now and win later? And so, that’s kind of what we tried to do,” Stevens said.
The Celtics understand the position they are in this season. Stevens gets it. Chisholm gets it. Joe Mazzulla, the coaching staff, and the players all get it, too.
They’ve put themselves in the best-possible position to compete for a championship, even without Jayson Tatum ever touching the court.
Trading Simons for Vucevic, though it was tough to give up a guy as talented and well-fitting as Simons, was a way to improve their odds in the short-term.
“First and foremost, that was a move done, in large part to balance out our positional needs,” Stevens said. “And it’s a hard decision when you have to move a person like Ant, who’s been so good, such a great teammate. Thought we had a little bit more depth and opportunity at the guard to cover that, and if we were able to get a big that had a similar impact, from the standpoint of filling different statistical needs, and gave us a little bit more insurance in case of any big depth issues, felt like that was the right thing to do.
“And Nikola is a good player. He’s been a good player for a long time. Obviously, the shooting and scoring gets a lot of attention. The passing, as you mentioned, is a big factor for us, and it’s something that we really like in bigs. And so, just gives us probably another look.”
But that’s not the story that got run after the deadline.
Boston traded Simons for Vucevic on Tuesday. The deadline was on Thursday. And within the final few hours of deadline day (which ended at 3 p.m. ET), Boston made three moves. All with the goal of getting under the tax.
That was the story. Tax-dodging. But that’s not a fair assessment of the situation.
Did the Celtics save money? Yes. Did they save a ton of money? You bet. But getting under the tax now will also make life easier on them in the long run.
“The result is [that] we do have increased flexibility,” Stevens said. “The next time we make a trade is the first time we can take back more money in the trade than any time in the last couple years, which hasn’t happened because of where we’ve been, with regard to the aprons.”
“It always had to be, we had to take back less, unless we had an exception available to use, which we couldn’t ever do when we were in the second apron planet. So, there is a lot more flexibility. There are more tools at your availability, where we are going into the summer.”
And as Stevens mentioned, the reason Boston ducked under the tax in the fading hours of deadline day wasn’t because of an overarching directive. It was simply because they had the chance to.
That doesn’t mean it was always the plan.
In fact, Stevens noted that Boston was exploring opportunities to trade draft capital and give up assets to improve right now. Those opportunities simply didn’t pan out in time. (Except for one: Vucevic.)
“What I would say is that we were—We would explore and were willing to use those things if need be,” Stevens said. “They just weren’t available to us in a way that would materially improve us. We think we’re materially improved with the move we made, even though we lost a really good player.
“And I think that one of the things is, we can we looked at everything we could to do the best we could to take advantage of this year. And this was a move that hopefully gives us, again, a little bit more depth at the [center] position, and we’ll see how it all plans out with a really good player.”
And Boston is very high on Vucevic.
“When Vuc walks into the room, it looks different,” Stevens said. “He’s big, and long, and strong, and can be standing next to anybody in this league and not look small.”
Plus, there’s more that goes into a trade than simply evaluating how good a player is. It’s more than fit, talent, and financials. It’s about the players who are already on the roster.
Obviously, the Celtics have their stars, but perhaps the most notable success story coming out of Boston this year has been their young wing core. Baylor Scheierman, Hugo Gonzalez, and Jordan Walsh have been playing at a very high level. Even Ron Harper Jr. showed flashes in the Celtics’ recent win over the Houston Rockets.
Boston has invested in those guys. And their decision not to make any major moves for depth at that position is, in part, a testament to how much the organization believes in them.
“I think we’re all encouraged, not surprised, but encouraged, by some of our youth, and where they’ve come,” Stevens said. “And a large part of that has been because of opportunity. And Joe has done an amazing job of throwing them all out there, sometimes pulling them fast, but throwing them all out there and letting them gain great experience, and created opportunity, and you’ve seen kind of this jump on a couple of them. And then, if you take that away for the next three months, are you actually worse? Or can they take another jump?
“So, I think that that’s part of it, too. We’re in kind of a unique position where, some of the things that we’re hopeful for is that our young players continue to take the jump they’re taking.
