Evan Turner has found a new home.
SHUT FREE AGENCY DOWN.
Or don’t. Whatever. It’s up to you. If you want to see what happens with Eric Bledsoe and Greg Monroe, keep it going.
Anyway…
Turner has come to terms with the Celtics, per the Boston Herald‘s Steve Bulpett:
Celtics finishing deal for FA Evan Turner, sources tell Herald. He will get a portion of their mid-level exception.
— Steve Bulpett (@SteveBHoop) July 21, 2014
Part of their mid-level exception? This changes everything. Or only some things. It changes enough at the very least.
Last season, his fourth in the NBA, saw Turner earn nearly $6.7 million. The former No. 2 pick from 2010 spent his first three-plus years with the Philadelphia 76ers before being shipped off to the Indiana Pacers, with whom all hell broke loose.
In the short time Turner was in Indy, he played iffy basketball and managed to butt heads with Lance Stephenson. It was a bad situation, and it was destined to be a bad situation. From the moment he arrived in Indiana, everyone knew the Pacers wouldn’t be keeping him. They didn’t have the money.
Likewise, every team in the NBA seems to know that the 17.4 points, six rebounds and 3.7 assists he averaged per game in Philly this season were the product of a middling player being featured on a tanktastic team.
From Grantland’s Zach Lowe:
A few high-profile teams thought they might have a shot at Evan Turner at the minimum. We'll see on final price, but not much risk for BOS.
— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) July 21, 2014
Seeing Turner, 25, sign for the minimum would have been absurd. He wasn’t great last year, but he’s certainly worth more than that. Shit, he’s worth so much more than the Celtics will wind up giving him, since he’s guaranteed to be earning under $5 million next year.
Turner was bad last year, but his name still has some intrigue. Not much risk for rebuilding team to sign cheap + try to rehab trade value.
— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) July 21, 2014
Price-wise Turner makes sense. As a rehabilitation project, he’s a bit bizarre.
The Celtics apparently hate floor spacing. Adding Turner means that, at some point, they could have Rajon Rondo, Marcus Smart, Jeff Green and Turner himself on the hardwood at the same time. That would be a floor-spacing nightmare. They would break ALL the rims, clanging jumper after jumper off every part of the brilliant red-tinged iron. It can and will be ugly.
This is a risk-free gambit for a team like the Celtics, though. They’re not trying to contend for a title next season. If Turner pans out and plays well, his trade value skyrockets, prompting Celtics president Danny Ainge to flip him for a legitimate asset mid-season.
And if he’s bad, he’s bad. The Celtics don’t need good. Good takes away from their draft pick. Good makes them relevant. Good means they’re doing something wrong.
Looking at this Turner signing, it, admittedly, feels wrong. But for the price, and given the end goal, he’s a bargain—one who doesn’t make the Celtics better per se, yet easily makes them more interesting, if only because their offense figures to be a disjointed and entertaining mess.
Dan Favale is a firm believer in the three-pointer as well as the notion that defense doesn’t always win championships. His musings can be found at Bleacherreport.com in addition to TheHoopDoctors.com.
