[Celtics3178Participant]

 IT is clearly a player who can score at a max level, lead a team at a max level but is he a max level player. I’ve always said IT is and should be a 6th man. He can still play 30 minutes but he’s not a starter because of his size. You saw teams in the playoffs when things weren’t working go right after him on D and it’s a huge flaw for him. Will he command max money and if so who gives it to him? I don’t think the celtics will offer him a max. They have Heyward and Horford maxed already and I think they like them as 2nd and 3rd options. I think they will take the max cap space they will have and go After a true superstar. 

[high floorParticipant]

He sure looked like a max player to me when he dropped 53 on John Wall in the 2nd round

[HazelParticipant]

 He is amazing on half of the court.  Horrible on the other. Max has to be excellent on both ends for me. 

[The GoatParticipant]

 Is Harden worth the max then?

[MatosParticipant]

 He’s not gonna get you a championship as your starting PG, but they won’t get a better player on the market righ now and Smart ain’t the answer at the moment. But Smart is part of the C’s plan for the future along with Brown, Tatum, and next years lotto pick(s). Thats the good thing about Boston. They’re trying to win now (and I applaud their effort) but also have a plan for the future and are getting their young guys valuable experience with PT in the season and deep into the playoffs. As far as IT, their in a pickle because he isn’t the starting PG thats leading his team to a championship but he’s productive. Who else can they get if they decline to pay him?

[Dell87Participant]

 They can’t give him the max. I’m sorry. If tatum and brown emerge as legitimate scorers, then IT will become expandable and smart will step in and play the Patrick Beverly role with the Celtics . I would not give him more than 20 million a year

[benny15Participant]

If not the celtics, who will give him a max deal? The clippers? Its supply and demand and im very curious on the demand for IT on a max or near max deal to be honest. Thomas is set to be the highest player ver, maybe of all time for a guy under 5’10". I just want to know which teams would be willing to make him this.

[joe2324Participant]

i’m going with Clippers or the Knicks. Both teams will regret it.  

[Dell87Participant]

 I would let him test the market 

[joe2324Participant]

He can score A LOT of points, he’s valuable, but he is undersized and plays poor defense. By no means do you ever give a guy like this a max deal. Thomas’ ego won’t allow him to settle for anything less than a max deal which is fine, but Danny Ainge is not stupid so he will most likely part ways with him when the time comes.

 

 Will someone offer a max deal to IT? Of course! Plenty of stupid teams like my knicks will throw everything at him and then later regret it when they realize he cannot carry a team on his back like a franchise, max player should. 

Thomas is in the best possible scenario right now, but I feel his ego will get in the way and he’ll think he is worth more than he really is so he’ll be gone from celtics.  

my guess is he signs a record deal  worth almost 250 million dollars with the Knicks which will cripple their franchise for the next 10 years. It sounds insane, but it will further solidify the knicks as the shittest organization in the entire NBA

 

 

[Celtics3178Participant]

 I don’t think the knicks will offer him a deal. They just drafted a pg and Thomas would not be the best mentor for him they have two totally different styles of play. The clippers also can’t afford him they have Blake and Jordan maxed and just signed the Italian his names a bitch to spell but can ball when healthy plus austins contract. The sixers have the cash but would they? The magic but he doesn’t fit their timeline. I don’t think Danny will offer him a max I think he will say all the greats took pay cuts to win Lebron and Durant too examples Brady and Ortiz Boston example. When IT says someone else will I think he will try to lure a max with Heyward Hordford as their running mates and young talent like brown, Tatum and their 2 picks.

[sheltwon3Participant]

 Knicks drafted a combo guard but I think them spending money Hardaway Jr means IT is out of their price range.

[properbreaksParticipant]

Wait a minute….. Enough of the he’s a 6th man business. I don’t care if he was 5’2. He averaged 29 points as THE MAN and his team got to the Conference Finals. How much more did he have to do? It wasn’t but 4 teams in the conference finals in the whole league and it’s plenty of people who weren’t there that people say are the teams Franchise player, and we’re talking about he isn’t good enough to start?

[joe2324Participant]

his skillset is a perfect match for the pieces that boston has and its style of play. He’ one dimensesional and is a liability on defense. Sixth man is a perfect role for him on any other team, but he is not worth a max contract. He is not a superstar you build around. 

[HazelParticipant]

 he didn’t play a playoff team until the conference finals. In the conference finals how did he do?

