Getty Cameron Johnson, Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics currently boast eight trade exceptions, each ranging from $17.1 million to $1.9 million in value.
And while it’s highly unlikely the Celtics use all of their exceptions before they eventually expire, it makes sense to believe a couple of them will be utilized. Of course, there are some rules to these types of exceptions, which make things a little more tricky.
First of all, they cannot be used in conjunction with one another, for example, you can’t add a $6 million and $17 million exception to facilitate a $23 million acquisition. You also can’t aggregate a player’s salary on top of an exception.
The most popular question I get right now is: “Who can the Celtics get with the TPE?”
For @celticsblog I gave you all the names worth taking a look at. 25 players + a bonus player who fit inside Boston’s NBA-largest $17.1M TPE:
Still, with such a range of contracts around the league, Boston still has plenty of options to choose from across a multitude of positions. And, according to Keith Smith of CelticsBlog, Cameron Johnson of the Phoenix Suns could be the ideal target to shore up Boston’s bench rotation.
“Johnson is one of the few players who makes under $10M on this list. But the Suns are making noise about wanting to lower their likely tax bill, especially if they re-sign Deandre Ayton or take on money in an Ayton sign-and-trade. That could make Johnson available. Young shooter with good size? Perfect target for even the smaller TPEs,” Smith wrote.
The Phoenix Suns forward currently earns $5.8 million, which means he would fit directly into the Juancho Hernangomez trade exception which is worth $6.9 million, which would still leave the entire Evan Fournier TPE for the Celtics to target a bigger fish, should they so choose.
How Does Johnson Fit?
At six-foot-eight, Johnson has genuine size for the power forward position, and fits into the modern-day mold of a stretch-four, converting 42.5% of his three-point attempts this season.
Johnson is a career bench big man, having started just 36 games of the 183 he has participated in throughout his three years in the league, meaning he will slot right into the role Boston will likely have planned for him.
You have to check with Phoenix on Cam Johnson. Are they really going to let Ayton walk to Detroit? Sarver won’t pay Booker, Ayton, Bridges, and Johnson.
Celtics could also take Torrey Craig’s money off their books and give a pick.
Importantly, Johnson has spent his entire NBA career playing under Monty Williams’ 0.5 philosophy, which is something Ime Udoka has begun implementing in Boston, thus making the transition a little easier in terms of fitting in with the team’s offensive schematics.
Brad Stevens has been vocal about adding “shooting with size”, and given Johnson’s 12.5 points, on 46% field goal shooting, he could be a cost-effective addition to the rotation, while also plugging a clear gap within the rotation.
Would Boston Make a Deal?
When it comes to trade talk, the biggest question is always ‘what do they have to give up?’ and for the Celtics, that seems to be a difficult one to answer. Boston has already shed multiple draft picks since Brad Stevens took his place within the front office, and they have very few young players who aren’t projected to have a role next season.
Perhaps the Celtics could entice the Suns with a heavily protected second-round pick, as that would allow them to create a trade exception of their own and remove Johnson’s contract from their current cap sheet.
The Phoenix Suns have officially tendered a $16.4M qualifying offer to make Deandre Ayton a restricted free agent on July 1, a league source tells @spotrac.
It’s also worth noting that Johnson is entering the final year of his contract, so Boston will likely be unwilling to part with too much in order to get the trade over the line. As such, this move would need to be a cap clearing move by the Suns, and given their current situation with DeAndre Ayton, that might be their best move once free agency opens on June 30.