Avery Bradley is coming off the best year of his career, and the Boston Celtics made a move Friday to maximize their return on his rising stock when they shipped him and a 2019 second-round pick to the Detroit Pistons for Marcus Morris.
The Pistons announced the move Friday. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski was the first to report that Bradley was on the move, and Shams Charania of The Vertical initially reported the Celtics would receive Morris.
After bursting onto the scene and nabbing a second-team All-Defensive nod following the 2012-13 season, Bradley vaulted into a new strata throughout the 2015-16 campaign and secured a first-team All-Defensive honor.
While Bradley didn't make an All-Defensive team for the 2016-17 season, his offense took another step forward, as he averaged career highs with 16.3 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.
Despite his strong performance, ESPN's Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne reported recently that Bradley, Jae Crowder or Marcus Smart were in the running to get traded.
Boston needed to create salary-cap space after agreeing to a four-year, $128 million contract with Gordon Hayward.
Marcus David Morris is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association.In swapping Bradley for Morris, the Celtics will save nearly $3.5 million next season, which should allow them to fit Hayward underneath the salary cap.
Born: 2 September 1989 (age 27), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Height: 2.06 m
Current team: Boston Celtics (Power forward)
Salary: 5 million USD (2015)
NBA draft: 2011, Houston Rockets (Round: 1 / Pick: 14)
Siblings: Markieff Morris, David Morris, Donte Morris, Blake Morris
Morris also adds much-needed depth to the Boston frontcourt. He is coming off a season that saw him average 14.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.
Although Bradley's four-year, $32 million deal was viewed as a bit generous when he signed it in July 2014, he's outplayed that contract by miles—especially in the context of the recent salary-cap spike. At present, Bradley has one year remaining on his contract. He's owed $8.8 million for the 2017-18 season.
The Pistons are able to add years to Bradley's contract now if they wish, although Bobby Marks of ESPN noted they can only add two years and $19 million in the next six months.
While Bradley may never be a go-to scorer or a tactical focal point, he's a defensive ace who can provide supplementary scoring as a spot-up weapon from beyond the arc.
For a Pistons team that missed the playoffs last season, he should provide a spark alongside core players Reggie Jackson and Andre Drummond.
The Celtics downgrade in the short-term in the trade, but clearing the way for Hayward more than makes up for it.
Bradley is an elite perimeter with more than enough offensive skills. He’ll provide an immediate upgrade at shooting guard in Detroit – even over Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who remains a restricted free agent.
The Pistons hard-capped themselves by signing combo guard Langston Galloway, drafted shooting guard Luke Kennard and now traded for Bradley (who also reduces Detroit’s room under the hard cap). It sure seems Caldwell-Pope’s days in Detroit are numbered.
Bradley’s $8,808,989 salary this season is far less than Caldwell-Pope could get, and that matters for the Pistons, who are up against the luxury tax. But Bradley is on an expiring contract and due for a massive raise next season.
There’s a ton of risk in jettisoning Caldwell-Pope, who’s just 24, for a 26-year-old Bradley who can leave in a year. Either the Pistons lose Bradley to unrestricted free agency or give him a huge contract that becomes problematic with all their other salary commitments.
But that’s next year’s problem. For now, Detroit is better and less likely to pay the luxury tax this season.
The Celtics are also better with Morris and Hayward, who factored into this deal.
Morris is another combo forward on a team with Hayward, Jae Crowder, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. But Morris is most equipped to play power forward, a position of need in Boston.
The Celtics are weaker on the perimeter, though Marcus Smart can handle some of Bradley’s defensive responsibilities. Maybe Terry Rozier is ready for a bigger role.
Boston avoids dealing with Bradley’s free agency. Al Horford and Hayward are already maxed out on multi-year deals, and Isaiah Thomas — maybe even up to the max himself — and Smart are headed for big raises next season. Bird Rights would have allowed the Celtics to keep everyone, but actually paying everyone might have been cost prohibitive to ownership.
Morris, due $10,375,000 over the next two years, is a bargain. Even if he’s not as good as Bradley, Morris allows Boston to sign Hayward and have an easier time affording Thomas next summer.
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