It is fairly easy to look at the situation that the Boston Celtics are in a year after taking home the organization's 18th NBA championship and see that something, certainly, must change. The team is well into the league's dreaded second apron, which limits the Celtics' ability to make transactions and could see their 2033 first-rounder frozen if they don't find a way out of it.
The problem is, the Celtics are in no position to simply dump expensive contracts on teams with ample cap space. They need to shed more than $23 million to get under the second apron, and because NBA rules require the Celtics to take back around as much salary as they send out in a trade, Boston can't save cap space with a simple one-to-one deal.
The one way to do that would be to send out a player to a team with cap space available, with a draft asset attached to make the deal worth the other team's efforts. But this summer, there is only one team with enough cap space to absorb a contract big enough to bring relief to the Celtics' cap situation.
That would be the Nets. And while the Nets have dreams of Giannis Antetokounmpo heading to Brooklyn, if that wish is not fulfilled, the Nets would be best served using their cap space to park and flip players, and collect more draft assets.
If the Celtics want the easiest path to getting out of apron purgatory, sending Porzingis into the Nets' cap space, with a future first-rounder and/or a young player attached is the way to go.
ESPN's Bobby Marks, a former Nets executive, highlighted that reality in a post on Monday.
Marks wrote: "The Celtics are $23 million over the second apron, and unless the Brooklyn Nets are willing to absorb the $30.7 million expiring contract of center Kristaps Porzingis, there is no direct path to getting under it with one singular trade. Shedding salary will likely happen in multiple moves."
If the Celtics can't send Porzingis to the Nets, they could perhaps attempt to send a better player--Jrue Holiday would be atop that list--to Brooklyn, though the Nets might hesitate, given Holiday's three years and $100 million remaining. But the Nets could, potentially, absorb Holiday's deal with a first-round pick, and then ship him on at next year's trade deadline for another first-round pick.
Either way, the Celtics' choices are clear: Find a way to convince the Nets to make a direct deal absorbing a salary and providing apron relief, or face complications stringing together a multi-team trade.