Now, the Celtics have three high-level ball-handlers (Payton Pritchard, Derrick White, and Jaylen Brown), a hefty (young) wing rotation, and three capable centers to help run the show.
Actually, they have four capable centers, because the Celtics converted Amari Williams’ two-way contract into a standard deal in the midst of their deadline dealings. “It’s a chance with a young guy to see what he can ultimately become if we keep investing in him,” Stevens said.
And they don’t have three high-level ball-handlers, either. They have four. But one of them is still working his way through the recovery process.
There has been a ton of smoke surrounding Tatum’s potential return this season. The will-he-or-won’t-he conversations have run rampant, to the point that just days after working out in front of the media in Detroit, reports circulated that Tatum was reevaluating whether he wants to return at all this season.
On a podcast, he even said he had some concern that his potential return could hurt the Celtics’ current rhythm. But behind the scenes, Stevens said that those concerns never came up. In fact, it was quite the opposite.
“I think, in all of our conversations, he’s confident he can make teams better,” Stevens said with a smile.
Stevens didn’t dive into any specifics regarding a return. He didn’t have many to share. That choice will be left up to Tatum, the medical staff, and the team. They’ll talk about it when the time comes and make a decision together.
That’s how it’s always been, and that’s how it still is today.
“When we feel 100%, it’ll be a group getting together and talking,” Stevens said. “I think our medical people are really good, I think his doctors are really good, so we’re going to listen to them. He’s listening to them. Nick [Sang] and him have had an amazing work ethic throughout this whole recovery, and when it’s right, they we’ll sit down and talk about it, but there’s still no force from us.
“There’s no pressure from us. There’s also not going to be any of us saying, ‘Well, why don’t you just take another week?’ When he’s ready, he’s ready.”
In the wake of the deadline, the Celtics have three open, standard roster spots, meaning they still have some work to do. They got back rookie John Tonje in the Chris Boucher trade, so all three two-way slots are filled (for now).
Stevens noted that nobody they sign from the buyout market will play a significant role in their rotation.
But that’s because of how confident they are in their current roster.
Stevens believes the Celtics have a chance to do something special this season.
The entire organization believes it.
“We know our best players are studs. That’s obvious,” Stevens said. “Jaylen is having a ridiculous year. Derrick White, everybody’s going to focus on the shooting, but every time he’s on court, we win by a lot. And then Payton’s having the year he’s having. We’ve got really good guys that these guys are kind of accentuating, but I think that those are all the things you weigh.
“When you really make a move, are you really making your team better, and at what cost? And so, we felt pretty good about, this was our move to help us be better, and hopefully we can be as good as we can be now. We still have some ability to add in the free agent market, and then we’ll figure out after this year what that looks like. But I hope we go on a hell of a run, and I’m not going to put a ceiling on us, just like I haven’t from day one.”
FULL PRESS CONFERENCE RESPONSES
What excites you about the Nikola Vucevic addition?
“I think first and foremost, that was a move done, in large part to balance out our positional needs. And it’s a hard decision when you have to move a person like Ant, who’s been so good, such a great teammate. Thought we had a little bit more depth and opportunity at the guard to cover that, and if we were able to get a big that had a similar impact, from the standpoint of filling different statistical needs, and gave us a little bit more insurance in case of any big depth issues, felt like that was the right thing to do. And Nikola is a good player. He’s been a good player for a long time. Obviously, the shooting and scoring gets a lot of attention. The passing, as you mentioned, is a big factor for us, and it’s something that we really like in bigs. And so, just gives us probably another look. And I think our two guys that have played the majority of the minutes at that position have been outstanding, and so we’re excited to have all three of them, and see how it all fits together.”
How much will the chance to reset the repeater tax affect the construction of next season’s roster?
