Boston Celtics: 3 Cs unlikely to be on roster in 2021-22

Boston Celtics C Tristan Thompson

If the Cs are to make a major move this offseason, it will almost certainly have to come at the expense of Marcus Smart or Tristan Thompson. The two have the most expensive contracts of any Cs role players, and if Ainge doesn’t want to give up on Kemba Walker yet, a choice will have to be made about which veteran will have to go.

That wouldn’t necessarily be a difficult choice, though. Thompson is brand new, and has yet to see any success with the Cs. Marcus Smart has been with the team since 2014 and has yet to miss the postseason. He has been a postseason started the past two seasons and has never missed the playoffs while in uniform.

So yeah, Thompson’s a goner in that scenario.

As the #4 pick in 2011, Thompson was expected to serve as a foundational piece for LeBron James’ Cavaliers when the “king’ returned home in 2014. Instead, he proved to be a one-dimensional big who is borderline unplayable in certain matchups.

After giving Thompson the MLE last offseason, Ainge may have some buyer’s remorse, but he at least can flip the big man’s deal in aggregation with other salaries on the roster to make the team more competitive at the top of the Eastern Conference.