The Boston Celtics just completely flipped the front office. It’s a fair question to ask what could possibly next this offseason.
So we ask…
As we all know, the 2020-21 NBA season was not an easy one for the Boston Celtics. It was littered with injury, lack of effort, the questioning of our very own building blocks. And then it all ended.
It ended with a gentleman’s sweep to the team who we “fleeced” for picks eight years ago. It was the perfect bittersweet ending to the Danny Ainge-era. An era of some joy, but largely a disappointment.
Red Auerbach coached and managed 14 different title runs in under 30 years. Jan Volk oversaw a pair of title runs in 10 years…and then for Danny “trader” Ainge, it was just one title in 18 years. Albeit, it’s more than most GMs, or even teams.
But it’s not the Boston Celtics way.
Whether you like it or not, it’s the Brad Stevens era for the foreseeable future. Brad has a clean slate, no one will deny an offer just because he is Brad, as they may have done with Ainge.
So, what can Stevens do now? What options does he have with a team facing the tax apron? With hard-to-deal contracts like Kemba Walker, it won’t be easy. But here is the dream off-season that the Cs just may be able to pull off.
Boston Celtics say goodbye to Kemba, and hello to an old friend
With Kemba Walker, there are few routes to go. You can keep him, deal with his injuries and probably be disappointed again, or deal him to a few possible spots. The Mavericks may be willing to do a Porzingis-Walker swap. The Knicks may be willing to eat his contract if/when they whiff on a free-agent star.
However, the best move I can foresee for Walker is Bringing Big Al’ back home to Boston, in exchange for the former All-Star PG and a future first.
Al didn’t play all too much in OKC, but not due to injury. He was giving the young guns their time to shine, the ultimate team player move. He’s a noteworthy leader, and always solid on the court.
As a big who has transformed to the modern game, he can score at all three levels fairly efficiently, defend multiple positions, and facilitate. He does this all without being a high usage player, averaging an 18.9% usage rate since he left Atlanta.
A Horford-Boston reunion sounds all too perfect and might be just the consistency this front-court needs.
On the flip side, OKC gets a solid PG—when healthy—to pair next to their star in Gilgeous-Alexander. Walker adds a bit of veteran leadership and presence to a team definitely lacking that. With the addition of whatever top three pick the Thunder get…they could have themselves their own big 3.
Boston Celtics acquire Lonzo Ball via sign-and-trade
You may be thinking, is Lonzo Ball for Marcus Smart sort of a lateral move, considering they are similar players? Personally, I’d say no. I think Ball offers far more to this team than Smart has or could.
While Lonzo is not the defender or hustle guy Smart–2x All-Defensive 1st team–is, he still has the potential to be an All-defensive team caliber player. But what he can offer, more so than Smart, is on the offensive side of the ball.
Lonzo averages 6.4 career assists per game, to Smarts 4.2. Over the last two seasons ball has shot 37.5% or better from deep on at least six attempts per game. Smart has never once eclipsed 37% from beyond-the-arc, now going into year eight.
Ball is a superior scorer, shooter, playmaker, and still a great defender, as well as being younger and farther from his ceiling. Having a six-foot-six point guard who can shoot well and play exceptional defense is something out of a dream.
The contract would most likely look like three years, and $60 million, or 4 years for $80 million. With shipping off Kemba for Al, and giving away Smart in the sign-and-trade, we would have adequate cap space, below the apron.
Boston Celtics re-sign deadline acquisition, Evan Fournier
Evan Fournier was a good player in the limited time he played in Boston. He got COVID-19 and dealt with issues for a while, but when healthy shaped into a great role player for us.
He was obviously biting off a bit more than he could chew, being supplanted into the starting lineup, playing 33 minutes a night with a still relatively new squad. He is a sixth-man playing starter’s minutes, being asked to do too much. With health will come a better role for Fournier.
Lots of rumors are swirling when it comes to what Fournier may command for a contract. As reported by Michael Sotto of Hoops Hype, an anonymous source told him:
"He’s going to look for $15-20 million a year, I’m not sure where he gets that from. They’ll have to keep him since they can’t replace him. It’ll be interesting because they have never been willing to pay the tax, so getting around that will be hard for them. If they let him walk, there’s no replacement.”"
