Celtics Rumors: Latest Updates on Greg Monroe, Tobias Harris and More

The 2015 Boston Celtics were a fun, overachieving bunch that restored enthusiasm in the fanbase with an unexpected postseason run.  But a sobering reality has set in since the Celtics' first-round sweep at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers, as the organization currently appears stuck on the treadmill of mediocrity with no clear escape route.

Despite their best efforts, the Celtics couldn't pry away a high lottery pick to take a blue-chip prospect, most notably Duke swingman Justise Winslow, according to ESPN's Chris Forsberg.  The ceilings of Terry Rozier, R.J. Hunter and Jordan Mickey aren't likely to offer substantial upgrades on the current core, leaving free agency as the lone route for general manager Danny Ainge to seek short-term boosts.

Of course, Ainge will never stop working the trade market, and the C's still have a hefty stash of future picks despite using all four this year.  But Boston has never been particularly patient through rebuilds, and it's clear the C's desire to become more than first-round roadkill next season.  

As the free-agency negotiation window opens, here's a look at some of the players who might and might not make their way to the Garden.

Out of Monroe Sweepstakes?

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Ainge has already suggested that apart from the due diligence call they'll make, the Celtics won't be in on the biggest fish like LaMarcus Aldridge and Kevin Love, according to the Boston Herald's Steve Bulpett (via CelticsBlog's Jeff Clark).  Thus, someone like Detroit Pistons power forward Greg Monroe would make sense as a traditional post option who could give Boston a centerpiece in its frontcourt.

However, Monroe's list of suitors is rather lengthy, which always made him a long shot to end up in green.  In fact, while the New York Post's Marc Berman wrote about Monroe's potential fit with the Knicks, he mentioned that Monroe had already ruled the Celtics out as a signing destination.

"Monroe doesn’t have the defensive zeal of Jordan, but the low-post talent is still only 25 years old," Berman wrote. "He will speak with the Knicks on Thursday. Monroe said he would also meet with the Lakers, Blazers, Bucks and Celtics, but a league source said Boston is already out of the running."

The Knicks have always been able to use Madison Square Garden and the Manhattan lifestyle as a huge selling point for players.  Despite organizational incompetence that has submarined the on-court results for most of the past 15 years, the allure of the bright lights apparently remains strong, as Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski believes New York is set to land two of its top targets, including Monroe:

Truthfully, Monroe isn't the ideal big man for Boston.  While he would have represented an upgrade on the Celtics' current crop, the Pistons have also been unable to use Monroe as a defensive anchor—out of the 24 power forwards and centers with at least 100 starts the past two seasons, Monroe ranks 16th in defensive win shares, per Basketball-Reference.com.  

Given the price tag he'll likely command, Monroe was never going to represent the best value for the Celtics.

Tobias Harris Updates

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It's been nearly a week since Real GM's Shams Charania reported that the Celtics and Pistons were the two teams most likely to extend max offer sheets to Orlando Magic forward and restricted free agent Tobias Harris.  In the subsequent days, the Magic have gone through the formality of extending a qualifying offer for Harris, per the team's official website, allowing Orlando to potentially match any offer he receives.

However, there's already buzz that Harris is loath to play for new head coach Scott Skiles:

Paying Harris $15 million a year sounds exorbitant until one realizes the value of locking mid-tier free agents into slight overpays with the exponentially rising cap.  

Grantland's Zach Lowe beautifully elucidated this point in a recent article, and with the cap set to rise roughly $23 million after next season, the time is now for teams like the Celtics to spend before the big free-agent whales (Lakers, Knicks, Heat, etc.) receive max-contract space.  

Based on the formula used by ESPN.com's Hollinger metrics, Harris finished ninth among small forwards last season in player efficiency rating, ahead of more ballyhooed free agents like Draymond Green and DeMarre Carroll.  If you accept rumors from league circles, a max qualifying offer would represent only a slight overpay for Harris' services:

That might absolutely be worth the price for the Celtics, who are in desperate need of playmakers on the wing even if they bring back Energizer bunny Jae Crowder.  Harris doesn't have the All-Star pedigree that would excite Celtics fans, but he's the type of value signing who could grow into an important supporting role as Ainge continues to shop for the team's alpha dog.

Millsap a Possibility?

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Players like Tobias Harris and Khris Middleton represent the in-their-prime free agents the Celtics would ideally sign, but there are other veterans who could be had to prevent Boston from slipping back into the lottery next season.  

As the Boston Globe's Adam Himmelsbach reports, Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap could be one such target: "A team source said that…there is some unease about overpaying in search of quick fixes. There is some interest within the organization in forward Paul Millsap, who is still generally classified in that second tier despite making two consecutive All-Star teams with the Hawks."

In spite of those consecutive All-Star appearances, Millsap won't generate the same level of interest as a Monroe or Brook Lopez type because undersized power forwards don't tend to age gracefully.  Still, Millsap was criminally underpaid when he signed a two-year, $19 million deal with Atlanta two summers ago, placing his cap hit below the likes of Andrea Bargnani and David West last year.

With Carroll to deal with, it's possible that Millsap could slip away from Atlanta, especially if he'd like to make up for lost funds from the past two seasons.  He's the type of player who might arrive as a secondary domino after a bigger signing, but Millsap is the type of steady veteran who can gobble up minutes while giving the Celtics above-average play at both ends of the court.