Biggest Offseason Priorities and Targets for Boston Celtics
Contrary to what you may have learned in school, there's nothing wrong with being an overachiever. Just ask the Boston Celtics.
It took them just four years to rise from the ashes of the Paul Pierce-Kevin Garnett era to the top of the East, with 53 wins and a spot in the conference finals to show for their efforts.
The way things ended—in five games against the Cleveland Cavaliers—was anything but pretty, but as The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor explained, the C's remain in an enviable position over both the short and long term:
"Boston can essentially go in any direction. The team won 53 games this season, has one of the game's top head coaches in Brad Stevens, went all the way to the Eastern Conference finals, has a ton of young talent, owns the no. 1 pick, and can easily create cap space to sign a max free agent this summer. President of basketball operations Danny Ainge holds an amazing hand."
What should Trader Danny do with those cards? More importantly, will any of his potential plays make a difference so long as LeBron James still reigns supreme over the East?
Here's a look at five of the most critical scenarios facing the C's this summer.
Trader Danny and the Brooklyn Pick
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The most ubiquitous name on the NBA's trade market in recent years? Other than DeMarcus Cousins, it's the Brooklyn pick. Seemingly every juicy rumor involving a star who's emerged since 2015 has mentioned one of the franchise-changing selections the Celtics squeezed out of the Nets four years ago.
Last year, Boston wound up with the No. 3 pick outright, which it spent on Jaylen Brown—albeit after reportedly shopping it around. This year, the C's were popular ahead of the trade deadline, with other teams eying their swap rights on the league-worst Nets and their pick.
"Nothing is close or imminent, but there are people calling [about the Brooklyn pick]," Ainge told 98.5 The Sports Hub in January, per Boston.com's Brian Robb. "It's a valuable pick so we're going to explore that."
Ainge ultimately opted against dishing it, but he could see his phone explode anew now that the pick is officially No. 1 overall and his team is eliminated from the postseason.
With the first selection in this June's draft, Boston will have its choice of Washington's Markelle Fultz, UCLA's Lonzo Ball, Kansas' Josh Jackson, Duke's Jayson Tatum or any of this year's other blue-chippers—at a discount compared to the market rate.
The drawback? Any of those youngsters would likely need years to grow into their own bodies, let alone master the NBA game. That the best prospects are all guards and wings, of which Boston already has plenty, only complicates matters further.
So should the C's, who were good enough to snag the East's No. 1 seed this season, package that pick for a disgruntled star who could help right away—perhaps Chicago's Jimmy Butler or Indiana's Paul George? Or would Boston be better off grooming a kid who might be ready to lead Beantown to a title after LeBron James' reign comes to an end, whenever that may be?
Butler Comes to Boston
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In truth, Boston's best approach may be to see what it can accomplish in free agency before it starts wheeling and dealing high-upside assets.
Last summer, the Celtics showed they could compete on the open market. They went down to the wire in Kevin Durant's decision—with New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady making a cameo in the meeting—and wound up with Al Horford, arguably the second-biggest catch available.
Thanks to Ainge and company's careful cap management, Boston can open up enough space to snag another max free agent. Chief among the C's targets for that slot: Gordon Hayward.
The Utah Jazz's All-Star wing has long been linked to Beantown, since he played for Celtics head coach Brad Stevens at Butler University.
According to The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski (h/t NESN's Darren Hartwell), Hayward's impending availability may have played a part in Boston's quiet trade deadline:
"This isn't the reason Boston didn't make a deal (at the NBA trade deadline), but it is part of their thought: 'Why would we give up all of our assets for Paul George and Jimmy Butler when we could go out in free agency and sign Gordon Hayward?' They're going to go hard after him."
Hayward would be a tremendous fit in Boston for reasons beyond his collegiate ties to Stevens. The 27-year-old wing is just the sort of scorer (21.9 points per game), shooter (39.8 percent from three) and secondary playmaker (3.5 assists) the C's could use as a complement to Isaiah Thomas up top.
There's no guarantee, though, that Hayward would take the bait. The Jazz's success this season—51 wins and a trip to the second round, despite injuries up and down the roster—could sway him to stay. So could the more lucrative terms Utah can offer.
Then again, after watching his squad get rolled by the Golden State Warriors in four games, Hayward could find playing with a budding superteam in the Northeast all the more appealing.
Fortify the Frontcourt
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The Celtics should survive (if not thrive) just fine if they don't land a top-flight perimeter player this summer.
