The Celtics were able to salvage something out of losing Gordon Hayward by gaining a $28.5 million trade exception that should boost the organization’s quest to compete with the elite teams in the Eastern Conference.
Trade exceptions are like trade coupons, enabling the Celtics to acquire a player for simply a draft pick without having to send a player back with matching salaries in return. What’s more, the Celtics can’t include a player in any transaction with a trade, just the exception and a draft pick because any team in a deal has to get something in return.
The club has options in how it can use the exception, which will expire before next season. It’s safe to say they will hold on to it for now because free agency is essentially over and teams aren’t yet ready to move players with expiring contracts.
But the trade exception allows the Celtics to be serious players up to the trade deadline. Boston can acquire an All-Star caliber player in the final year of his deal or even in the middle of a multiyear deal and send back perhaps a first-round pick.
The exception will allow the Celtics to add to their roster without having to move any of their current players. In the past few weeks, Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge was discussing players on the roster such as Marcus Smart because they had to attempt to match salaries to make any significant trade to improve their team.
Don’t expect the Celtics to acquire a $28 million per year player with the exception. They are allowed to break up the exception and use it with different transactions. For example, the Celtics could break it up into three parts and use it on three trades to acquire players worth $10 million, $10 million, and $8 million.
The benefit of a trade exception is the ability to not only acquire a player without involving one from your roster in the deal, but teams that may be ready to move on from a player can trade him and then take the trade exception and use it in another deal.
The Celtics may have to wait for a team that just signed a free agent to have buyer’s remorse or a team that wants to rebuild but has a veteran in the middle of a contract who wants to play for a winning team. The keys to this trade exception are patience and opportunity.
Let’s say the Indiana Pacers have decided Victor Oladipo is not going to re-sign and his $21 million contract is available. The Celtics could add the former All-Star before the trade deadline by simply using 75 percent of their trade exception and a second-round pick.
There will be teams who signed players to be playoff competitive but still aren’t and will be ready to change course and rebuild. The Celtics no longer have any other team’s first-round pick, so if they want to dangle a pick for a player, it will have to be their own.
The trade exception is almost better than getting a player with an expiring contract (such as Nicolas Batum) in the Hayward deal because the Celtics have a choice of pursuing the player they want. Another option is the Celtics could take an unwanted contract off the hands of a team and also take back some draft picks.
The Celtics aren’t going to use this exception right away because the other 29 teams at this point are pleased with their roster additions. In the coming months, once teams begin to determine whether they are playoff competitive or just an also-ran, the Celtics should get more calls about getting part of that trade exception.
The primary focus once the Celtics were going to lose Hayward to Charlotte was to work out a sign-and-trade to get the exception. The Celtics weren’t interested in any of the players the Hornets wanted to offer in the deal. They were more interested in the trade exception because of the options.
Don’t look at all the players who may be in the $28.5 million range and start superimposing Celtics uniforms on them. Acquiring a player who makes such a salary is not likely to happen when the Celtics aren’t able to send a player back in return.
The exception likely will be broken into pieces or used on a significant player even if the remaining exception is allowed to expire. The Celtics were also able to create a $4.7 million exception in the Enes Kanter deal and a smallish $2.6 million exception in the Vincent Poirier deal.
What the $28.5 million trade exception does is allow the Celtics to improve their chances of acquiring an impact player to help this year’s team. The club will have to wait to determine what its needs are and determine what players will be available. It’s a process but the Celtics will also want to act quickly when a player they desire comes on the market. It will add more intrigue and interest to the first half of what will be a fascinating NBA season.
Gary Washburn can be reached at gary.washburn@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @GwashburnGlobe.
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What is a trade exception, and how might the Celtics use it? - The Boston Globe
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