“I think what we did, the directive at this deadline- Obviously, this summer, we had to get under the second apron. There was every basketball reason in the world for that, and it was the right thing to do. The directive at this trade deadline was, let’s see if we can, again, find some size [so] that we could give ourselves a little bit more depth there, and make sure that we are more prepared for some of the the physicality that’s coming down the road if we’re able to ultimately be in the playoffs, and however long you’re in the playoffs. You have to have that. There’s just a physical toll that can be taken on a team. But the directive was always just see what we can do with the team. After the Vuc trade, we saw that as an opportunity. But next year, if there’s something that we look at and we say, ‘We got to take advantage of it right now,’ then we’re going to try to take advantage of it. Bill’s been really clear with that. I think we saw, again, the tax for me, was just, there was an opportunity with two days left before the trade deadline. We didn’t necessarily think we’d be there.”
Was there a directive from Bill Chisholm and ownership to dodge the tax?
“I think everybody talked about it, but again, it wasn’t a directive. I think Bill, and I would guess, I don’t really talk to many people in his ownership, obviously, Wyc is here a lot, I think we’re all excited with how the team’s playing, and how they’ve come together, and how well each guy has taken a step, and how the coaches have coached them, and how we feel like Joe and the staff have created a system where when we have guys out, there’s a lot of ability to replace those guys on a given night, and there’s a lot of depth. And so, again, the directive was more, how can we best position ourselves and win now and win later? And so, that’s kind of what we tried to do.”
What have you seen from Amari Williams that led you to convert his contract?
“I think Amari has got a real chance to be a player. I think, in a lot of ways, he’s got a unique basketball journey, maybe, compared to some of our other guys, both here and internationally. And so, you see Amari do a lot of things each month that maybe you didn’t see as much of the month before. And so, I think we’re excited about the progress he’s made. It’s a bet on the person and the work ethic he has, and it does ultimately fill a need. You’re probably never going to play all four of those guys in a given game, but I think you see it. A lot of times, we would play probably three of them, and sometimes you don’t have three available. And so, you just have to have enough depth there at that spot, and it’s a chance with a young guy to see what he can ultimately become if we keep investing in him.”
What will you be looking to add with your three open roster spots?
“I think that’s a good question. First of all, we’ve got three good two-way options that we feel really good about, and that gives us a lot of flexibility. I think [John] Tonje’s addition, Tonje’s a good player. He’s an older guy, coming out of college [who] knows how to play and score. I think [Max] Shulga has had a really good year, and we all think Ron is one of the best players in the G League on the season. And whenever his opportunity was going to come, he was going to take advantage of it. So I don’t think any of us are surprised at Wednesday night’s game. He’s a stud. He’s a really good player, and he’s been great for us now for the better part of two years, somewhere within our system. With that said, I think the biggest thing is seeing how this all looks. We’ll ultimately fill a roster spot with at least one more ball-handler, and then see how the rest of the needs play themselves out.”
Did the potential return of Jayson Tatum impact the decision to trade Anfernee Simons for Nikola Vucevic?
“I would say it had very little impact on that singular decision. Just because, at the end of the day, if you kind of look at who we have to go through, the paths you might have to take, you just can’t get worn down physically. And we were going to be much smaller. And now we at least have big options. Obviously, any team with Jayson Tatum is going to be better. So, if that happens, that happens, and if it doesn’t, it doesn’t, but we just thought that redistributing our positional needs was probably the most important thing. You hope that that doesn’t necessarily cost you a person of Anfernee’s caliber, both as a person and a player, but obviously to get a guy that’s as accomplished as Vuc, you have to give something.”
Where is Jayson Tatum at—
“He’s here.” [joking]
Where is Jayson Tatum at in his recovery? What kind of things is he doing?
“He’s hit a lot of the thresholds, he’s doing more and more, and will continue to do more and more. He’s still got a ways to go.”
Were the three guys traded on deadline day (Chris Boucher, Josh Minott, and Xavier Tillman) aware they were going to be moved?
