The Boston Celtics proved to be a very good unit this year, but almost every franchise could stand to improve in one way or another. Here, we will discuss how the C’s could jump from good to super heading into the 2020-21 season.
2019-20 was quite kind to the Boston Celtics in terms of success stories. Through 64 games the team managed to log many achievements:
- They locked down a record of 43-21
- Ranked third in the Eastern Conference, fifth in the entire association
- Sent Kemba Walker and Jayson Tatum to February’s All-Star game
- Clinched their sixth straight playoff berth (second most appearances in NBA since 2000)
- PG – Kemba Walker
- SG – Marcus Smart
- SF – Gordon Hayward
- PF – Jayson Tatum
- C – Joel Embiid
- PG – Kemba Walker
- SG – Bradley Bead
- SF – Jaylen Brown
- PF – Jayson Tatum
- C – DeMarcus Cousins
In short: it was a gas to be a fan, as well as a part of the Celtics organization during this year’s regular season.
Due to the global pandemic that is COVID-19, there is a real possibility that we’ve seen the last of this year’s campaign and, thus, teams will then set their sights on the future, specifically 2020-21. In regard to the shamrocks, their prospects appear to be promising.
Truth be told, we here at the Houdini believe that, if the season were to continue and, in turn, have the postseason commence, the Boston Celtics would have a serious shot at representing the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals.
However, that doesn’t mean that, moving forward, the team can’t choose to mix things up to make themselves a more menacing tribe to compete for the title in the coming years.
As things currently stand the team is a very good team, but what if they wanted to push the needle from good, past great to… super? What would it take? What moves would the team need to partake in in order to achieve such a status?
For the record, we are not necessarily suggesting Boston should move on from the unit they currently have in such a drastic way, but the question still remains: what could they do to thrust them into the superteam stratosphere, and what would it cost them?
We’re here to answer that question for you today!
So, without further adieu, here are two hypothetical paths the Boston Celtics could take to become a superteam heading into the 2020-21 campaign.
Blockbuster deal that lands Boston their answer at the pivot
Potential 2020-21 Boston Celtics starting lineup:
All season we’ve discussed how badly the Boston Celtics need to improve their front court rotation, specifically at center. While Daniel Theis has had a solid 2019-20 season — averaging 9.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks on 57 percent shooting from the field — if the team could find a way to improve their starting pivot spot, they should highly consider jumping on the opportunity.
It’s nothing against Theis necessarily, it’s just that we don’t really believe he’s the answer for the team in the postseason where they’ll have to best teams consisting of dominant bigs like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Vučević and Joel Embiid in a seven game series.
However, all their answers could be solved in this department if they were to somehow acquire one of these aforementioned behemoths, one of whom appears to be more attainable than the others.
That man? Embiid.
The 76ers big, perhaps the best player at his position, finds himself in an odd situation in Philadelphia. Though no reports have come out of the organization that would have one assume they intend on dealing him, it appears many executives around the association believe the notion isn’t as far fetched as you’d think:
"“…..people who work in the league, who have to prepare in advance, are mulling over Joel Embiid potentially coming to market, whether that’s true or not… I mean, Josh Harris can come on this podcast and deny it if he wants, but the fact people are talking about it, is not good. It’s a symptom of where they are.” — Brian Windhorst"
With rumors circulating on top of this that there is tension between Embiid and fellow All-Star Ben Simmons, it might in fact be a realistic possibility that the franchise may decide to split the duo up that’s led the team to the second round of the playoffs the past two years and to an underwhelming — based on preseason expectations — 39-26 record in 2019-20.
Add in the fact that it has been stated that Embiid may be the more likely candidate to be shipped off and you have an intriguing situation for the C’s: to trade, or not to trade.
Here, we’re stating they could go for the latter option, and this package may be enough to get things done.
The biggest hit in this scenario is the fact that, in order to get Embiid, they’ll undoubtedly have to part ways with one of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Being that Tatum has morphed into Beantown’s number one option, it’s highly unlikely they’d consider dealing him.
Because of this, if they wished to acquire the talented center, they’d have to send Brown as the main draw in a package.
