Boston Celtics: Everything on the line for core of guards this season
The Boston Celtics have a core of guards with a lot on the line this season
The Boston Celtics are going into this season knowing they have one of the most established core of guards in the NBA, with a roster they know is ready to compete for a tittle (we can just pretend the otherworldly standards set by the Warriors are normal for now).
The Celtics have a present and future they believe in, and yet it feels like a tremendous amount is on the line this season. They have made it clear that this core is going to get an opportunity to compete.
After everything they did last year, this core is ready to do something special with Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, and they no longer have to deal with the looming threat of being flipped for better assets.
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No matter how steady the Celtics are right now, for this season, the future could still bring a lot of changes. Jaylen Brown is not goign anywhere, everyone knows that by now. Beyond him, however, every significant back court player could end up with a lot on the line this season.
Firstly, they need to get Marcus Smart back. Right now, it appears as though Smart might sign the qualified offer, allowing him to become a restricted free agent next summer. Terry Rozier is also a free agent next summer, on top of Irving’s contact being up.
It would take some special disaster for the Celtics to turn their back on Irving, and not try to bring him back on that max contract. Even so, this is the the tester year. If the Celtics do not believe in what they are seeing this season, they will be in a position to keep their young assets, and look to do something different with their money.
There is no reason to think there is any risk of the Celtics wanting to move on for Irving, but it is a tester season for him too, because you’d be foolish to think this season will not make all the difference in his decision.
With Smart and Rozier, they know they cannot afford a down season. Both of them want to be a part of this core, but the Celtics do not have money to play with. If the Celtics are going to keep both of them, they need to show something special, because they will be spending a lot of money on backup positions.
Those two behind Irving and Brown give the Celtics the deepest core of guards in the league, but the Celtics will always wonder if they are better off spending that money on a weaker front court.
With the contract situations, the back court of the Celtics could be completely transformed next season, but no one wants that.
This team has developed a core that can accomplish everything they desire if they stay together, and the Celtics should be willing to go into the luxury tax if it means maintaining a core that will compete for a generation.
The Celtics are set with their wings, and have plenty of time with Brown and Tatum. Al Horford is not going anywhere, but the back court could be revamped this season.
Keep in mind, the Celtics have invested a lot of draft picks and assets developing their core of guards, and they clearly have something they believe in.
The reality is that the Celtics really do not have much space or minutes right now, and if you expect them to spend any kind of decent money, you better be able to have a consistent impact, and be trusted in the most important moments.
Fortunately, Irving, Smart and Rozier have established trust in these areas, and they should be on track to be the future of this team. Maybe Rozier will want to go elsewhere to be the number one guy, but this season will define everything for this core of guards.
Next: Gordon Hayward will help the Boston Celtics
If they are going to be around for the foreseeable future, the contracts will be signed next offseason. If the Celtics are moving on, they better have good options prepared after this coming season, because they should never have to go back into any ind of rebuilding state with this core.