The Celtics have $44 million committed to just Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Kendrick Perkins for the 2010-11 season. That same summer, Ray Allen becomes a free agent. Next summer, they will have to re-sign restricted free agents Glen Davis and Leon Powe, and Rajon Rondo will be eligible for a contract extension that would start in 2010-11.
So unless the Celtics decide to trade Pierce, Allen, or Rondo—which is highly unlikely—this team should look the same in 2010, but with an even higher salary. It's no wonder they didn't match New Orleans' four-year offer to James Posey.
Powe and Davis might fetch more on the open market than the four years and $17 million that Ronny Turiaf got from Golden State, and Rondo is positioning himself for a deal starting at $10 million a year. Don't be surprised if the Celtics choose to let either Powe or Davis walk in free agency.
Don't be surprised either if the Celtics decide to let Ray Allen go when his contract expires after 2009-10. With Allen and Pierce making $40 million combined that year, don't expect Allen to play for the veteran's minimum.
If the Celtics re-sign Powe, Davis, Rondo, and Allen, they could be looking at a salary approaching $75 million for just the septet of Garnett, Pierce, Allen, Perkins, Rondo, Davis, and Powe. The remaining eight players needed to fill out their roster will cost the Celtics double, with the luxury tax.
The Pistons, Spurs, and Suns are very similar in their long-term outlooks. But these teams have the option of either keeping their current lineups intact, or choosing to explore the market in the summer of 2010.
The Pistons have Chauncey Billups and Tayshaun Prince under contract for 2010-11, but the amount of cap space they'll have will be dictated by 1) whether or not they choose to re-sign Rasheed Wallace and/or Antonio McDyess next summer, 2) whether they choose to re-sign Rip Hamilton the following summer, and by 3) which of their current crop of young players they'll try to re-sign to extensions in the next couple of years.
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