Boston Celtics: 2 core-splitting offseason deals Cs should pursue

The Boston Celtics haven’t proven to be able to break through with what they have. In an increasingly competitive Eastern Conference, the Cs may have to pursue core-splitting deals to improve this offseason.

The Boston Celtics have been a truly spectacular offseason player throughout the last half-decade. In that span, Al Horford, Gordon Hayward, and Kemba Walker have all left long-time homes in Atlanta, Utah, and Charlotte, respectively, to join a contender in Beantown.

Danny Ainge has also made large-scale moves to bring in–and ship away–some of the league’s most notable superstars. Kyrie Irving, Isaiah Thomas, and Marcus Morris all were acquired while Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Rajon Rondo were all shipped off in trades. To top it off, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and Marcus Smart have all blossomed into playoff stars (and sometimes scapegoats).

Needless to say, the Cs have been busy with transactions almost every offseason since Brad Stevens came into the head coaching role in 2013. This offseason should be no different for several reasons.

The first, and most obvious, is that the Celtics weren’t good enough in 2019-20 to justify standing pat. While coming two wins away from the NBA Finals is an impressive feat, they were a few shots bouncing the opposite way from being a second-round also-ran for the second consecutive season.

The second reason is that the team has too many draft picks and a mismatched roster of salaries and an excess of wing players. Here are two trades the Houdini proposes that will shake the roster to its core…and split it up in the name of pulling back ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers with the most championship banners: