Celtics Rumors: Rounding Up Top Buzz Entering 2021 NBA Draft Lottery

The 2020-21 NBA season didn't end as the Boston Celtics might have hoped. After reaching the Eastern Conference Finals in three of the past four seasons, Boston fell in the opening round of the postseason to the Brooklyn Nets.

Perhaps more alarmingly, the Celtics finished just seventh in the conference and notched a single win against Brooklyn.

Unsurprisingly, sweeping changes were made after Boston's playoff exit. Danny Ainge stepped down as the president of basketball operations, Brad Stevens stepped down as head coach and took over Ainge's former role. 2019 addition Kemba Walker was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Heading into Tuesday night's draft lottery, the Celtics are looking for a fresh start and a route back to Eastern Conference relevance. Here, we'll examine the latest buzz surrounding the team and Boston's looming offseason.

Stevens Was Inconsistent as a Coach

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Stevens is no longer the Celtic's head coach, and Walker is no longer part of the team. However, the two apparently had a rocky relationship this past season that may have contributed to the team's struggles.

According to The Athletic's Jared Weiss, Stevens treated Walker differently than he did some other players.

"According to multiple team sources, there was some dysfunction in the locker room, with the relationship between Stevens and Walker characterized as tension-filled," Weiss wrote. "Sources also suggest that Stevens was also perceived to be harder on Walker than on other top players."

Per Weiss, Stevens' approach wasn't isolated to Walker either.

"Several team sources felt Stevens was more aggressive with certain players this season, which included Walker who was criticized for his defensive mistakes," Weiss wrote.

While NBA players are professionals, a coach playing favorites—or in this case, singling out players—rarely sits well with them. It's fair to wonder if the locker room was ready to see Stevens go and will be ready to buy into what the next head coach is selling.

Boston Seeking 2nd Interviews with 3 Assistants

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While the Celtics are in the early stages of their coaching search, they've been focused on assistant coaches for their next leader, according to ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski.

Per Wojnarowski, Nets assistant Ime Udoka, Milwaukee Bucks assistant Darvin Ham and Chauncey Billups of the Los Angeles Clippers are among the early favorites and in-line for second interviews.

"Brooklyn's Ime Udoka, Milwaukee's Darvin Ham and Clippers' Chauncey Billups are among head coaching candidates who Boston hopes to interview for a second time, sources tell ESPN. Celtics' search continues to focus in the assistant ranks," Wojnarowski tweeted.

According to Jeff Goodman of NBC Sports Boston, Billups and Udoka are both "hot" names in the Celtics' coaching search.

Goodman also noted that he doesn't believe that getting a "big-name" head coach is a priority for Stevens. This seems to mesh with Wojnarowski's report that Boston is looking at assistant coaches—not necessarily those with previous head-coaching experience.

Celtics 'Feel Better' About Chances of Re-Signing Fournier

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Since the Celtics included their 16th pick in the draft to get a Walker deal done, their offseason will largely be focused around the free-agent and trade markets. Keeping key contributors will be part of that equation.

One player Boston is reportedly interested in keeping is recent trade acquisition Evan Fournier. He was acquired in March in a deal with the Orlando Magic and went on to average 13 points, 2.7 assists and 2.8 rebounds with the Celtics.

According to Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe, the Celtics "feel better about their chances" of re-signing Fournier in the wake of the Walker trade.

The Celtics are expected to save roughly $20 million over the next two seasons with Walker out, which, according to Stevens, was the purpose of the trade.

"It gave us the opportunity to look at a road ahead with a few more options, from the financial flexibility standpoint, with the picks, all of our future first-round picks past this year, which, again, give you more options," Stevens said, per ESPN's Tim Bontemps.

Getting Al Horford as part of the deal was important, but creating flexibility for the future appears to be the real impetus behind the trade.