The offseason discourse around the Celtics has already heated up, mostly centering around adding Giannis and just how much the team should go all-in to improve. While it seems like the goal is clearly to upgrade, it’s possible Brad Stevens meant something completely different in his end-of-year presser.
He basically said the Celtics’ regular-season success was fool’s gold and that they fared poorly against elite competition, then got exposed during the playoffs. He made it clear that he doesn’t feel the roster is where it needs to be to actually compete for a title.
So, the obvious solution to that issue would be to upgrade the roster and get it back to that level. And that’s, most likely, what Stevens and company will try to accomplish this summer. But what if Brad actually has his eyes on a much scarier path?
He understands the league extremely well. There’s a world where he’s looking around, seeing the juggernauts that are forming in Oklahoma City and San Antonio, and thinking that’s the best path to building a sustainable championship-caliber team. Sure, the Spurs got some luck with the Wemby draft, but both of those teams were built around a long-term vision, based around the draft, asset-accumulation, savvy, shrewd trades and signings, a little bit of tanking, and a lot of luck.
Could the Celtics consider a soft rebuild?
It would be a bit shocking, but we’ve seen Brad make some bold moves already. This core has already won a title, and maybe he believes they’ve already hit their ceiling. He could sell high on the team’s best players this summer and get back a haul that could help set them up to make a Thunder/Spurs type of run several years from now.
Everyone assumes the big move is for Giannis, but if that’s not available, or Brad doesn’t love it, they could just as easily pivot the other way. Jaylen Brown’s value will never be higher as he just put together the best season of his career and has two years remaining on his contract.
Derrick White had a down year, but he will make an All-Defense team and could be the missing piece for a lot of contenders. Sam Hauser is an elite floor-spacer on a good contract that almost any team could use. Payton Pritchard is the best bench player in the league, he’s on a total scam contract, and some teams may believe he could be their Jalen Brunson. And that’s without even mentioning Jayson Tatum.
This summer could be perfect time to sell high
This would be a nuclear option that could cause chaos in the streets of Boston. But, if deep down, Brad and his crew don’t believe in this core and don’t believe they can ever catch the Spurs or Thunder, blowing it up could make some sense. They could recoup an absolute haul of draft picks and young prospects to start building around, and could keep trading out assets for better ones as they start to appreciate.
They don’t have a young building block, but they’ve got plenty of good players on rookie contracts and minimum deals. The foundation is in place, and the potential new lottery reform makes this path more palatable and realistic than ever.
It’s still a long shot, for sure. But maybe we’re all misinterpreting Brad’s comments. I’m not advocating for this route, but if ever there was a time to do it, to maximize value and get out ahead of any potential issues a year before it’s too late, now would be the time.
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