Robb: Every Little Asset Will Help Celtics During Rebuild
BOSTON (CBS) -- In the midst of a lengthy rebuild, every move the Celtics make these days is done with an eye towards the future. Last week's trade is the latest example of that philosophy, as the team sent Keith Bogans and two future conditional second round draft picks to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Dwight Powell, Erik Murphy and Malcolm Thomas, guard John Lucas III as well as 2016 and 2017 second round picks.
We covered the benefits for Cleveland's side of the deal already, but while the Cavs got a valuable piece in Bogans (who they already used to acquire a trade exception) it's important to note the Celtics really didn't give anything of value up in this deal. Bogans only had value for the way his contract is structured, nothing more.
After a summer of limited dealing, Danny Ainge clearly preferred the lure of future salary cap flexibility instead of any pricy players that Bogans' nonguaranteed deal could have helped fetch on the trade market. Since Bogans has no on-court value for a rebuilding team like the Celtics, as we saw last season, his loss really doesn't make an impact.
One might also wonder about the two future conditional second draft picks the Celtics are giving up in the deal. Are those actually worth anything? Those are picks the Celtics picked up from the Sacramento Kings a few years back and it's extremely likely they won't amount to anything. How's that, you might ask?
The Cavs only get said selections if they fall in the 55-60 pick range. That means if the Kings are a top-six NBA team in 2015 or 2017, Sacramento would have to sacrifice said pick for each year. One look around the landscape of the NBA makes that an incredible long shot to happen since the Kings won't be amongst the NBA elite anytime soon.
So what exactly did the Celtics get out of this deal in which they gave up, essentially nothing?
Let's break down the particulars.
1. The Celtics get a $5.3 million trade exception. This one is kind of tricky with NBA salary cap nuances so I'll try not to bore you with too much of it. In essence, even though the Celtics received about $4 million worth of combined salary in the deal, a mix of minimum salary exceptions (for Powell, Thomas and Murphy who are all making the league minimum) and a leftover trade exception from the Courtney Lee deal last season enabled the Celtics to create a brand-new $5.3 million trade exception. The TPE will last for one year from the day of the trade and allow Boston to take on more salary than they send out in a deal, potentially leading to the acquisition of additional first round picks and prospects (as we saw in the Marcus Thornton deal earlier this summer).
2. The Celtics get two second round draft picks. Both of these picks will be of minimal value since they are coming from Cleveland. With LeBron, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love in place for the foreseeable future, it's almost a certainty that the Cavs will have a top-tier record in the Eastern Conference for the next few seasons. That means both of these second round picks will fall in the 54-60 range. Boston already has more first round picks than they know what to do with for the next five seasons, so unless the C's strike gold in one of these picks, they likely won't even make the team's roster once they are drafted.
3. Free looks at Dwight Powell and Erik Murphy (maybe). The Celtics waived two players acquired in the deal this week (Lucas and Thomas) but Powell and Murphy were kept on the training camp roster when the practice sessions kicked off on Tuesday. Barring some other moves, both big men are long shots to make the team's 15-man roster since the Celtics currently have 16 players signed under guaranteed deals. There is a reasonable chance both of these players could end up with the Maine Red Claws at the start of the year, but if one player impresses, he could have earn a spot, especially if a veteran like Brandon Bass or Jeff Green is moved.
All in all, it's not really one of the more impressive returns of Ainge's tenure, but yet again the Celtics got a couple of assets here for nothing. In the long road of the NBA rebuild, every little bit helps and the same applies here, as that $5.3 trade exception is likely to come in handy down the road for the Celtics.
Brian Robb covers the Celtics for CBS Boston and contributes to NBA.com, among other media outlets. You can follow him on Twitter @CelticsHub.
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