The Boston Celtics can now create about $34 million in salary cap space after the events of Thursday night's 2019 NBA Draft.
The C's made two first-round picks and traded a third to get a future first-rounder. Included in that trade with the Phoenix Suns was shedding veteran center Aron Baynes's salary, which was a little more than $5 million.
What will the Celtics do with all of this cap space? ESPN's Brian Windhorst discussed the situation during Friday's episode of "Get Up."
"The Celtics cleared salary cap space last night, traded away Aron Baynes," Windhorst said. "I think they're setting up to go after one of the top point guards on the market.
"The Phoenix Suns made a deal before the draft last night that nobody paid attention to -- offloading T.J. Warren to create salary cap space there. I think the Chicago Bulls, even though they drafted Coby White last night, are going to be in the business for a point guard, too.
"So we got major point guards on the market. We've got Malcolm Brogdon, Terry Rozier, we've got D'Angelo Russell. All three of them are restricted (free agents). All three of them may be able to be gotten. And the Celtics, Bulls, and don't forget about the Lakers need a point guard, too. The moves last night set up a bidding war for those point guards."
As Windhorst also notes, the possibility of the Brooklyn Nets signing Celtics point guard Kyrie Irving could make Russell available as an RFA. Would the Nets want to spend more than $50 million on two point guards? Russell is just 23 years old and set career highs last season with 21.1 points and seven assists per game. He also shot 37 percent from 3-point range and made the All-Star Game from the Eastern Conference. He would be an excellent replacement for Irving.
Brogdon is another good option for Boston. His injury history is a concern, but he was one of the few players in the league last season to shoot at least 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from 3-point range and 90 percent at the free throw line.
The Celtics also could bring back their own RFA point guard, Terry Rozier.
Boston has a lot of options to consider with its cap space, but one need that must be addressed soon is finding a starting point guard for the 2019-20 season. Luckily for the Celtics, there are several quality players to pursue in free agency to fill that need.
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