Boston Celtics: 3 stars the Cs could realistically go after this offseason

This year’s trade deadline was one filled with high promise and expectations but, like most years for the Boston Celtics, ended with unlit fireworks and disappointment.

Sure, the team’s front office managed to make a few moves, landing Evan Fournier from the Orlando Magic with their TPE and the likes of Moritz Wagner and Luke Kornet in the Daniel Theis deal, but, for the most part, no one is under the impression that the Cs made any “needle-moving” transactions.

Now, while we can all sit here and think back on March 25th, swapping thoughts about “what could have been”, the more practical mindset would be to look towards the future and think of ways in which this Cs team can get back to their preseason status of being legitimate title contenders.

With 25 games left on the docket, there is still time for this underwhelming Boston squad to get back on track and save their rapidly sinking season — after all, they still have two All-Stars in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, a perennial All-Star in Kemba Walker, and a Swiss Army man in Marcus Smart all in tow.

However, should their blunders continue throughout — we certainly hope not –, this team could realistically look to make some serious moves this offseason to make up for their quiet deadline and add some extra firepower to their rotation.

Based on recent rumors and rumblings from league sources, the team’s front office could find itself in the market for legitimate stars and difference makers.

Should they look to make a legitimate splash this offseason, we at the Houdini believe there are 3 specific players that should strongly be considered as “top shelf targets” for the Boston Celtics:

Boston Celtics star target No. 1) Lonzo Ball

Ok, so Lonzo Ball isn’t “technically” a star, as he has yet to make an All-Star game throughout his four-year tenure in the league.

That said, should he ever wind up on the Boston Celtics with their current wing duo of Tatum and Brown, he would almost certainly become one.

We here at HH have been pounding the proverbial drum all season for Danny Ainge and co. to make a run at the 23-year-old point guard, and even penned a last-second trade package at this year’s deadline that we had hoped would be considered.

It wasn’t.

Frankly, we were shocked that all the buzz surrounding deadline day revolved around how the Celtics should look into going “all in” for an upgrade at the center position because, frankly, we believe Robert Williams is already that guy and has been playing like such virtually all season.

Instead, it is our belief that what this team desperately needs more than anything is a legitimate floor general who can properly run an offense, serve as a creator for others, and buy his own bucket when need be.

Lonzo Ball is that player.

On the season, Ball is posting all-around sound averages of 14.2 points, 5.6 assists, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.3 steals on 43 percent shooting from the floor and 39 percent shooting from deep.

We keep on saying it, but it’s just something we feel so strongly about. This stagnant offense relies heavily on isolation scoring — Tatum alone ranks fourth in the league in isolation shot attempts — and a big reason for this is because they don’t have that guy to properly get them the ball for easier looks.

A man with top-tier court vision in today’s league that, most recently, was tabbed as having the ‘highest basketball IQ’ by Magic Johnson, Ball should be on of the go-to free agents for the shamrocks this offseason and should try to find a way to clear enough cap space to ink him to a deal.

Boston Celtics star target No. 2) Bradley Beal

So, remember earlier when I mentioned the fact that recent rumors suggest that the Boston Celtics could look into trading for a star during the upcoming offseason.

Well, Bradley Beal was the star these rumblings were centered around.

According to The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor, Boston is one of several teams that league sources say could make a run at the 3x All-Star:

"There’s still a real chance Beal stays in Washington for years to come, but as the Wizards rack up losses, teams like the Heat are waiting to pounce. In addition to Miami, multiple league sources say the Celtics, Knicks, and Pelicans are among the teams with interest in pursuing a deal for Beal."

As we all know, star power leads to ample wins in this league and, if the Celtics feel Beal will put them in the same stratosphere as, say, the Brooklyn Nets or Los Angeles Lakers, they should strongly consider making a move.

Currently, Washington finds itself in the12th place out in the Eastern Conference standings with a record of 17-28. Despite their struggles, however, Beal has still managed to flourish as he’s averaging a league-leading 31.3 points to go along with five rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1.2 steals per game on 49 percent shooting from the floor and 34 percent shooting from deep.

Now, while many have suggested that any sort of deal revolving around Beal heading to Beantown would have to include the likes of Jaylen Brown being shipped out of town, with the fact that the Wizards would be in a full-fledged rebuild, perhaps Ainge could work his magic — if he has any left, of course — and compile a package centered around picks, essentially all their young players, and a massive contract (Kemba, perhaps?) to make a deal work — similar to what my co-expert Andrew Hughes depicts here.

Sure, we get that getting a trade done for the shooting guard would take a lot, but getting perhaps the best scorer in the league today is certainly not a bad hypothetical to think about, especially when considering how much Boston’s offense has been struggling throughout this year’s campaign.

Boston Celtics star target No. 3) Karl-Anthony Towns

While we are still under the impression that the Boston Celtics already have a solid center in Robert Williams III, if the front office truly wishes to make a move to upgrade the position, perhaps no other player makes more sense for them than All-Star big man, Karl-Anthony Towns.

With the Minnesota Timberwolves being… well, a mess of a franchise, times have been tough for KAT, what with only seeing postseason action on one occasion during his six seasons in the association despite being a multi-time All-Star and arguably the best center in the league.

2020-21 has certainly not strayed away from these mediocre norms, unfortunately, as the T-Wolves are currently holders of the worst record in the association at 11-36.

Now, despite no significant moves being made at this year’s deadline by the franchise, whispers have begun to surface suggesting that, this offseason, the organization could wind up dangling their centerpiece on the trading block.

Should these rumors turn out to be true, and Minnesota opens their doors to a Towns trade, the Boston Celtics must do everything in their power to be in the running for the 25-year-old big.

On the year, the center is posting stellar per-game averages of 24.1 points, 10.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.6 blocks on 50 percent shooting from the floor and 41 percent shooting from deep.

With him in tow, the Cs would have an unquestioned answer at the pivot to battle with the East’s other star bigs in Joel Embiid and Bam Adebayo, something they simply have not had since the All-Star days of Al Horford.