3 Boston Celtics players that could be replaced this offseason

Boston Celtics player No. 3) Marcus Smart

In his first year officially running the show as the C’s lead point guard, Marcus Smart proved himself to be many things: a true leader, a Defensive Player of the Year, a talent you can go on a deep playoff run with serving as the starting one, etc.

Unfortunately, there’s still one box that he hasn’t checked off yet that, to many, is a major deterrent in his long-term viability as Boston’s main guard: he’s yet to prove that he can be a true floor general.

With this, many are calling for the Celtics to look into ways in which they could bring on a player to better fill this need within the rotation, and, while the majority of names mentioned have been steady role players who would absolutely not infringe on his role within the lineup, there are a few rather lucrative names out there that could, in theory, put his claim to the starting one slot in jeopardy.

Now, Smart’s inclusion on this list is not us saying that we believe he could be traded from the team this summer.

However, what we are saying is that, should a player such as Malcolm Brogdon or, better yet, Dejounte Murray–someone who apparently is rather affordable on the trade block–be pursued by this front office, we would absolutely wind up seeing the 28-year-old be replaced within the team’s starting lineup.

Both of these aforementioned players are viewed as higher-upside scorers and facilitators than Smart, while also being well-versed on the less glamorous side of the ball as well, thus not making their insertion into the starting five potentially hazardous to the C’s top-ranked defense.

With this move, we’d expect the team’s heart and soul to once again be designated to the second unit to serve as a tremendous sixth-man option.

Is it a long shot that we’ll see either one of these players, or other hopeful targets at the position apparently such as Mike Conley, making their way to eastern Massachusetts this offseason? Perhaps.

Still, in this league dominated by top-notch point guards, if you’re not seriously looking to upgrade at the position, you run the risk of falling behind which is why, be it likely or not, there’s still a chance we could see Smart’s claim to the starting one spot up in the air between now and next season.