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A few free agents have already come to terms with new teams, including a few no-brainers signing with their current teams like Kawhi Leonard and Anthony Davis. Also, a couple of guys that could be interesting benchmarks in the Jae Crowder talks appear to be close to deals. Aminu Al-Farouq agreed to a 4 year $30M deal minutes after midnight and Khris Middleton is reportedly close to a 5 year, $50M deal with the Bucks.
But for the most part teams and players are still setting up meetings and expressing interest. Here are some Celtics related notes to pay attention to.
First an update on Monroe:
Boston Celtics not out of the running for Greg Monroe
Detroit Pistons free agent Greg Monroe did not include the Boston Celtics on the list of teams he’ll visit with on Wednesday, the first day of free agency. But a league source tells CSNNE.com that the Celtics are by no means eliminated from contention for the big man. A USA Today report indicated that the 6-foot-11 big man will visit with the Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks and Portland Trail Blazers within the first 24 hours of free agency.
The Celtics aren't out of the running, but it doesn't sound like they are near the top of his list either.
Mannix: Amir Johnson, Gerald Green and Robin Lopez on #Celtics radar - @ChrisMannixSI http://t.co/f49TvhGfHf pic.twitter.com/PQA4bk3dVa
— CSNNE.com (@CSNNE) July 1, 2015
I get Robin Lopez and I can see Amir Johnson being an option at a cheap price, but I can't say that I understand the Gerald Green thing much.
Houston free agent Corey Brewer had phone conversations with the Rockets, Celtics and Knicks tonight, league sources tell Yahoo.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) July 1, 2015
Corey Brewer is another name I didn't expect to see linked to the Celtics. Not sure if we need another wing that can't shoot.
Want bigger names? Here's one, though I'm not sure the news is all that encouraging.
The Boston Celtics are still awaiting word on whether they'll get a meeting with Cleveland free agent Kevin Love, league source tells Yahoo.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) July 1, 2015
On the homefront, Brandon Bass appears to be mostly a backup plan for the Celtics thus far.
8 teams have inquired about Brandon Bass, #Celtics were not on that list but may be concentrating in more pressing needs.
— gary washburn (@GwashburnGlobe) July 1, 2015
Also of note: Gigi is an unrestricted free agent now.
Boston Celtics don't give qualifying offer to Luigi Datome @BBallInsiders http://t.co/X1DMdOdCos
— Eric Pincus (@EricPincus) July 1, 2015
That's about all I've seen so far related directly to the Celtics but it is early yet and sometimes the Celtics can be tight lipped (remember the Brad Stevens signing?) so they may yet surprise us.
One rumor that isn't directly tied to the Celtics but might be something to monitor is the Spurs possibly looking to shed some salary via trade.
Free Agency Buzz: Anthony Davis, Kawhi Leonard land max deals - CBSSports.com
Splitter on the move?: One player who could be on the move via trade is the Spurs' Tiago Splitter, who is owed $8.5 million next season and $8.25 million in 2016-17, league sources said. Even with the salary cap expected to come in as much as $2 million higher than the $67.1 million projection that teams have been operating under, the Spurs have some maneuvering to do as they take aim at Aldridge and try to bring back Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili at reasonable numbers. Danny Green, who has attracted interest from the Trail Blazers, Mavs and Pistons, will be extremely difficult to keep, with the Pistons.
In general I get the feeling that if the Celtics are going to make a "splash" this week or in the coming weeks, it could very well be via the trade route. As always we'll keep you updated.
In ex-Celtic related news, it sounds like there's legit mutual interest between the Kings and Rondo. Also, Pierce may be leaning toward staying with the Wizards (who can offer him a lot more money than the Clips can at the moment).