Sotto seems to have little faith Fournier will get the $20 million he wants, so let’s call it $15 million, in the middle. Re-sign Fournier to a three-year-$50 million deal, and he will be the perfect sixth man if the team remains in good health.
Unload Tristan Thompson for a pick, for cap purposes
Thompson was a solid player for us…but with prior stated moves, he doesn’t serve as much purpose. He’s not great at any one thing other than offensive rebounding. However, he can still bring some championship spark to a team that may need veteran leadership.
A team with some cap space with no immediate plans for contention, but rather to get some experience and be guided and the durable center can help with that.
There is no doubt in my mind Thompson can average 10 and 10 on a lower-level team. He showed flashes of dominance in Boston, with 12 games with five or more offensive rebounds. In fact, he was 13th in the league in total offensive rebounds. The 12 players ahead of him played an average of 300 more minutes on the season as well.
Thompson has always been a beast on the boards, with four of his 10 seasons having as many or more offensive rebounds than field goals made.
He obviously has his flaws, he can have tunnel vision at times, not a good passer, can’t shoot the ball, but he always accentuates his strengths.
What this move is mostly for is to clear a bit more cap space.
Boston Celtics use remaining trade exception and trade for Larry Nance Jr.
Larry Nance Jr. is going to be a tough grab from the hands of the Cavaliers. He just had a career season, posting his best three-point shooting year to date —36% on 3.3 attempts per game—and that’s not all.
He averaged 9.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 3.1 assists in his 35 game season. His season was cut short due to a fractured thumb, but he should recover fairly quickly and will be ready by the start of next season.
Defensively, he’s a solid defender in the paint, a good shot blocker, can guard some smaller 5s as well. Offensively he can pretty much do it all, finish at a high level, shoot the three, distribute the ball as a playmaker. Anything you ask him to do he can do it, a Swiss Army knife so to speak.
The sixth-year pro can add some real front-court depth to this squad that desperately needs it. He will thrive alongside the spacing that the Jays can offer.
In terms of the return, Langford has shown flashes of being a real contributor. While he has never truly got the opportunity, he would have such in Cleveland and don’t be surprised if he becomes a great role player.
In this past playoff run, he averaged nine points, on 40/35/100 shooting splits. In the four playoff games he played, he hit more 3-pointers (6) than he did in his 18 regular-season games played (4). He showed improvement as the year progressed, and with a larger role, and increased minutes, I’m sure that will only continue.
Boston Celtics keep the 16th pick and draft “Ben Simmons with a Jumper”
Now before you get on me for the comparison…you might wanna look the guy up.
Josh Giddey of the Adelaide 36ers may just be the steal of this upcoming draft. He is a six-foot-eight, 205-pound point guard from the NBL. He decided to forego college and go right to the pros, to showcase his talent against big-leaguers.
And let’s just say it worked, big time. He posted averages of 11 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists. Aka very Ben Simmons-esque.
His 7.64 assists per game is not only the highest this season in the NBL, but it’s the highest in the last 10 years. He has an adept ability to find cutters, open shooters, and use his driving ability to free up other shooters.
When Giddey was asked what his biggest strength is he replied:
"For me, the biggest strength for me is probably my passing. I have loved doing it since I was little because my dad always taught me a team-orientated style of basketball. I love getting guys open. It makes me happy to see someone else happy."
The 18-year-old NBL star won’t even be 19 by the time the 2021-22 NBA season starts, and he still carries himself with poise on and off the court.
He isn’t the best defender, however, he has some good IQ on that end, as most high-volume playmakers do. He knows where to be, but he’s not the fastest guy out there which hinders him a bit.
He finished the season shooting 29% from beyond the arc, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. He started just 2-20 (10%) from deep, but from then on went 30-79 (37.9%). He vastly improved in every aspect as the season went on.
In my opinion, he would be an immediate game-changer for this team that lacks both size and playmaking, and if the Boston Celtics keep the pick, he should be the guy.
All these moves would leave the main rotation looking something like this:
G: Lonzo Ball-Josh Giddey-Payton Pritchard
F: Jayson Tatum-Jaylen Brown-Larry Nance Jr.-Aaron Nesmith
C: Al Horford-Robert Williams III
That’s a pretty solid rotation, and barring health issues, is a team that can compete for a championship…all while under the $143 million tax apron.