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Summary

Wanamaker had the reputation of being one of the best players playing overseas, so Celtics fans were optimistic about what he would bring to their team. However, in '18-'19 Wanamaker got very little playing time, and did not look like an above-average backup point guard. However, Wanamaker has played better in his second season, but not significantly better. His shot release appears quicker, allowing him to be a bigger threat as a spotup shooter.

 

Wanamaker is a smart, reliable point guard, but just doesn't have the offensive ability to create many plays. He's not someone that will make something happen in an isolation situation, and won't carve up a defense in the pick-and-roll either.

 

Wanamaker's shooting numbers from his rookie year suggested he was an effective offensive player, as he shot well from all areas of the court, leading to one of the best eFG% in the league among point guards. But the sample size was very small, and those efficiency numbers have gone down this year once Wanamaker got more minutes this season. I think Wanamaker can be an effective backup point guard at times, but players of his caliber are probably only worth the minimum or slightly above.

 

Cap Considerations

Wanamaker will be a restricted free agent with a $1.8 million cap hold and a $1.8 million Qualifying Offer, and the Celtics will have his Early Bird rights. The Celtics will have an interesting decision regarding whether to tender the $1.8 million QO and make Wanamaker a restricted free agent. On one hand, the Celtics will not have cap space regardless of their decision on Wanamaker, so keeping his $1.8 million cap hold on the books may have no alternative cost.

 

Note that the Celtics can maintain Wanamaker's Early Bird rights without offering him the QO, as long as the QO is not offered initially or pulled before the end of October. However, if the Celtics believe Wanamaker might sign the $1.8 million QO, and that he's not worth keeping at that price, then it is not worth it to make him a restricted free agent. His minimum salary is $1.6 million. In the summer of 2019, the Celtics declined to give Wanamaker a QO, but were still able to bring him back on a minimum contract.

 

If the Celtics re-sign Wanamaker using the Early-Bird Exception, they could offer him a starting salary of up to 105% of the average salary this past season (roughly $10 million), which will be more than enough. If Wanamaker is brought back by the Celtics on a multi-year contract above the minimum, they should frontload his contract as much as possible, depending on luxury tax concerns this season and next.

 

For other teams, the ability to get Wanamaker will likely depend on if he is a restricted or unrestricted free agent. If he is unrestricted, he'll be available to almost any team, especially considering his salary will likely fit within any of the Mid-Level Exceptions, the Bi-Annual Exception, or possibly even the minimum. If he is restricted, teams will likely hesitate to give Wanamaker an offer sheet, since anything too far above his market value will be an overpay, and anything near his market value or below will just get matched by Boston.

 

In addition, since Wanamaker will only have two years of service, he will be subject to the Gilbert Arenas provision. This means that any offer sheet he signs with a team besides Boston can have a starting maximum salary of $9.3 million, but the third, and potentially fourth, years of that contract can have a large jump (up to the max).

 

His cap hit would then be the average salary over the life of the contract. If the Celtics match, they could choose for his cap hit to either be his actual salary per season or the average over the life of the contract, provided the average fits within the Early Bird Exception. I do not expect this to come into play for Wanamaker, as he is unlikely to demand a high enough salary for this to occur. 

Potential Teams: Celtics, Hornets, Magic, Suns, Jazz

Predicted Contract: 1-year, $1.8 million with the Celtics.

Last updated: 12/31/2020

Actual Contract: 1-year, $2.3 million with the Warriors.

Wanamaker was able to get a little bit over the minimum with Golden State.

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