Boston Celtics: Where Do the Aging Celtics Go from Here?

This season was supposed to be the swan song for these Boston Celtics, one last run for the “Big Three” and Rondo—whose championship window was slammed shut by the Miami Heat in the playoffs last year. General manager Danny Ainge intended to begin the rebuilding process at season’s end.

But the Celtics did the unexpected, advancing to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals before finally succumbing to the Heat.

Now Ainge has some difficult decisions to make.

Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen were traded to the Celtics during the summer of 2007. Along with Paul Pierce, they suppressed their individual egos in pursuit of a championship, which they delivered to the city of Boston in 2008. They won the Atlantic Division title in each of their five seasons together.

Two of the “Big Three,” Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, are free agents this summer, as are starting power forward Brandon Bass and key role players Mickael Pietrus and Keyon Dooling. Paul Pierce’s contract expires next summer, leaving Rondo as the only star player for Ainge to build around.

It’s tempting to bring the gang back together for one more shot at a ring. After all, they came within one game of the NBA Finals, despite being severely depleted by injuries.

Pierce was hindered by a sprained knee, and Allen suffered a right ankle injury so painful that Doc Rivers considered benching him against the Heat. Boston lost their best perimeter defender, Avery Bradley, earlier in the playoffs to a shoulder injury, and was also without Jeff Green and Jermaine O’Neal, two forwards who were expected to log big minutes this season.

Yet, despite their run deep into the playoffs, this team’s days as a championship contender are over.

Adding Jeff Green, Avery Bradley and another couple of role players to the nucleus that advanced to the conference finals would be like placing a band aid on a stab wound. Star players win championships, and three of Boston’s four stars are old.

It’s not surprising that Allen and Pierce were hobbling by the end of the season. Allen turns 37 this summer, and Pierce will be 35 in the fall. Their bodies are breaking down. The 36-year-old Garnett’s resurgence in the playoffs was an anomaly.

Even if they had managed to advance past the Heat, the creaky Celtics would have been overwhelmed by the young legs of the Oklahoma City Thunder in the finals. Next season, they’ll be a year worse for wear and won’t have the stamina for another playoff run.

Rondo can’t carry the load by himself.

Ideally, Ainge would like to use the salary cap space created by KG and Allen’s expiring contracts to land a superstar, but such players are difficult to come by.

The best free agent available, Deron Williams, plays the same position (point guard) as Rondo.

The Celtics probably don’t have the pieces necessary to trade for Dwight Howard, and even if Ainge could swing such a deal, Boston isn’t on Howard’s shortlist of desired destinations.

After Williams, Eric Gordon and Roy Hibbert are the most promising free agent options. Both would jump-start Ainge’s rebuilding plan, though they’re each restricted free agents, and it’s unlikely that either will be wearing a different jersey next season.

New Orleans stated that they intend to match any offer for Gordon, who they see as a dynamic pick-and-roll partner for Anthony Davis, and it’s hard to imagine that the Pacers would let Hibbert walk after the crucial role he played in their success this postseason.

That leaves a number of up-and-coming role players for Ainge to consider on the free agent market. Portland’s small forward Nicolas Batum, San Antonio’s three-point-specialist Danny Green, Milwaukee’s inside-outside threat Ersan Ilyasova and Chicago’s defensive big man Omer Asik aren’t All-Stars, but they can be solid contributors on a contender.

For the right price are better long-term investments than KG and Allen.  

Ainge may opt to save some or all of the Celtics’ cap space until next summer, when Pierce’s contract also comes off the books and there’s expected to be a deeper crop of free agent talent.

The class of 2013 may be headlined by OKC teammates James Harden and Serge Ibaka, Golden State sharpshooter Stephen Curry and the Bucks’ Monta Ellis. Under that scenario, Ainge could bring KG or Allen back if they’re willing to accept one-year deals; anything more would be detrimental to the rebuilding process.

Letting KG and Allen go won’t be easy. Their hard-nosed, unselfish brand of basketball has endeared them to Celtics fans and the local media. Doc Rivers had tears in his eyes when he embraced KG during the closing minutes of the final game of the season, and Ainge himself must have a soft spot for the great team that he assembled.

Given the lack of enticing alternatives, there will be a plenty of voices calling for the return of KG and Allen.

Ainge must not bow to sentiment. He need only recall how the Celtics’ unwillingness to part with their last “Big Three”—Larry Bird, Robert Parrish and Kevin McHale—until it was too late precipitated the bleakest stretch in the history of the franchise.

KG, Allen and Pierce have added their stories to the lore of Celtics past, but a general manager must always look towards the future.