Your Morning Dump… Where the Celtics are prepared to overpay a second-tier free agent?

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big story line. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

Many of the would-be big-name targets appear likely to return to their current teams. Love and LaMarcus Aldridge could potentially test the market, but another group of high-profile free agents – which includes Draymond Green, Kawhi Leonard and Jimmy Butler – are highly doubtful to go anywhere.

As this past season wound down, league sources told MassLive.com that the Celtics, if they cannot hit a home run, are prepared to offer what looks like an “overpay” to a second-tier free agent. The idea would be to acquire an improving player on a contract he could grow into. With the salary cap set to rise in unprecedented leaps and bounds, a deal signed this summer will appear very different in the coming years – especially if the acquired player adds to his game.

At the trade deadline, Boston was linked to impending free agents Reggie Jackson and Enes Kanter. But the Celtics are said to be lukewarm about both young talents. They are not totally sold on Jackson’s worth, and he would not be the best fit on a roster that already includes Marcus Smart, Avery Bradley and Isaiah Thomas. As for Kanter, the Celtics are not convinced he would qualify as a major improvement over their young big men, including Tyler Zeller, Jared Sullinger and Kelly Olynyk. There is also a fear that Kanter – who clearly had no love for the Utah Jazz – has an inflated sense of self-worth that detracts from his ability to fit into a team concept.

Mass Live

Seems like a logical approach by the Celtics. The real question is…who are the second tier free agents and how much are they worth? You absolutely can’t afford to sink $12-15 million into a guy and get a bust (see Stephenson, Lance).

In a post yesterday, Alex threw out names like Wesley Matthews, Omer Asik, and Robin Lopez. You could add Paul Milsap, Danny Green, DeMarre Carroll and Tobias Harris to that list. (Here’s a list of all FAs to be – tell us who you like.)

Because the Celtics have so much flexibility, I find it nearly impossible to predict their direction. If I had to choose, I would say the back court (Marcus Smart, Avery Bradley and Isaiah Thomas) stays intact. I want Smart to become the starting point guard. Evan Turner was solid as a point forward, but he’s not a long term solution. Jae Crowder will be back. And unless he’s part of some blockbuster, I think Kelly Olynyk will be back. His ability to score and create offensive mismatches with opposing bigs is tantalizing. But again, if Danny Ainge has the chance to acquire a cornerstone player, everyone on the roster is available.

Related links: ESPN Boston – Roster reset: Where do Cs go from here

On Page 2, assessing Kevin Love’s financial options.

These are very large numbers but they are also plain. They’re based on salary-cap projections, so they are not exact, but the picture becomes clear quickly. Here are Love’s estimated salaries based on his choices:

• Sign a five-year max contract with the Cavs this summer: $109 million.

• Sign a four-year max contract with a different team this summer: $80 million.

• Sign a five-year max contract with the Cavs in 2016: $143 million.

• Sign a four-year max contract with a different team in 2016: $106 million.

ESPN

I had all but eliminated Kevin Love as an option for the Celtics, until reading that recent story by Woj. 

Leaving Cleveland would cost Love some $30 million dollars. I’d have to be really pissed off to leave $30 million on the table.

And now he has to deal with the shoulder injury. After undergoing surgery yesterday, Love is going to be out 4-6 months.

We can only hope Love wants to be more than a spot-up shooter in LeBron’s crew. If he comes to Boston, he becomes the guy. Maybe that’s worth more than $30 million.

And finally, the Mavericks players really didn’t like Rajon Rondo.

The Dallas Mavericks opted not to give departed point guard Rajon Rondo a playoff share, sources said.

The other 14 players on the roster evenly divided $208,940, which is awarded to teams that lose in the first round of the playoffs. Houston beat Dallas in five games in the best-of-seven series.

Players determine how the team’s playoff shares are divided. The players did not vote to exclude Rondo, the source said. They were simply presented with a list that did not include him, and there were no objections.

ESPN

I’m sure Rondo doesn’t give a crap about a $14K playoff share, but this is just another example of how poorly he was received in Dallas.

The rest of the links:

Herald – Turner thankful Celtics gave him shot | CSNNE – 5 playoff positioning trades | Smart grows as a player, leader | Cs covering all bases in rebuild