The Boston Celtics are off to a relatively slow start in 2021-22, dropping to 2-3 following a 116-107 loss to the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night.
Granted, a win tonight would set things even at 3-3, just as things were last season. Then again, any comparisons to last year probably aren’t ideal for a franchise looking to move forward with a new head coach and new front office.
So far, several new acquisitions have been underwhelming. Josh Richardson is failing to establish any consistent role after missing the season opener while Juan Hernangomez has essentially been a non-factor in limited minutes.
Even Dennis Schroder and Al Horford have had their fair share of struggles amidst a decent start (and in Horford’s case restart) to their Cs tenures. For Schroder, multiple four-turnover games have been his undoing, while Horford’s 23% 3-point shooting percentage has been his Achilles heel.
Ultimately, the leash on these guys is going to be relatively long. For Schroder, he’s contractually bound to the Cs for the first few months of the season, while moving Horford, Hernangomez or Richardson in a deal would require a substantial return based off their salaries. Stevens probably isn’t making such blockbuster deals quite yet, since they can have a winning record by Monday.
But what he would be more likely to do would be to cut one of the players buried on the depth chart unlikely to break into the rotation any time soon and pursue a player on the waiver wire.
These would be the two Cs that could be cut for a roster spot in that case: