Celtics reportedly not planning to use $17.1 million TPE after Malcolm Brogdon trade

With the Boston Celtics currently in the neighborhood of being around at least $15 million over the NBA’s tax line after trading big man Daniel Theis, wing Aaron Nesmith, and a handful of other players for Indiana Pacers point guard Malcolm Brogdon, it is still possible for the team to add a player making up to $17.1 million with the traded player exception (TPE) generated last season by Evan Fournier’s exit to the New York Knicks.

However, the Boston Herald’s Mark Murphy is reporting that at least for the present, the Celtics have no plans of making use of the TPE, likely given that the team would not want to pay one of the largest tax bills in the league in the very first season that the club expects to contend in recent history. That doesn’t mean Boston is done making moves around the margins with five roster slots currently unoccupied.

Murphy relates that the team is still looking to add a backup big man, which might be tied to the news from earlier in the day that center Thomas Bryant might be choosing between Boston and the Los Angeles Lakers.

It’s also still possible that the Celtics might bring in the right player shaking free from a trade if the situation arises, but with the cap space possessed by Boston coming at a premium with no serious need to make us of it, expect the Celtics to drive a hard bargain for any interested parties.

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