Not as well as the max guys on the other team…

But I hope there are teams thinking your way  even the Celtics so the small market teams can keep their guys  

 

 

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

 Not a lot of guys can get you 30 a night, so he has value.  Took them to the ECF last year, which is worth a lot.

So, let’s see what he does this year.  If they get to the Finals this year or even just take the ECF to 7 games then I think the perceived value of IT will be there.  If not, I think Celtics explore some of their options.

They wanna win a title.  But, if IT isn’t the guy to get them there, then they might have to make some hard choices — and ride Gordon Hayward with the young guys (Tatum, Smart, Brown) to get them to the title.

I really think they need an athletic shot blocker/rim runner inside.  So, even if IT’s guy gets by him they have a fly swatter as a backstop.  Then you can also have a smaller, high-octane, perimeter-based attack with their top four scorers — IT, Hayward, Brown, and Tatum along with the big man.

Horford might be the weak spot here.  Merely a complementary big who gets paid big-time money.  Not even a great rebounder, and not really a shot blocker.  They should think about moving him next summer even for just slightly-less-bad contracts, a random utility guy on a rookie deal, and a second round pick or two.

Horford (and Crowder) might be on the chopping block, even if they continue with their "win now" strategy, since that would free up some more money to resign IT and give them some flexibility.  The other wild cards here are the Nets pick and the Lakers pick.  Boston might end up hitting some grandslams in the draft next summer.  So, if the C’s can get to the Finals, and then do something crazy getting the 1st and 3rd picks or something like that, then I think they will be more likely to keep IT (at the expense of getting rid of Horford/Crowder, and maybe some of those extra picks).  I bet they sell their OWN first rounder and their 2nd rounder, too (if they have it).  

In isolation, IT won’t be worth the money.  But, as part of a Celtics’ contender/fringe contender core, that changes things up a bit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[khaled_a_dParticipant]

There is 30 teams in the league and not all of them has championship or bust, IT will surely get a max offer and it isn;t necessarily from a winning team, a team want to make it to the play-offs could very well go for him.
I think the Celtics will hold to the summer to evaluate how things is going to work with him, what they do with their assets etc.

[HitsterParticipant]

 Would Boston have overlooked Fultz if they weren’t likely to make IT a mega offer. They can’t offer him the Harden type Super Max this summer so I’m guessing he will have to go to FA next summer unless they can put a good offer on the table before hand.

Dannty Ainge never seems to rush things and I feel he likes to keep options open, there is a load which could happen between now and IT hitting FA most notably where Boston may draft next year. I think Boston had Hayward lined up as their clear FA move this summer as they didn’t seem to court anyone else. 

Ish will be 29 by next summer but has only played 6 seasons so doesn’t have many miles on the clock so I’m guessing he’d like to remain in Boston and that they will keep him. Toronto only gave Lowry 3 years this summer so Boston don’t have to give IT a full 5 year deal. 

 

 

[mgreener_34Participant]

 I’ll say this about IT, and it’s one of the greatest compliments ive ever given an athlete, I will never doubt him again. 

Look at my post history, I’m a realistic Celtic fan for the most part. You’ll see my posts about how IT is a 6th man on a championship team. You’ll see me worry about the type of team that has him as their best player. I questioned whether he would be mentally able to come back and play at a high level after what happened to his sister.

He has literally proved me wrong every time I’ve said he couldn’t do something. People are really under rating the year this guy just had, and we’ll probablly never see another like it. He’s 5’7 (if that…) and just averaged almost 30 a game on fantastic shooting percentages. He, imo, is the best shooter coming off of screens in the NBA, or at least for a player not on the Warriors. He has the heart of a champion, as he showed in the playoffs. And is clutch as ****. 

I just can’t bet against the guy anymore. So because of that, I’m okay with us choosing to make him the face of the franchise. They clearly think Tatum is the future, so why not show IT some love, pay him, and make another Celtic Legeng? 

I’, fine with giving IT a max contract, as long as it’s a 3 year deal, or a 3+1 team option. IT gets his $$$$, and Celtics don’t compromise anything. 

The owners have recently come out and said that they have no problems with $$$ as long as the team is popular and winning games. Hayward, IT, Horford will continue to put a$$’s in the seat, while we build towards Tatum, Brown, and the 2018 picks. 

Who knows, we might even catch a break and make a finals apearence in the next couple of years. 

I’m for keeping IT. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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