Boston Celtics: 3 stars Cs could pursue if they start season off slowly

Hardwood Houdini isn’t here to put any bad omens on the Boston Celtics ahead of this coming Monday’s preseason opener against the Orlando Magic at the TD Garden.

It’ll be just the second full capacity crowd since March 2020 after Boston was able to take a game from the Brooklyn Nets during the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs this past Saturday.

The good vibes should reign supreme to start the season for a few different reasons: Jaylen Brown’s healthy return to the starting lineup, Al Horford’s return to the organization altogether after two years away, and an active offseason from first-year President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens that has added a significant amount of talent to the roster.

That said, disappointment is always around the corner in professional sports. Bad breaks happen–a lowlight example being Gordon Hayward’s freakish leg fracture during the 2017 opener–and Boston may end up having it tougher this coming season than it appears they might at the moment.

So, if things go south, could we see Stevens gather his assets on cash in on his first star acquisition?

Hard to say given the lack of data we have of Stevens being in this position in-season. But if he does, here are 3 star options the Cs could trade for:

Boston Celtics star trade target #1: D’Angelo Russell

Something strange is happening in Minnesota. Not all the losing. That’s par for the course in the Twin Cities.

Instead, what’s concerning is the organization dysfunction and the toll it appears to be taking on Karl-Anthony Towns’ patience.

While KAT would be an ideal third star alongside the ‘Jays’, there are other teams (New York Knicks, Atlanta Hawks, Denver Nuggets) that could pay a higher price than Boston could if he were to become available.

D’Angelo Russell could be available for a far more feasible cost considering his declining numbers last year. Given what he showed in his All-Star season leading the Brooklyn Nets to the postseason in 2018-19, I like the idea of Russell serving as a decoy 3-point sniper (39% from downtown last season) and facilitator alongside the Cs All-Star duo of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.