Boston Celtics: 3 potentially available players Cs should avoid this summer

With just four teams left in the playoffs and the NBA draft lottery taking place, the Boston Celtics are inching closer to the off-season’s active part. Although they have already gone through some management changes and a heading coaching change, the best is yet to come for the Celtics this offseason.

Marquee trades on draft night, big free-agent signings, assistant coaching hires are all in store for Boston, and Celtics fans should be confident. The front office has one of the brightest minds in basketball at its head and plenty of sharp minds around him.

They will determine what the Boston Celtics need or don’t need to get back to the top of the Eastern Conference. This article will discuss what the Cs don’t need and some names that they should avoid.

Let’s begin with what they do not need: Large contracts, defensive liabilities, non-shooters, and ball stoppers. Unfortunately, Ainge’s last couple of signings embody these traits, ranging from Kemba Walker to Tristan Thompson to Jeff Teague.

These signings did not help the Celtics and capped their playoff ceiling. Luckily, Stevens has already made up for one of those faulty signings and is likely to erase the other(Thompson) sooner than later. The main takeaway is that the Celtics should look to keep their cap space as open as possible while also bringing in some floor spacers and capable defenders to support Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

Let’s move on to who the Celtics should not target. These players possess any of those three traits and should be avoided at all costs this off-season.

Boston Celtics non-fit No. 1) Ben Simmons

I have touched on this topic in this space previously, but I will revisit it. Ben Simmons would not work in Boston and would not help the Celtics chase stars the following summer. Additionally, his max contract would hinder the C’s ability to sign Beal or Steph.

His nonexistent scoring repertoire would cap the Celtics playoff ceiling, and his work ethic would only create tension in the locker room. Simmons is a no-go this summer.

Boston Celtics non-fit No. 2) Lonzo Ball

I have touched on Ball coming to Boston before but have since turned the corner on a potential partnership. The Celtics would be making the same mistake with Ball that they made two summers ago with Kemba Walker. Zo may receive somewhere in the market of 4 years, $60-80 million, which the Celtics can not afford if they want to pursue a star next off-season.

With Ball making that much money, the likelihood of the Boston Celtics quickly moving him in preparation for said star is low. However, cap space is not the only reason to stay away from Lonzo Ball.

His scoring paired with Smart’s would be a match made in heaven for opposing playoff defenses. His shooting still being a work in progress worsens the situation, and his passing and defense don’t make up for it. If the Celtics are to invest $40 million in their backcourt, one of the guards better be an All-Star, and Ball is not. Boston should steer clear of him and his father.

Boston Celtics non-fit No. 3) DeMar DeRozan

With Walker out and Horford in, it’s unlikely the Boston Celtics can even create enough cap space to sign DeRozan, but if they do, he should not be a person of interest. His playmaking and interior scoring would be a nice compliment to the Jays, but his low-level floor spacing and bad defense would be problematic, especially come playoff time.

DeRozan will allow defenses to shrink and key in on stopping Brown and Tatum’s drives to the rim, and they will hunt him on defense. A player like that is not worth paying and would be hard to move the following summer if Boston tried to create space for a star. So DeRozan should not be anywhere near Beantown this offseason.