Boston Celtics: 3 superstars to pursue with recently extended Cs

Boston Celtics fans far and wide are excited about the recent moves made by the new President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens.

Some just have different perspectives as to why.

There’s one crowd that is undoubtedly happy about the fact that guys like Marcus Smart and Robert Williams (plus newcomer Josh Richardson) are now locked down for the next five years. Both, though Smart particularly, represent the benefits of riding it out with the guys you drafted instead of star-chasing…to a degree.

Williams could have probably been traded several times the last few years, but now he is on a bargain contract after showing flashes during the postseason, particularly against the Toronto Raptors down in the Lake Buena Vista postseason bubble last summer/fall. Smart could have been included in deals for guys like Kawhi Leonard, Anthony Davis, or Jrue Holiday, who all ended up being the final pieces needed for the past three NBA Champions.

The other crowd is likely more excited about the fact that there are now tradeable pieces for the team whose value goes beyond just being expiring contracts.

Even after all the wheeling and dealing this offseason, ESPN’s Tim Bontemps doesn’t believe they are good enough to improve their meager standing in the division:

"The Celtics essentially swapped Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier for Al Horford, Dennis Schroder and Josh Richardson, opting for financial flexibility and better roster balance over keeping their two top free agents. It presents an interesting puzzle for new coach Ime Udoka to solve, as the Celtics still believe they haven’t done enough to move up the standings much beyond the seventh-place finish they recorded last year."

So HH is seeing the writing on the wall and thinking these 4 superstars could be in the crosshairs if Stevens wants to turn his role players into a third star: