Celtics final roster spots (CelticsBlog roundtable)

This week the CelticsBlog staff is going to weigh in together on various topics. Please feel free to expand on these topics and give your own opinions in the comments below.

The Celtics roster stands at 16 players. They can bring up to 20 into camp but have to cut down to 15 by the time the regular season begins. Which of the players deeper on the Celtics bench should make the team and who would you try to move (either in a trade or by cutting him outright)?

Daniel Poarch

The three names that seem to be the most tentative on this roster right now are Jabari Parker, Carsen Edwards and Kris Dunn. Parker would be the most direct option, if only because his contract is non-guaranteed until opening day and it therefore won’t cost the Celtics anything to move on from him. That said, he at least has a perceivable (if unlikely) pathway to finding minutes on this roster as injury insurance in the frontcourt rotation.

Edwards, meanwhile, is coming off a Summer League performance in which he didn’t particularly stand out (at least, not in a way that would translate to a role on this roster), and is heavily buried in the Celtics’ crowded guard room. He just hasn’t shown meaningful growth at the NBA level, so if a team was willing to take a flier on him essentially for free, that probably makes the most sense. Dunn would save the Celtics the most money of the three (provided a team could take him on without sending a player in return), but he’s also the most valuable on the court at the moment and could serve as a useful backup in the event of an injury.

Rich Jensen

My thinking is similar to Daniel’s. I suspect that Edwards is out and Parker is in. That is, I think Parker will be the last roster spot filled. However, I think he will be farther up the rotation than the 15th man.

Keith Smith

See you later Carsen Edwards. There just isn’t a place for a undersized scoring guard that hasn’t proven he can actually score in the NBA. Jabari Parker provides some scoring punch, while Kris Dunn proves some defense and a little playmaking. Those are actual skills the Celtics can use, and will probably need at some point.

What becomes key is if Brad Stevens can move Edwards in a salary-dump trade, as opposed to just eating his deal. Hello? Oklahoma City? Want another second-rounder?

Adam Spinella

I have a feeling we’ve seen the last of Carsen Edwards in a Celtics uniform. He’s a feisty, large-quadded shooter who hasn’t made shots in bulk. In college, he had the time to warm himself up, play through some misses and warranted the ultimate green light. Shooting off the bench requires automatic, consistent production for a shooter and Edwards hasn’t found that over several years. It’s time to set him free

Bobby Manning

Carsen Edwards is the easy answer especially after the shooting emergences of Aaron Nesmith and Payton Pritchard. Edwards could’ve fit in a back court that’s challenged for shooting. Last year’s rookies likely put that need out the window, maybe save for one handful of games like last year’s win over the Clippers where Edwards went off. Like my fellow writers here, I want to see what Jabari Parker can do in his second year here with his obvious pedigree following a quality series against Brooklyn. Bruno Fernando proved himself as a change of pace big in Summer League. I have no clue what Kris Dunn brings after two injury-ruined seasons. It may be nothing and if so even the $5-million salary matching he provides isn’t worth keeping. If he shows spurts in training camp, he’s another player who came into the league as a highly regarded prospect and is still relatively young. I love those gambles. Edwards proved he fits somewhere in the NBA at this point. Though every scenario possible in three seasons with the Celtics it’s become clear that it won’t be here.

Greg Cassoli

Agreed with most everyone else here. Time to say our goodthighs to Carsen Edwards....

Jeff Clark

I’d have to imagine that Brad Stevens is going to continue looking for trade options for either Edwards or Dunn (or both) right up till the end of training camp. Sometimes that’s when teams take a look at their roster and decide that (due to injuries or depth concerns) they need another guy to plug in at the end of the bench. If all else fails, I’m sure Brad has worked out some contingency plans with OKC or another team with cap space or a TPE that one of those guys can fit into at the low cost of a 2nd round pick.

Like everyone else, I don’t see a place on this roster for Edwards, so he seems like the easiest to move. Dumping Dunn would save more money but he’s got on-court value in the event of injuries so it might make sense to keep him around till the deadline at least. I’d like to keep Parker around as a flyer based on his offensive upside alone.

All very simple and straightforward ...until Stevens pulls off a 3 team mega deal that completely upsets the fruit-basket. (not a rumor, just a joke)