Brandon Bass staying. Celtics have reached agreement with power forward on 3-year deal, per Herald source.

July 5, 2012 3:53 pm via Twitter for AndroidReplyRetweetFavorite

@SteveBHoop

Steve Bulpett

Bass is a good, but not great, player. But his importance to the Celtics was huge because if he didn’t stay, they still weren’t likely to have any money to chase a starting-caliber free agent big.

The Celtics obviously want to return next season with the team they were supposed to have this past year, plus Jason Terry, Jared Sullinger and Fab Melo. I approve, if only because the weakness of this free agency class made rebuilding next to impossible at this time.

ESPN reports that the Dallas Mavericks are unlikely to match the Boston Celtics’ offer for Jason Terry even if they are given the opportunity:

Free agent guard Jason Terry is closing in on a three-year contract with the Boston Celtics, sources close to the situation confirmed Tuesday.

Terry’s offer from the Celtics is believed to be for the full mid-level exception of $5 million annually.

Sources familiar with the the Dallas Mavericks’ thinking told ESPNDallas.com that the team, coveting financial flexibility, is unlikely to match the Celtics’ offer to Terry.

Yay!

Also mentioned in that report: The Celtics still want to keep Ray Allen.

Jason Terry expected to land a three-year deal paying the mid-level exception from the Celtics, sources told Yahoo!

July 3, 2012 2:37 pm via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@SpearsNBAYahoo

Marc J. Spears

But source stresses that Terry will go back to Mavs to give them chance to counter before finalizing three-year deal, believed to be at MLE

July 3, 2012 2:40 pm via UberSocial for BlackBerryReplyRetweetFavorite

@ESPNSteinLine

Marc Stein

Okay, the third year admittedly dampens this news a little bit. But the last three mid-level signings the Celtics have made are Rasheed Wallace, Jermaine O’Neal and Chris Wilcox. Methinks Terry will outperform that terrific trio, by a landslide.

Ya know, assuming Mark Cuban chooses not to match the deal because he wants to keep cap space open for the remote possibility of adding a Dwight Howardian, Deron Williamsian stud.

Celtics are in final discussions on terms of a multi-year deal with Mavericks free agent guard Jason Terry, sources tells Yahoo! Sports.

July 3, 2012 2:16 pm via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@SpearsNBAYahoo

Marc J. Spears

The Boston Celtics desperately needed bench scoring, and they are finalizing a deal with one of the better bench scorers ever. Hallelujah.

I don’t think this definitively means the Cs are out of the Ray Allen sweepstakes, but I would take Terry over him anyway (more explosive, not quite as old or injury-prone). If the Cs DO find a way to keep Allen and Greg Stiemsma, a Terry-Allen-Green-Sullinger-Stiemsma bench would be lethal.

The Boston Celtics’ three draft picks — Jared Sullinger, Fab Melo and Kris Joseph — have all signed with the team, according to a press release. It’s unclear as of now how much of Joseph’s contract is guaranteed, if any. Sullinger and Melo both have fully guaranteed deals as first-round draft choices.

The Celtics have also added some players to their summer league team, which begins play in Orlando this weekend. (Boston Herald)

The Celtics also added some familiar names to what is now an 11-man lineup, including Craig Brackins, a 6-foot-10 forward who played for Philadelphia last year and spent a lot of time on the roster of the Celtics’ NBDL affiliate, the Maine Red Claws.

Stephane Lasme, the former UMass forward who was a favorite of his veteran teammates and the final cut of training camp two years ago, is also on the list. Lasme, who lives in Norton, has since played in Israel, Russia, the Red Claws, and most recently Obradoiro of the Spanish League.

They will join a group that already includes last year’s two rookies - JaJuan Johnson and E’Twaun Moore — in addition to veteran free agents Dionte Christmas (6-foot-5 forward), Jonathan Gibson (6-foot-1 guard), Jamar Smith (6-foot-3 guard).

Sean Williams, the former BC center and NBA veteran signed late in the season with the idea of a summer tryout, will also travel with the team to Orlando.

Yada yada yada STEPHANE LASME!!!!!! yada yada yada.

Danny Ainge owns a reputation as a crass-maneuvering son of a bitch who’s more difficult to deal with than a double-breaking putt at Augusta. But he also has a more sensitive side, which could help Jeff Green sign with the Boston Celtics for a slight hometown discount.

Green’s agent, David Falk, called Boston “a great environment” for Green and said he has a great relationship with Danny Ainge that has built up a lot of “goodwill” through the years. (Boston Herald)

“I have to do my job, and part of my job is listening to offers,” Falk said. “But unlike almost everyone else in the business, I don’t worry about what number the guys get drafted; I worry about being in the right environment. I think Jeff in Boston’s a great environment for him. We just have to work out the business side.

“You know, in my 38 years in this business, I’ve written an owner a letter twice to commend him on the job of a general manager. One time was in Utah with Kevin O’Connor (who handled a situation with Jeff Malone differently after there had been some friction) and the second time was with Danny.

“I thought the way Danny managed Jeff’s injury situation was beyond professional. It was special to me, and I went out of my way to let Wyc (Grousbeck) know how much I appreciated it. I’m a person who puts a lot of stock in goodwill, so to me Danny Ainge has earned a lot of goodwill. It doesn’t mean we’re going to do it for free, but I really feel good about the situation.”

Besides the fact that he’d be willing to swim in the ocean off Antarctica in order to improve the Celtics, Ainge succeeds for a number of reasons. One of them, apparently, is an ability to treat his players well. We always hear about trade rumors, about players almost being shipped here or nearly being dealt there, and perhaps we feel that Ainge isn’t loyal. But Green, with no contract, spent a significant portion of last season around the Boston Celtics. That isn’t entirely Ainge’s doing, but I imagine he deserves some of the credit, which is likely partly why Falk felt Ainge’s handling of the situation was so “beyond professional.”

Green’s situation last season spoke volumes about the Celtics organization. He’d played just 26 regular season games and 10 playoff games with the Celtics, but he spent the season shuttling between his home in D.C. and the Celtics’ locker room. It didn’t take Green long to feel welcomed by the Celtics, to feel like part of their family.

I know, this is where people throw their shoes at my head and shout, “BUT AINGE TRIES TO TRADE EVERYONE! ALL HIS PLAYERS HATE HIM BECAUSE HE TRIES TO DEAL THEM AWAY!” To those people, I reply: Ainge is a general manager. His job is to explore every avenue to improve the Celtics and sometimes take a left turn that certain players within the organization might not like. For those who believe Ainge is universally hated by all his players, consider this:

Because of all the Rajon Rondo trade rumors that swirl like a cotton candy machine (not to mention the whole “HE TRADED MY BEST FRIEND FOR A STEAMING PILE OF JEFF GREEN” saga), it’s easy to think Rondo harbors serious ill will toward Ainge. But when the Miami Heat finished off the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals, Ainge revealed that he and Rondo had been texting throughout the series. And not angry texts filled with frown-face emoticons, either.

Through all the wheeling and dealing, Ainge manages to maintain good relationships with most of his players. That’s impressive.