Glen "Big Baby" Davis is set to become a free agent in July and after the Celtics were eliminated from the playoffs Wednesday night, the backup power forward acknowledged that he may have played his last game for Boston. "I have given thought about [returning to Boston]," Davis told ESPNBoston.com. "I love Boston. Boston's where I started, and I plan on wishing I could stay, but you never know. [Look at the Kendrick Perkins] situation. He [was] here for eight years and he wanted to stay, but it might just not work my way. That's just how it is. I want to be a player in this league. I feel like I've got a lot more to offer. I want to show the world my talents, if it's here in Boston, or wherever." Davis, along with Delonte West, Von Wafer, Troy Murphy, Sasha Pavlovic, Carlos Arroyo, Jeff Green and Nenad Krstic will be free agents and most of those players won't be with the Celtics next season. Shaquille O'Neal has player option for 2011-12, however, there is a good chance he'll retire.
Ray Allen has a $10 million player option for next season and after the Celtics were eliminated from the playoffs, the veteran shooting guard said he will be a Celtic next season. "This has been my team," Allen told ESPNBoston.com. "I have been full steam ahead with this team. I don't have any plans to go anywhere else." Allen once again will go into training camp in the fall as the Celtics' starting shooting guard.
Should the Celtics at least offer Jeff Green a one-year, $5.9 million qualifying offer, they'll be able to match any other offers for him in restricted free agency this summer. After Wednesday night's season-ending loss to the Heat, he indicated he wants to return. "[Boston is] a great place," he said, according to Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston. "You look at the guys they've got on this roster, it's a dream to play with guys that I looked up to growing up, and just to [have] had this opportunity was fun, and hopefully I'll have it again." Considering the C's acquired Green for Kendrick Perkins at the deadline this season, it's likely they'll look to bring him back in the fold, as they could use another body on the wing with Tony Allen and Marquis Daniels gone. Yet, if Green gets a higher offer from another team, it's possible Boston may decide to spend its money elsewhere this offseason -- depending on the terms of the new collective bargaining agreement.
With the Celtics season now over, Nenad Krstic will enter free agency this offseason. And whether he remains with the C's is up in the air. Krstic's future with the team could be dictated by whether Shaquille O'Neal returns or not next season, and whether they can nab any other free agent big men such as Samuel Dalembert or Tyson Chandler. If Krstic fails to return to the C's, it would stand to reason he'd be likely to hook on with another team seeking an affordable frontcourt body.
After signing a one-year deal with the Celtics this past offseason, Delonte West is up for free agency this summer. And it may be in Boston's best interest to try and bring him back to the team for the 2011-12 season. With rookie Avery Bradley not getting much run this season, West would likely be a nice re-addition to the C's as a backcourt reserve behind Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen, as he can play both the 1 and the 2 and provides solid defense as well. If they're unable to retain him, the C's could be scrambling to find reliable backup options in the backcourt for next season.
