LAS VEGAS -- It’s a measure of how absurd this offseason has been that the Celtics held a press conference Saturday to introduce two players they haven’t signed yet. To be sure, Jason Terry and Jeff Green will be in Celtics uniforms this season. Before that can happen officially, however, team president Danny Ainge has one more trick up his sleeve: turning spare parts into a shooting guard.

The short version: If Ainge can find a taker for a couple of free agent contracts he doesn’t want, he’ll secure Terry’s services via a sign-and-trade. That would open up the mid-level exception for someone else, with Courtney Lee and O.J. Mayo the prime targets. The problem is that the Mavs don’t seem interested in what Ainge is selling, so he’s trying to find a third team to facilitate the deal. To make everything work under the new collective bargaining agreement, the Celtics need to make the trade first, and then Green can sign his new deal.

“It’s a longer process than I’d like,” Ainge said. “The moratorium is challenging to work through, but yeah, as far as our results to this stage and the week to come, I feel very good about it.”

He’ll feel even better if can execute his plan and things are starting to sort themselves out. As expected, the Hornets matched Phoenix’s offer sheet for Eric Gordon and now the Suns have money to spend and their eyes on Mayo and Lee. The Timberwolves also might be in the market for a shooting guard if the Blazers match their offer for Nic Batum.

With Brandon Bass, Kevin Garnett and Chris Wilcox officially re-signed and Green and Terry on their way, the Celtics have commitments from 11 players, including 80 percent of a starting five and the backbone of an eight-man rotation featuring Terry, Green and Wilcox off the bench. (Avery Bradley’s uncertain status to begin the season would make this feel a lot more complete.)

“We’ll be a very competitive team,” Ainge said. “And we’ll be a deep team this year.”

How deep remains to be seen. In addition to another guard, the Celtics also could add a big man for the veteran minimum. Pickings are slim, which is why they are reportedly interested in the recently freed Darko Milicic, but another 7-footer would be a welcome addition for the undersized C’s.

While Ainge looks to pull off one last big maneuver, the C's summer league players will look to build on the positive impression they made in Orlando. Here are four more things to watch this week in Vegas.

E’TWAUN MOORE'S AUDITION CONTINUES

Moore has one more week to guarantee his employment for next season. The Celtics need to guarantee the second year of his three-year contract by midnight of their final summer league game, which will be Sunday. The Purdue product had a solid week in Orlando, averaging 14 points and three assists and seems on his way to securing a spot. Moore spent most of his minutes at the point, but the Celtics feel like he can contribute at both guard spots.

His development is a priority this summer. If Bradley is out for any length of time, Moore could suddenly find himself with a rotation job to start the season. Not that any of this has appeared to bother Moore, who is as confident as a 10-year vet.

“He has a calmness about him,” C’s summer league coach Ty Lue said. “Never sped up, never in a hurry.”

Bradley’s shoulder surgeries may keep him out of training camp and the beginning of next season, although Ainge walked that assessment back on Saturday. “We go through this every time there’s an injury,” Ainge said. “You don’t know. I don’t know why we even try to prognosticate that. I’ll just say I don’t know.”

Moore could help solidify the uncertain backcourt with another strong showing this week.

JARED SULLINGER'S BOARD WORK

No Celtic caused as much of a stir in Orlando as the team's top first-round pick. Showing an array of skills on the offensive end including a grown-up post game, Sullinger established himself as Boston's most promising rookie in years. Now he’ll look to build on that in Vegas and he’ll have a showdown game with Sacramento’s Thomas Robinson, who helped knock Sullinger’s Ohio State team out of the Final Four.

While his post skills are tantalizing, Sullinger’s biggest contributions could come on the glass, where he showed a knack for getting to the ball. The Celtics had terrible rebounding problems last season for a variety of reasons, but chief among them was simply the lack of a killer on the boards.

“He’s just a gamer,” Lue said. “He knows how to play the game. Guys can be taller and more athletic, but he just knows how to play. He’s very skilled and he knows how to play the game.”

UNLOCKING JAJUAN JOHNSON'S POTENTIAL

If you only watched Johnson for the first two days in Orlando, you’d wonder whether he had a future at all in the NBA. He was passive to the point of tentativeness and made few impact plays.

But Johnson gradually picked up his play as the week went along -- dropping 17 points and 11 rebounds against Detroit -- and there remains a fascinating combination of NBA skills and athleticism in an unorthodox package. Johnson may not have the bulk of a power forward, but he possesses a funky jumper released from behind his head that is essentially impossible to block.

He has the speed to beat opponents down the floor in transition and considerable hops to finish on the break. There is no obvious role for Johnson with the Celtics, but then Rajon Rondo has a knack for getting the most out of square pegs. The 6-foot-10 forward remains a fascinating enigma.

CHRISTMAS IN VEGAS?

It’s hard to stand out on a summer league team, especially one with six players under contract like the Celtics, but that’s what Dionte Christmas was able to do in Orlando. Christmas had another gig lined up with Houston but ultimately decided to stick around with the C’s in Vegas, and that may wind up being a smart call.

The former Temple star is like a lot of players who live on the fringe. He’s good enough to play in the NBA, but without the backing of a draft selection behind him and lacking ideal height and size, Christmas is forever trying to prove his value.

Cracking the Celtics’ roster may be a difficult chore, especially considering second-round pick Kris Joseph plays essentially the same position and also has played well this summer, but Christmas is on Boston's radar. Also keep an eye on guard Jamar Smith, who had a brief stint with the Celtics in their abbreviated camp last season and drew praise from Ainge over the weekend.

Remember also that the Celtics invested in their D-League operation in Maine. They will run the basketball operations, which will allow them to pick the coaching staff and implement their own system.

While it’s not a true minor league system -- anyone not on the C’s 15-man roster is essentially a free agent -- there’s opportunity for players like Christmas and Smith to be under the Celtics’ care and only a short phone call and drive from the opportunity of a lifetime.