This summer was always going to be an action-packed one for the Boston Celtics. Frankly, after the disappointment of a year that 2020-21 was, it was almost certain that offseason maneuvers were needed to try and get this reeling ball club back on track.
With this said, no one could have anticipated just how quickly the organization would jump into action.
Less than 24 hours after their Game Five defeat to the Brooklyn Nets in round one of the postseason, Danny Ainge opted to step down from his roles as General Manager and President of Basketball Operations and, in his place for the latter position, Brad Stevens opted to step down from his role as Head Coach and move on up into the front office role.
Now, a week removed from their campaign’s conclusion, the rumors have been none stop in regard to what the Cs could do to shake things up even more this offseason.
While they find themselves in possession of quite a few holes that could use for some filling, we at the Houdini believe that there are 3 goals, in specific, that are the most imperative for the Boston Celtics to accomplish this offseason:
Boston Celtics offseason goal No. 1) Hire the right head coach
As stated above, Brad Stevens stepped down from his duties as Head Coach to take on the role of President of Basketball Operations for the franchise, which means that, this summer, he’ll be tasked with finding a suitable replacement for him on the sidelines to hold the clipboard.
Already, fans have seen quite a few candidates linked to the Boston Celtics via the rumor mill as being serious contenders to take the vacant gig, and we at HH have gone about and listed several potential suitors we could find ourselves enjoying to see leading this team moving forward.
As is apparent, there will be several quality candidates available this summer to take on coaching duties for this storied franchise, but the question is — which one will be the right person for the job?
Should the Celtics prioritize ‘Xs and Os’ basketball minds with NBA head coaching experience, guys like Dave Joerger and Jeff Van Gundy could make their way to the front of the odds list.
Should they prioritize culture, perhaps Kenny Atkinson could be viewed as a front runner.
Or, if they simply want a fresh face at the helm who has past experience as a professional baller, options such as Chauncey Billups, Juwan Howard, and Becky Hammon should all be highly considered.
Perhaps before anything else this summer, the C’s front office should take a long look at some of the coaching options available on the open market.
Finding the right person to replace Stevens should be the first domino to fall.
Boston Celtics offseason goal No. 2) Find a taker for Kemba Walker
Kemba Walker‘s two-year tenure with the Boston Celtics has seen some ups, but, unfortunately, far more downs.
Though he managed to put together his fourth consecutive All-Star appearance through the first half of his debut season with the shamrocks back in 2019-20, since then things have taken a turn for the worst, as injuries have piled up and, because of this, inefficiency has followed suit.
In his second full season with the franchise, though on paper his averages of 19.3 points, 4.9 assists, and four boards per game on 36 percent shooting from deep may have one believe he was a solid contributor, for those who watched the team this year it was apparent that he was a shell of his former self, lacking his signature quickness and shot-creating abilities due, in large, to his faulty knees.
Because of this, rumors have surfaced that the front office will be looking to facilitate a trade this summer that would have the point guard sent out of Beantown. The only problem is, with the fact that his value has plummeted so low, there will certainly be little to no teams outwardly looking to take on the remaining two years, $73.7 million left on his contract.
With this, task number two finds itself arising — the Boston Celtics must find a taker for Kemba Walker.
So far into the offseason, we’ve come up with two teams that could potentially be interested in trading for the fallen star and, as time goes by, we will continue to think up realistic scenarios that involve Kemba’s contract being removed from the books.
Last offseason, it proved to be rather difficult to find a taker for the point guard, and this was prior to the open knowledge of just how bad Walker’s knees were. This offseason, such a task has managed to become a whole lot more challenging.
Still, no matter how hard it may prove to be, for the betterment of the team’s future, the front office must offload Kemba Walker’s contract this summer.
Boston Celtics offseason goal No. 3) Keep Jayson Tatum happy
Ok, so this goal may seem a bit obvious to some and, frankly, you’d be right.
Still, this doesn’t take away from the fact that, of all the priorities that the Boston Celtics have heading into this offseason, keeping Jayson Tatum happy should be right at the top of their list.
The budding superstar just put up his best season as a pro, posting stellar per-game averages of 26.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.2 steals on 46 percent shooting from the field and 39 percent shooting from deep and, in turn, nabbed his second consecutive All-Star nod and will likely be receiving his second All-NBA selection as well.
Come the bright lights of the postseason, the fourth-year stud managed to turn things up another level, as he would go on to average 30.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.6 blocks on 40 percent shooting from downtown and saw a 50 and 40 point performance in back to back outings.
His efforts were immaculate all year long, but, unfortunately, were only to be “rewarded” with a mere .500 regular-season record of 36-36 and a first-round playoff exit via a gentleman’s sweep.
Now, we’re not reporting any news that suggests Jayson Tatum is upset with the franchise in any way. By all accounts and through his own words, he seems happy to be a Celtic.
That said, we’re stating that it’s imperative for the Cs to keep things this way, and this offseason will be a major factor in making sure that he continues to feel as though he’s being taken care of.
Recently, superstar Kevin Durant gave the highest of praise to Tatum from their playoff bout, saying it was an “honor to play against him”, referring to him as “elite”, and grouping him into the same conversation as Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Tim Duncan for the more challenging playoff opponents he’s faced.
Such words cannot be followed up with a shotty offseason after such a tumultuous season.
With this, if Tatum wants anything this offseason, the Boston Celtics MUST make it priority number one to make it happen.
Be it keeping/ trading Jaylen Brown, dealing for Damian Lillard, or hiring Evan Turner as their Head Coach, if the 24-year-old asks for anything, it’s up to Boston to deliver.