The End of the Posey Era in Boston
Marc Spears (who I should take a moment to commend on his excellent coverage of the Celtics) is reporting that the Celtics seem to be locked into a two year offer to James Posey while Team Posey is understandebly looking for a longer deal.
Celtics forward James Posey's agent, Mark Bartelstien, said Sunday that there could be "something" contract-wise for his client on Monday. Bartelstien would not divulge the interested teams, but an NBA source said that the Hornets seem to be Boston's main competition. The Celtics seem willing to give Posey the full $5.5 mid-level exception, but it seems doubtful that it will be offered more than two years. The 31-year-old seems interested in getting a four-year deal. Other teams potentially interested in Posey include Detroit, Washington and Cleveland
If this is true, I can't see how Posey wouldn't take the Hornets offer. New Orleans paid Peja Stojakovic the max and gave the full MLE for four years to Morris Peterson so you have to imagine that they won't think twice about offering James what he wants. Posey is also from Cleveland so I could see why going to the Cavs might make sense (although I'm not sure why they'd invest their MLE on a guy who plays the same position as LeBron but this IS Danny Ferry we're talking about).
The play for four years is a no-brainer for Posey as he'd stand to possibly lose millions of dollars if he settled for just a two year deal and then was looking for a new contract when he was 33. As for the Celtics, I initially felt like four years was too much to offer but now I think it could be worth it. How many more years does Posey have left in him? I could see him being successful for a couple more years and even if he tails off in year three of the deal, he'll still be an expiring contract and a useful trade asset heading into year four. The C's currently have a little cap space saved up for the Great Free Agent Rush of 2010 but it's a bit deceiving. Yes, they only have 44 million in salary promised for that year, that is just for Pierce, Garnett, and Kendrick Perkins. Once we re-sign Rondo and add our draft picks, there won't really be much left to offer. Also, we HAVE to replace Posey should he go and I'm not sure how many worthwhile players would really be interested in a 2 year deal.
There's no easy answer here but right now, I'm leaning towards sticking with Posey, even if it means giving him the four year, full MLE deal.