“Yeah, by the time all those were done, their agents were all aware that was a real possibility. And, sometimes that’s an individual conversation, depending on who it is, and sometimes it’s an agent conversation. But the bottom line is, you can’t always do this in in this world, so I don’t want to say it’s a thing you always should expect or can do, but if we know that there’s likely to be a move, we try to at least communicate in advance, or at least if there’s an attempt to be a move, right? Those are hard phone calls. I think Chris still has a lot to give, and he didn’t get his opportunity here, in large part, just because a lot of our younger guys really took a jump, maybe before we thought they might. And then, obviously, Josh, he did a lot of good things for us early. Kind of fell out of the rotation late, but I think he also could be a really good player. But again, whenever Jayson comes back, whether this year or next year, we’re starting to have almost probably too many guys at that one spot, and not enough minutes. So, it’s a great opportunity now for him to go play at a place that wanted him and, I’m guessing, plans on playing him. And then X. X was an amazing person. An amazing teammate. Also not in our rotation. So, an opportunity to maybe go play a little bit more in a very familiar spot with very familiar people, which I was excited about for him. So, can’t say enough about those guys, but we try to give them that. But they’re, obviously, we were with X the longest, and X is really rooted here and tied deeply to everybody. But all three of those guys gave what they had for us, and we’re greatly appreciative of it, and [they] were super gracious when I talked to them.”
What was your reaction to Jayson Tatum’s comments about how he would fit into this Celtics team if he returned this year?
“I mean, I saw some clips. I didn’t listen to it. So, I just listen to what he tells me. And so, our conversations, always, we keep between ourselves. But I would say generally, anytime you go through a long, hard rehab, an extended rehab for anything at any level of athletics, there are going to be all kinds of things that you’re thinking about as you’re progressing through. And so, that is totally normal. I think we’ve talked to every single player that’s ever had a long rehab about that, and I think that those are just things that go through everybody’s minds. And listen, I might have told you this all a couple of months ago, the talk with Jayson about when, at the start of the year [was] about when is best for Jayson Tatum to come back. Best for Jayson Tatum to come back [is] when he’s 110% healthy, he’s fully cleared by everybody that matters in that decision, and he’s got great peace of mind and [is] ready to do it. That’s it. That’s the objective, and that’s what we’re going to stick with.”
Is there a deadline that, if it hits, Jayson Tatum will just come back next season instead of this year?
“When we feel 100%, it’ll be a group getting together and talking. I think our medical people are really good, I think his doctors are really good, so we’re going to listen to them. He’s listening to them. Nick [Sang] and him have had an amazing work ethic throughout this whole recovery, and when it’s right, then we’ll sit down and talk about it, but there’s still no force from us. There’s no pressure from us. There’s also not going to be any of us saying, ‘Well, why don’t you just take another week?’ When he’s ready, he’s ready.”
Have you been trying to rebalance the roster from the moment you guys traded for Anfernee Simons last summer?
“That’s a great question. I mean, we tried to get, as you know, a couple of guys that we didn’t get back last year. And rightfully so. They got good deals elsewhere, and good for them. Obviously, we loved having them here, but I thought we got fortunate with [Luka] Garza. He’s been great. And then, we had Amari, [who] we knew was going to be good over time, but he’s got a lot of work to do. And we just thought that we would kind of piece it together from there. We were very confident in X or Chris, if we ended up going in that direction, but we weren’t able to get another guy with that kind of size. When Vuc walks into the room, it looks different. He’s big, and long, and strong, and can be standing next to anybody in this league and not look small. Maybe there is a guy, but not very many guys. So, generally, that would probably be what I would say. Those guys aren’t just around all the time to just add to your team in late July or August.”
How has the introduction of aprons affected trades and the value of first-round picks?
“Obviously, I think it’s harder. It didn’t stop all the activity, obviously, but it is really challenging. The next time we make a trade is the first time we can take back more money in the trade than any time in the last couple years, which hasn’t happened because of where we’ve been, with regard to the aprons. It always had to be, we had to take back less, unless we had an exception available to use, which we couldn’t ever do when we were in the second apron planet. So, there is a lot more flexibility. There are more tools at your availability, where we are going into the summer. But there are a lot of teams that are dealing with a lot of different [things] where they are. Anybody up and around the second apron, they just can’t take back more money, and then it becomes, you almost have to include three teams. Then, once you include three teams, it gets even more complicated. Once you include four teams, it’s near impossible. But anyway, we feel fortunate to have been able to do what we’ve done. But this is, like I said, we’re trying to be as good as we can be, we’re trying to win right now, and we’re also trying to position ourselves to continue to be good for a long, long time. And hopefully, this is a step in that direction.”