On the season, the fourth year wing is finding himself posting career highs all across the board: 20.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game on 49 percent shooting from the floor and 38 percent shooting from deep. He’d be a solid pairing alongside Simmons, as he’s a talented scorer who can create for himself while also showing the capability of spacing the floor in catch-and-shoot situations — something this 76ers team needs.
Along with Brown, the Celtics would be sending Theis who has proven more than capable of running alongside presumed replacement starting center Al Horford during his days in Boston, Carsen Edwards who provides solid potential of becoming a floor spacing offensive presence off the pine and three future first rounders.
An illustrious package? Of course! However, dealing for arguably the best center in the league is expected to cost a hefty price.
A Big-3 of Walker, Tatum and Embiid would easily be the best the east has to offer and, quite possibly, the NBA.
Trade for a star wing and a risk/ reward big man signing via free agency
Potential 2020-21 Boston Celtics starting lineup:
This one is adhering to a few fans in our comments sections — love you guys — who have suggested the team could, and should, look into dealing for disgruntled Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal. Though it won’t be easy to do, we believe this is an intriguing enough package to have the front office down in D.C. pull the trigger on a deal should they feel Beal’s tenure has come to an end.
On the season, the 2x All-Star is lighting up the stat sheet, averaging a league leading 30.5 points, 6.1 assists and 4.2 boards per game on 45 percent shooting from the floor and 35 percent shooting from deep. Though he was robbed of an All-Star selection this past season, he could still find himself being named to an All-NBA team once the season comes to an end and, though they may not need him, could certainly help this Boston Celtics team moving forward.
Acquiring him would require the C’s to give up two specific factors: salary matching contracts and future assets. Luckily for them, Boston has both at their disposal.
In this exchange the C’s will be shooting over former All-Star Gordon Hayward. Truth be told, while we believe the departure of Hayward for the arrival of Beal does wonders for the C’s starting unit, it also makes a lot of sense for the Wizards.
Hayward is having his best season as a Celtic in 2019-20, averaging 17.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists on 50 percent shooting from the floor and 39 percent shooting from deep. Assuming that John Wall comes back healthy to start the 2020-21 season, Hayward’s play style would slide in quite nicely for this team as the number two option behind him.
The Wizards would also receive the young, raw but obviously talented 2019 lottery pick Romeo Langford to add to their collection of impressive youth including Rui Hachimura, Thomas Bryant and Moritz Wagner.
And, in this hypothetical superteam scenario, the C’s bring on Beal to add to their already impressive star power of Tatum, Walker and Jaylen Brown.
However, the moves don’t stop there. Still, like we mentioned in the previous slide, Boston could still stand to bolster their pivot rotation. We’ve mentioned it in the past, and we’ll say it again and again — the Celtics should look to sign DeMarcus Cousins to a mid-level exception.
First brought to light by Lake Show Life’s Jason Reed, the idea of Boogie in green and white should intrigue just about every fan of the organization.
"“With little cap space, the Celtics should be jumping all over signing Cousins to a mid-level exception contract for a season with the potential of him being a true difference-maker. Barring any setbacks, he should be fully healthy for the start of the 2020-2021 NBA season and the potential of him as the team’s stretch five is intriguing, to say the least. If Cousins returned to 80 percent of what he was during his All-NBA seasons then it would undoubtedly give the Celtics the deepest roster in the Eastern Conference and the most dynamic.”"
Though battling injuries these past two years, when healthy Cousins has proven to be one of, if not the best center in the NBA. When he last started off the season healthy (2017-18) the, then, 27 year old completely stuffed the stat sheet with 25.2 points, 12.9 points, 5.4 assists and 1.6 steals & blocks on 47 percent shooting from the field and 35 percent shooting from deep.
One could certainly say the 4x All-Star is a risk/ reward type of signing but, when considering what he can do when healthy, the potential rewards undoubtedly outweigh the risks.
Adding these two players to a roster that’s already the third seed in the east would, at least on paper, make a Finals run that much more realistic and make them the league’s newest superteam in 2020-21.