Some moves are going to have to be made in order to take this team from good to great.
This is going to be a fun summer. Between the draft, free agency, and the trade market, Danny Ainge is certainly going to be a busy man. There are certain areas on this team that needs addressing and countless ways Ainge could go to fix them. Below are five logical and realistic ways the Boston Celtics can better their roster and take the next step needed to become a championship caliber team.
Keep the #1 Overall Pick
This might not be a draft that has a no-brainer option at the top, but I strongly believe that Markelle Fultz is going to be a star in this league. It’s one thing to have the talent, but when you combine talent and confidence, that’s when you get a star. That’s exactly the combination that Fultz has.
Fultz dominated during his one season at the University of Washington. He averaged 23.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game on 47.6% shooting. This kid can score from all over the court. He can drive in the paint, work the mid-range, and hit from deep, as evident by his 41.3 shooting percentage from behind the arc.
There’s no lack of confidence with Fultz. Last month he was quoted as saying he wants to win the MVP award in his rookie season.
"“No. 1 is big for me because I’ve been dreaming about it all my life. I want to come in and kill it. I want to be rookie of the year … honestly, me? I want to be MVP next year.”"
A tall task for a rookie, but that is the type of confidence you love to see in a young player entering the NBA. I’m sure Boston will receive a copious amount of calls regarding the #1 pick, but they would be wise to keep it. Fultz has all the makings of a star in this league.
Trade Jae Crowder, Avery Bradley & Brooklyn’s 2018 1st Round Pick to New York for Kristaps Porzingis
This one would sting. Avery Bradley and Jae Crowder have been important parts of this team, but to get to the next level, Boston needs to make a trade for an established star. A trade like this would help Boston in more ways than one. Kristaps Porzingis is big, versatile, and a strong contributor on both ends of the court. He’s listed at 7’3 but can move around the court like a guard. The 21-year-old Latvian star can definitely help in both areas that Boston struggled in this year: Outside shooting and rebounding.
In just his second year in the league, Porzingis averaged 18.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game. Those numbers don’t jump off the page at you, but remember, the Knicks were a mess this season. In the right system (like Boston’s), Porzingis should be able to elevate those stats and turn into a dominant offensive force.
It would certainly take a lot for Boston to acquire Porzingis from New York. The question is, would the Knicks move him within their own division to a rival team? Also, are they ready to trade a 21 year-old budding star? A package that includes the potential 2018 #1 pick might just be enough to make them pull the trigger.
Sign Gordon Hayward
This is a move that has been talked about for a while, and I’m fully on board if it happens. Boston needs another strong scoring option and Gordon Hayward would provide just that. He has increased his scoring in each of his seven NBA seasons and finished this season scoring 21.9 points per game.
This year was also his best shooting season of his career. Hayward connected on 47% of his shots including nearly 40% from downtown. These percentages came on career highs in overall shot attempts (15.8 per game) and three-point attempts (5.1).
The only way it makes sense for Hayward to come to Boston is if one or two of the guards/small forwards on the roster are dealt. There’s already a massive logjam so why make it worse? Boston has coveted Hayward for quite some time now so anticipate them making a deal, similar to the one I proposed above, and then sign Hayward to a max contract.
Stay Away from Carmelo Anthony
I can’t stress this one enough. The Celtics need to stay far away from Carmelo Anthony. He’s a great scorer but can’t play defense worth a damn. Don’t we already have one of those guys on the roster? I love having Thomas on this team but we can’t have two defensive liabilities in the starting five. That’s a recipe for disaster.
There have been rumors of Boston having an interest in Anthony since the trade deadline. Somebody needs to go smack Ainge upside the head and knock some sense into him on this one. Anthony has been a cancer in both Denver and New York. There’s a reason why teams he’s been on rarely make the playoffs and get eliminated quickly if they do sneak in. Let Melo be someone else’s headache.
Re-Sign Kelly Olynyk (If the Price is Right)
Both of Boston’s 1st round picks, Guerschon Yabusele and Ante Zizic, should be on the roster next year. They should certainly help as big men off the bench but neither one has played a second of NBA basketball yet. It could be beneficial to keep a veteran presence around to provide some stability to the second unit. Both Kelly Olynyk and Amir Johnson are free agents this summer. It’s possible that Boston decides to keep Johnson as he will probably command a lesser contract than Olynyk, but if one guy stays, it should be Olynyk. It will all depend on the price of course.
Olynyk has been arguably Boston’s most inconsistent player over the past few seasons. He’ll go on stretches where he’s a near 20 PPG scorer for a couple weeks, then disappear for the next month. As a fan, it’s frustrating because we can all see the talent is there. Some team might pay Olynyk to be a starter, but if Boston can retain Olynyk at a team-friendly price, it would greatly benefit a potentially young Celtics bench next year.
This is a lot to ask, but the Celtics can realistically make all these moves happen. If all these things were to happen, this is what the Celtics would look like in the 2017-18 season…
New Starting 5
C- Kristaps Porzingis
PF- Al Horford
SF- Gordon Hayward
SG- Markelle Fultz
PG- Isaiah Thomas
Key Bench Players
PG- Marcus Smart
SF- Jaylen Brown
PF/C- Kelly Olynyk
C- Ante Zizic
PF- Guerschon Yabusele
PG- Terry Rozier
The starting five above features three solid scoring options and a legitimate rebounding frontcourt. Boston could also start Brown at the two instead of Fultz. There’s some flexibility here for Brad Stevens to play with.
If Boston decides to let Thomas go in free agency after next season, Fultz could take over and flourish as the team’s starting point guard and Brown could step in as the starting shooting guard. Man, wouldn’t a Fultz/Brown backcourt be fun to watch over the next several years?
Next: Celtics Depth Wins Game 3
This is just one way out of dozens that the Celtics could go. If I were in Ainge’s shoes, this is what I would try to make happen. It plugs all the holes on this team and puts them right in the championship discussion with Cleveland and Golden State.