You just said to us, ‘Any team with Jayson Tatum is going to be better’—
Did you feel the need to say that to him when he expressed doubts regarding whether his return would disrupt things?
“I guess I didn’t really, again, listen to all the [podcast stuff]. I think, in all of our conversations, he’s confident he can make teams better, too. So, I think what I would say is, again, I think it’s more natural just from, in that rehab process, there’s a lot that goes through your mind. You’re looking at old footage of yourself versus new footage of yourself. You’re trying to figure out where you are in that kind of whole path. And then you get back on the court, and each day gets a little bit more normal, and you start to feel a little bit more, maybe, like yourself, I guess. And I think that’s just normal. But that’s a good question. If he needs it, I’ll tell him every day. Because every team, all 30 of us, would be way, way, way better with him on the team.”
With how unexpectedly good this year’s team is, what was the balance of improving the roster this year vs. planning for the long run, holding onto draft picks, etc.?
“What I would say is that we were, we would explore and were willing to use those things if need be. They just weren’t available to us in a way that would materially improve us. We think we’re materially improved with the move we made, even though we lost a really good player. And I think that one of the things is, we looked at everything we could to do the best we could to take advantage of this year. And this was a move that hopefully gives us, again, a little bit more depth at the [center] position, and we’ll see how it all plays out with a really good player. And, at the same time, the result is [that] we do have increased flexibility. But we looked at everything, like you always would. And this is just really- Until I got in this seat, I probably didn’t realize how challenging it is to actually do a deal. And to do a deal when you’re talking about guys [who] are seriously going to take you to a different place than where you are, it’s really hard to find those guys that are available. And the other thing I’d say is, I think we’re all encouraged, not surprised, but encouraged, by some of our youth, and where they’ve come. And a large part of that has been because of opportunity. And Joe has done an amazing job of throwing them all out there, sometimes pulling them fast, but throwing them all out there and letting them gain great experience, and created opportunity, and you’ve seen kind of this jump on a couple of them. And then, if you take that away for the next three months, are you actually worse? Or can they take another jump? So, I think that that’s part of it, too. We’re in kind of a unique position where, some of the things that we’re hopeful for is that our young players continue to take the jump they’re taking. We know our best players are studs. That’s obvious. Jaylen is having a ridiculous year. Derrick White, everybody’s going to focus on the shooting, but every time he’s on court, we win by a lot. And then Payton’s having the year he’s having. We’ve got really good guys that these guys are kind of accentuating, but I think that those are all the things you weigh. When you really make a move, are you really making your team better, and at what cost? And so, we felt pretty good about, this was our move to help us be better, and hopefully we can be as good as we can be now. We still have some ability to add in the free agent market, and then we’ll figure out after this year what that looks like. But I hope we go on a hell of a run, and I’m not going to put a ceiling on us, just like I haven’t from day one.”
Will you be able to get an impact player on the buyout market? A guy who will actually help you guys?
“In fairness, I might argue, they’re still the 450 best players in the world, so they’re pretty damn good. I would say that what we will be looking for will not be somebody that we’re going to ask to come in and be a part of the everyday rotation when we’re fully healthy. But we also need people that can come in and accept that, and be ready to help us move this thing down the hill and forward. And so, anybody that comes in here will know that, because that would be well communicated. And sometimes that actually eliminates maybe people with bigger reputations, or whatever the case may be, but brings in the right person for your team. And so, that’s what we’ll look for, and I think we’ll evaluate in-house, as we always do. When I say in-house, I mean two-ways, and Maine, and the G League, and buyouts from the NBA. It’s not about what somebody’s done or what their reputation is, it’s more about, do they want to be here, and do they want to add to us winning?”