They already have a sturdy two-way wing (Jae Crowder) locked into a below-market contract through 2019-20, and a promising prospect at that position (Jaylen Brown) who won't hit restricted free agency until 2020-21.
Where Boston really needs help is in its frontcourt. According to NBA.com, the C's were the fourth-worst defensive rebounding team and landed in the bottom half of the league in defensive field-goal percentage allowed at the rim, albeit while yielding the eighth-fewest such looks.
Amir Johnson's impending free agency will leave Boston even thinner up front but could be the opportunity it needs to finally find an elite option at power forward.
Blake Griffin, for one, could be a target for Boston's cap space this summer. Per ESPN.com's Zach Lowe, the Celtics and Los Angeles Clippers at least broached the possibility of a Griffin-centric trade this season. Bleacher Report's Kevin Ding subsequently suggested that the Clippers' superstar forward could consider the C's in free agency.
Griffin probably can't solve that problem on his own. Among 152 forwards who played 10 or more contests and averaged at least five rebound chances per game, he ranked just 72nd in contested rebound percentage, per NBA.com.
Some of Griffin's slippage on the glass over the years can be chalked up to DeAndre Jordan's emergence as one of the league's leading rebounders. And among bigs, Griffin might be the only one who can also reliably unlimber Isaiah Thomas of some of his scoring and playmaking duties.
Should a Griffin courtship fall flat, Boston could send a contract offer to Paul Millsap, Horford's former teammate in Atlanta; patch up its crop of bigs with lesser free agents; or package players and picks in a trade for another team's titan.
Cash for Kelly?
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Kelly Olynyk is nobody's idea of an antidote to what ails the Celtics inside. According to NBA.com, Boston was better on the boards overall when the Canadian sat. The Gonzaga product also averaged less than half a block per game and allowed opponents to shoot 54.2 percent around the rim.
Olynyk, though, does add value to Boston's roster beyond whatever underhanded tactics he may or may not employ.
Few 7-footers can stretch the floor like the 26-year-old, a career 36.8-percent three-point shooter who saved Boston's bacon with 26 points off the bench in Game 7 against Washington. And in a league where shooting at all positions is at a premium, he can be incredibly valuable within a pass-happy spread offense.
That's both the point and the problem for the Celtics. Olynyk will be a restricted free agent this summer. If Boston wants to keep him, it will have to pony up a pretty penny for a player who's a relative non-factor next to the hoop for someone his size.
But the C's, for all their depth, aren't exactly teeming with quality bigs. Nor do mobile shooting bigs like Olynyk grow on trees.
Fortunately for Danny Ainge, that situation won't preclude him from considering other options first. Per Basketball Insiders, Olynyk's cap hold will be just over $7.7 million—not enough to truly impinge the C's ability to sign a stud to a max contract.
Check in with the Draft-and-Stash Players
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If you thought the Celtics were deep this year, just wait until you see the roster cuts Danny Ainge and Brad Stevens will have to make this fall at training camp.
In addition to whoever Boston picks up in June's draft and July's free agency, the team could welcome in as many as three more 2016 draftees, each of whom could help to address one incumbent weakness or another.
There's Guerschon Yabusele, the No. 16 pick in last year's draft. The hulking 6'8" forward from France spent most of the season in China, where he bowled his way to 20.9 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.1 blocks while shooting 52.7 percent from the field and 36.4 percent from three.
He wasn't quite so dominant during his five games with the D-League's Maine Red Claws (12.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 49.0 percent shooting), but he still flashed the sort of rebounding and playmaking that the Celtics, with their dearth of size and ball-handling, could use.
Boston could also get a boost up front from Ante Zizic, a 6'11" center selected at No. 23 in 2016. The 20-year-old put up 12.7 points and 6.4 boards between stints in his native Croatia and Turkey.
And when it comes to improving from beyond the arc—where the C's logged the third-most attempts but ranked a middling 14th in percentage—they could get an assist from Abdel Nader. The Egyptian-born, Iowa State-schooled wing wound up as the D-League Rookie of the Year after averaging 21.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.0 steals in Maine.
All three could be capable of filling glaring holes in Beantown, but only if the Celtics can find room for any of them on their roster.
All stats via NBA.com and Basketball Reference unless otherwise noted.
Josh Martin covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, and listen to his Hollywood Hoops podcast with B/R Lakers lead writer Eric Pincus.
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