Tuesday is the NBA's deadline to decide whether to convert non-guaranteed contracts for this season. According to Brian Robb of MassLive, the Boston Celtics elected in advance to do so with the four players on their roster it applied to.
Guaranteeing Luke Kornet's, Lamar Stevens, Dalano Banton's, and Svi Mykhailiuk's deals for the duration of the 2023-24 campaign comes as no surprise.
Kornet's now guaranteed the rest of the $2.4 million left on his expiring contract. The seven-foot-two center is playing some of his best basketball as a Celtic since returning from a right adductor injury that sidelined him for over a week, most notably stuffing the stat sheet with a season-high 20 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and three blocks in a 120-118 victory vs. the Toronto Raptors.
Stevens, Banton, and Svi Mykhailiuk are each on Boston's books for slightly north of $2 million.
Keeping them on the roster preserves what little flexibility the C's have to facilitate a trade ahead of the Feb. 8 deadline.
As they search for, primarily, a big wing, a role president of basketball operations Brad Stevens would love to fill internally, with Oshae Brissett recently bolstering his case for the job, they also have their most valuable tool towards accomplishing that, which is a $6.2 million Grant Williams traded player exception (TPE).
But while at least one of these four may be entering their last month with the Celtics, potential future transactions weren't the only reason for signing them.
Like Brissett, the six-foot-six Stevens, a productive rotation player for the Cleveland Cavaliers, the last two seasons in particular, is capable of addressing the team's search for a big wing.
Depending on where you look, Banton is somewhere between six-foot-seven and six-foot-nine, has over a six-foot-ten wingspan, and can play and defend anywhere on the perimeter.
When given opportunities, he's showcased flashes of what makes him a valuable member of Boston's "Stay Ready Crew," the nickname for their extended rotation.
The 24-year-old Swiss army knife's contract contains a $2.2 million club option for the 2024-25 campaign, and while there's no guarantee it will happen, he's someone worth continuing to work with.
Mykhailiuk's only appeared in 15 games, averaging 7.7 minutes, but his reputation as a sharpshooter is one he has earned. It's a skill that would allow him to contribute if thrust into a more consistent role.
Thursday, Brad Stevens expressed about this group, "I've been really pleased with all those guys," adding, "I don't want to say what we do or don't do. I don't ever want to speak in absolutes, but I've been really impressed with all those guys. They've all come in and done well for us."
So, while the Celtics will evaluate their external options to strengthen their roster, they have an open spot, a $6.2 million TPE, plenty of draft capital to acquire a realistic target, and reasons for moving forward with each of the four players whose contracts they just guaranteed.
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