The Boston Celtics look very different from the championship-winning roster they had two years ago. After making significant changes to their roster, the Celtics' status as title contenders has come into question. When asked to explain the reasoning behind these decisions, Celtics president of basketball operations, Brad Stevens, offered a candid response:
"Trades happened. I think that those are pretty obvious. And the basketball penalties associated with those are real. We’ve all talked about that. But we’re fortunate because we like the guys we got back. You know, and I think that that’s one of the things that, you know, we are excited about."
After facilitating the trades for Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, the Celtics saved a significant amount of money in luxury tax payments. However, he expressed that it was challenging to see key players like Holiday and Porzingis on the way out. He continued:
"Those are not easy trades to make. Those are not easy phone calls. Obviously, those guys have been around the league a long time. They knew the CBA. They knew that that was a high likelihood that they could be part of a move, and they were communicated that before. But it's still hard. We will miss them, and we are thankful for them.”
Stevens also addressed the positive aspects of the trades and their offseason signings of Luka Garza and Josh Minott. He added:
"We've been limited in what tools we can use, with where we are right around the second apron. We were looking for those guys on those contracts that have upside, and who are competitors, who are workers, who want to be good and haven't hit their peak yet, but we've seen something in them that gives them a chance to be very impactful."
While the addition of Garza and Minott may be considered positive from a salary cap point of view, neither player is capable of moving the needle for the team next season.
The impact of the trades has left the Celtics in a weakened position, especially considering that they will be without their superstar Jayson Tatum for much of next season as well.
With significantly reduced roster strength, the upcoming season effectively appears to be a gap year for the Celtics. But the franchise has already set its sights on the future.
Boston has reportedly emerged as a potential landing spot for recently waived star guard Damian Lillard. After being bought out by the Bucks, Lillard will enter free agency, where he has garnered attention from a handful of teams thus far.
Considering that Lillard will also be recovering from injury next season, the timeline for his return aligns with Tatum's. On a reduced salary, Lillard could join the Celtics, effectively transforming them into a contender again.
While there would be a severe need to bolster their frontcourt, Boston could find itself on the path to becoming title contenders again by following such a plan.
