John Wall and the Houston Rockets agreed to a buyout Monday night that will make the former All-Star point guard a free agent once he clears waivers.
While it might be tempting to think the Celtics should try to take a shot at Wall, who has played just 40 games total over the last three seasons, that dream was dead before it could even start. Wall is reportedly set to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers later this week.
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That doesn’t mean the Celtics shouldn’t be interested in all of this. In fact, they should be taking an even closer look at what’s going on with the Clippers now.
The Celtics have already been linked to a couple Clippers who are expected to become free agents, specifically big men Nicolas Batum and Isaiah Hartenstein. The addition of Wall, which is expected to come on a mid-level exception contract, makes it even more likely at least one of those players isn’t re-signed.
Batum is expected to decline his $3.3 million player option, but reports indicate he is leaning towards re-signing with the Clippers for more money. That makes Hartenstein the more likely target, although Batum shouldn’t be completely ruled out until he actually re-signs.
The 24-year-old Hartenstein is a 7-foot, 250-pound center who played 68 games last season. He averaged 8.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.1 blocks in 17.9 minutes per game, and he had the best defensive rating (106) of any Clipper who played more than 40 games. He could be a good backup to Robert Williams and help ease the load on the oft-injured big man more than Daniel Theis has. The Celtics could sign him with their mid-level exception.
The Wall addition could also shake a guard or wing free, as the Clippers are now even deeper in an area of the roster where they already didn’t seem to have enough minutes to go around if Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are healthy for the start of the season.
In addition to those two and Wall, they also have Reggie Jackson ($11.2 million), Norman Powell ($16.7 million), Luke Kennard ($13.7 million) and Terance Mann ($1.9 million this year, but jumping up to $10.6 million on a two-year extension next year).
All of them would fit under the Celtics’ $17.1 million traded player exception that expires on July 18. Of those four, Kennard would seem to be the most likely to become available.
They just signed Mann to that extension before this past season. They also just traded for Powell in February, but only got five games from him due to a foot injury. That was seemingly a longer-term move given that Powell is signed through 2026. The veteran Jackson gives them another point guard to split time with Wall and serve as an insurance policy.
That leaves Kennard, a 26-year-old shooting guard who’s signed for three more years. Kennard is an excellent three-point shooter -- in fact, he led the NBA in three-point percentage at 44.9% this past season -- who averaged 11.9 points in 27.4 minutes per game this year. He isn’t exclusively a catch-and-shoot player either, as he can also handle the ball a little bit and make plays off the pick-and-roll.
With the Celtics searching for more scoring off the bench, Kennard could fit the bill. He also played with Jayson Tatum at Duke, so there’s a connection there as well.
For those who think the Celtics need to make a big move this offseason, a Hartenstein and/or Kennard won’t be sexy enough. But for those who think the Celtics should keep their core intact and just improve their depth, the Clippers present some intriguing options Brad Stevens and company should be keeping an eye on.
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