Celtics Reset Plan

 Danny Ainge is out.  

Brad Stevens is out (but also promoted).

The Celtics have two All-Stars under the age of 25, but not much else around them.

It’s time for Stevens, the former head coach turned President of Basketball Operations, to reset the roster and get the Celtics back into championship contention.

The first step will be the hiring of a head coach.  Stevens is going to have a multitude of good options. Some names already associated include Sam Cassell, Chauncey Billups, Kara Lawson, Juwan Howard, and Lloyd Pierce.  Other candidates are sure to emerge. Stevens needs to find the right fit for his vision for the immediate future of the franchise while also making sure that Jayson Tatum, the most important part of the franchise’s immediate (and, hopefully, long-term) future, is on board with whoever is hired.

After the new head coach is hired, Stevens next orders of business will be to reshape a roster that has potential but has been hamstrung by some bad luck and poor drafting over the last few years.

Step one will be to de-clutter the end of the bench. Tacko Fall, Carsen Edwards, Tremont Waters, and Semi Ojeleye all need to be sent packing. 

Step two will be finding trade fits to quickly build a contender around Tatum.

My first call would be to Portland. Dame Lillard has professed a deep love for the Blazers but as he enters his 30’s, the hope for a championship there is dwindling. If he’s on board with a change of scenery the Celtics could package Jaylen Brown (coming off an appearance in the All-Star Game) with first round picks in 2021, 2023, and 2025 (and Tristan Thompson to make the money work) for Lillard and Harry Giles (in a sign-and-trade to make the money work).

Moving on from Brown is a difficult decision, but the upgrade to Lillard is too enticing to ignore.

The next move is to find a home for Kemba Walker’s contract. Oklahoma City has become a home for bad deals the last two years, and Stevens can take back one of those bad contracts in the person of Al Horford to make it work for both sides.

The third move in this trilogy is to package Marcus Smart, Robert Williams, and Grant Williams to Indiana for Myles Turner and a 2022 1st Round pick.

To fill out the roster, Stevens can re-sign Evan Fournier and use the Mid-Level Exception on a veteran wing (Doug McDermott and Josh Hart) or big man (Bobby Portis or Nerlens Noel).

So, what would that make the Celtics look like?

Lillard, Romeo Langford, Fournier, Tatum, and Turner would be a very good starting five. Langford has struggled with injuries in his first two years but showed he is a promising two-way player the last six weeks of this season. 

The bench would be Aaron Nesmith (who I still believe has a very bright future, and he showed he can play at this level the last six weeks), Payton Pritchard (who had a very good rookie season), Giles, Horford, and whoever they would sign with the Mid-Level Exception.

Is that enough to overcome Brooklyn, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, and Miami in the East?

Only time would tell but, on paper, it’s an upgrade over the 2020-21 team and it puts Tatum with Lillard, a pairing of two of the most dominant scorers in the NBA, while having a more clearly defined bench.