What JaVale McGee Non-Signing Tells Us About Boston Celtics' Future
During the past couple of seasons, Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge has been all about asset management. He’s sold high on stars like Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, trading both to the Brooklyn Nets for a bevy of players and future draft picks to help jump-start the Celtics’ rebuild.
While clearing out the aging parts of his roster, Ainge has also routinely searched for bargain-basement acquisitions on the free-agent market or via trade. Talented younger players who have seen their stock drop in prior destinations (Jordan Crawford, Evan Turner) have been scooped up by Boston as reclamation projects in the midst of Boston’s roster makeover.
For a few hours on Thursday, free-agent center JaVale McGee seemed like he might be the latest addition to that reclamation list. Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com was first to report on Thursday morning that the 27-year-old was close to a deal with the Celtics. Ainge confirmed Goodman’s report during an appearance on the Toucher and Rich program on WBZ-FM.
Negotiations took a turn later Thursday, however, with Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald noting that talks between the two sides had fallen apart and McGee would not be coming to Boston.
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports revealed that a failure to come to an agreement on the second year of the proposed contract created the stalemate. McGee wanted a player option, and the Celtics wanted a team option. Neither side budged, and McGee decided to move on. The 7'0" center remains on the open market after being waived by the Philadelphia 76ers on March 1.
So why exactly were the Celtics unwilling to give in to McGee’s demand of a cheap player option for next year? It’s all a matter of asset management and committing to the team-controlled future core.
Boston’s roster situation provided a great potential opportunity for McGee to rebuild his value as a player. The team desperately needs rim protection as well as depth in the frontcourt, following a recent season-ending foot injury to Jared Sullinger.
McGee, 27, needs a fresh start in his new home, and head coach Brad Stevens has done admirable work developing young players and bringing the best out of guys who have failed to live up to expectations with their prior teams, such as McGee. That’s part of the reason why Ainge has gambled on players like Turner and Crawford in recent years, attempting to re-establish their values.
The opportunity to rebuild a player’s worth at a minimal cost to the franchise has been crucial in both situations. Turner and Crawford were under team control for at least a season when the Celtics acquired both. Crawford had a year-plus remaining on his contract when Boston landed him via trade in February 2013, while Turner was signed to a two-year contract last July for a portion of the mid-level exception.
Under Stevens’ watch, Crawford put together a strong first half of the 2013-14 season during his second year in Boston, and Ainge elected to move him out in a three-team trade that also netted the Celtics a protected future first-round pick from the Miami Heat.
Turner has had a bounce-back season in his first year in Boston and is signed for a cheap $3.4 million for 2015-16. Like Crawford last year, the Celtics could use Turner’s development in his second season to help net them an asset via trade.
McGee’s desire for a player option made that kind of scenario unlikely for the Celtics. For a team that appears committed to seasoning its young core, bringing in a player like McGee for potentially just the final 23 games of the regular season does not make much sense when the team lacks the ability to control the big man's future.
If Boston gave McGee the player option, there are a couple of ways this story could have ended, none of which would have been ideal for the Celtics.
McGee could have struggled with performance and/or injury over the next two months in Boston, further hurting his free-agent value this summer. In this scenario, he would exercise his player option for next season to remain in Boston and force the Celtics to be stuck with a cap hit the team didn't want heading into the offseason, with McGee proving to be damaged goods.
The flip side of that situation would have been McGee playing well for Stevens down the stretch, helping the Celtics make the postseason. By showing his potential in this limited stint, McGee would undoubtedly be able to command a raise on the open market in free agency this summer, since he would only be making near the veteran's minimum in Boston. Instead of picking up his player option, McGee opts out, and the Celtics either have to pay up or lose him to another suitor.
With that possibility in play, why take minutes away from Kelly Olynyk down the stretch if McGee could conceivably walk away for nothing at the end of the season if he plays well? It does not fall in line with Boston’s philosophy of controlling its assets.
Ultimately, McGee was either going to be a Celtic on Ainge's terms (via a friendly team option) or simply not be one at all.
If Boston really liked McGee, it could have settled for signing him for the remainder of the year and hoping he would opt into his deal for next year. However, that was an unlikely scenario for McGee to agree to for the kind of money Ainge was able to offer him. The Celtics have just $2.1 million of the mid-level exception remaining and could offer McGee only a 4.5 percent raise next year.
With McGee balking at committing to multiple seasons for that kind of money, the Celtics elected not to waste their time with a rental player who may not pan out anyway. Instead, the team will remain committed to players whose rights it controls moving forward.
Fellow big men like Olynyk and Tyler Zeller are signed through next season. Jae Crowder will be a restricted free agent, so Ainge will have the right to match any offer he receives on the open market. The Celtics also have some control via Bird rights on soon-to-be unrestricted free-agent forwards Brandon Bass and Jonas Jerebko as well.
Without McGee in the fold, the Celtics will continue their playoff push without a rim-protecting big man while hoping they can find a young player to fill that defensive void this offseason.
All statistics and salary information provided by Basketball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.
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