It’s probably going to be a long year for everyone invested in where the Boston Celtics reside in the Eastern Conference standings, but it appears as if general manager Danny Ainge has an eye toward the future.
Danny Ainge says he has had talks with Avery Bradley's camp re: a contract extension, but would not elaborate on where talks now stand.
— A. Sherrod Blakely (@ASherrodblakely) October 24, 2013
This is extremely interesting timing, as the Celtics face the prospect of what could be an ugly year. In 2012-2013, Bradley averaged only 9.2 points per game (on 40.2% from the field), but he is known for being a defensive stopper with the ability to suffocate opposing guars from end to end. The fact that stats don’t help us much when evaluating Bradley makes it hard to decipher what kind of money he could command from Boston, who drafted him out of Texas in 2010.
Boston is clearly making a projection on what Bradley could be if they plan to offer him anything in the way of a “significant” extension, as the 22-year-old posted a PER of 8.89 (average of 15) last season. If they could get him for $5-6 million a year, it would probably be a steal, but I can’t imagine Bradley signing that type of deal with a season on the horizon where he’ll be a focal point of the roster.