Offseason Thoughts For Celtics

Now that Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks have claimed the NBA Championship, it is time to shift gears to the offseason.  

For Celtics fans worried about having to build a "Super Team" around Jayson Tatum, it's nice to see Giannis (and Khris Middleton) capture the title alongside of Jrue Holliday.  The message is that Tatum (and Jaylen Brown) could get the Celtics to the level of championship contender as long as Brad Stevens fills in the remainder of the roster with pieces that complement his young star (or two young stars, if Brown is not moved in a trade).

Stevens does not have a lot of salary cap space this Summer and gave up the team's first round pick to dump Kemba Walker's contract on the Thunder's books but he does have options available to build up the roster and have the Celtics back in contention in 2022 under new coach Ime Udoka.

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The first step in building next year's team is assessing what players are already here.

Jayson Tatum is probably the only lock to be in a Celtics uniform to start the season.  He is the team's foundation, and after watching Giannis lead the Bucks to a championship it is fair for Celtics fans to envision Tatum doing the same in the next two or three years.

Jaylen Brown may not be untouchable in trade discussions, but he's pretty close.  Brown is an All-Star and one of the best young two-way players in the NBA.  I cannot imagine Stevens dealing him, unless it is for a bona fide All-NBA caliber player, such as Bradley Beal or Damian Lillard.

Marcus Smart is a favorite of Stevens, but he may be the player they need to move if they are to add a third star to the roster.

The 2019 and 2020 first round picks - Romeo Langford, Aaron Nesmith, and Payton Pritchard - all seem secure in being parts of the rotation and developing alongside of Tatum and (possibly) Brown.  Langford struggled with injuries his first two seasons, but demonstrated his ability to be a contributor toward the end of 2021.  Nesmith, a highly touted shooter coming out of Vanderbilt, started slow but like Langford he showed at the end of the season that he can play at the NBA level and his shooting will help Tatum and Brown aggressively attack the basket.  Pritchard had a solid rookie season and projects to be a rotation player on good teams in his career.  All three could either be a part of the future or could be part of a trade to help acquire another star player.

Evan Fournier, a free agent that the Celtics traded for this season, provides much needed scoring and play making on the perimeter.  If Stevens can re-sign him at a reasonable (3-years and $50-million?) cost than he's likely to return.

As for big men, the Celtics have Robert Williams, Tristan Thompson, Al Horford, Moses Brown, and Grant Williams under contract.  All are potentially available, with Thompson (who has 1-year and $9.7-million on his contract) probably the most likely to be dealt.  Luke Kornet and Tacko Fall are also currently on the roster but it would be surprising if either is back next season.

At the end of the bench Boston has veteran wings Jabari Parker and Semi Ojeleye as well guards Carsen Edwards and Tremont Waters.  Parker could be back as he's on a cheap contract and could add bench scoring.  Ojeleye is likely to move on, as are Edwards and Waters.  Edwards and Waters have both been "garbage time" end of game players in their first two NBA seasons and both always seemed to be looking out for themselves in those situations.

So, under my projection, that leaves the Udoka with the following roster before the Draft, trades, and free agency:

Ball Handlers: Marcus Smart, Payton Pritchard

Wings: Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Evan Fournier, Jabari Parker, Aaron Nesmith, Romeo Langford

Forwards: Robert Williams, Al Horford, Grant Williams, Moses Brown 

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The Draft is the first opportunity for Stevens to add to the Celtics roster.  Many Celtics fans are ignoring the Draft, due to the lack of a first round pick.  However, picking in the second round at #45 does offer Stevens the chance to find a young player who could be developed into an important role player.

There are six players that I am focusing on for this pick.  

One is Miles McBride, a tenacious defender who shot 41.4% from three-point for West Virginia.  The drawback to McBride to the Celtics is his 6-1 size.  Boston drafted Payton Pritchard, also a 6-1 point guard, in 2020 and having two short point guards on the roster could pose defensive issues.

Brandon Boston, Tre Mann, Joe Wieskamp, and Quentin Grimes all could be available as developmental "Three and D" wings.  Boston drafted Aaron Nesmith for that role a year ago, but in the NBA today a team can have no shortage of wings that can shoot and defend.  Especially with Tatum and Brown, Boston needs players that can space the floor with their shooting.

The last name that intrigues me is Charles Bassey, a 6-9 forward.  Bassey is a skilled two-way big man who has dropped down the draft boards due to some inconsistent play at Western Kentucky.  Bassey could be a potential second round steal at a position of need for Boston.

Stevens may have to move up in the second round, or even into the back of the first round, to add one of these six but any of them could work their way into the Celtics rotation.

Regardless of where they draft a player, the Celtics need to identify a player that fits a specific need who can develop into a contributing role player.

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The Celtics also hold several Traded Players Exceptions (TPE), which allow them to take on salary without having to send out salary.

Stevens has an $11-million exception remaining from the Gordon Hayward sign-and-trade to Charlotte after last season (that expires on November 29), a $4.7-million exception from the Enes Kanter trade to Portland at last year's draft (expires on November 22), and $6.8-million from the Kemba Walker trade (that expires on June 20, 2022).

The Hayward TPE is the most likely to yield a contributing player for next season.  One name to keep an eye on is the Tomas Satoransky of the Bulls.  The soon-to-be 30-year-old 6-7 guard would give Boston another tall ball handler/wing.  Satoransky can shoot (36.6% career from three) and could possibly be had for nothing more than a conditional future second round pick as Chicago would like to unload the $10-million he is owed for the 2021-22 season.

Other possible targets for a veteran guard with the Hayward TPE are Delon Wright of the Kings, Kyle Anderson of the Grizzlies, and Rajon Rondo of the Clippers.  If a forward becomes the target, Larry Nance Jr. of the Cavaliers could be a nice upgrade over Grant Williams.

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Due to their salary cap situation, Boston will not be much of a player in free agency.  They will likely only have the Tax Payer Mid-Level Exception of $5.9-million.  While that will not attract a marquee free agent, it should allow Stevens to add a veteran role player to the roster.

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This is a critical offseason for the Celtics.  Stevens and Udoka have two young All-Stars under contract and now need to develop their current roster and add additional pieces that can fill specific roles around Tatum and Brown.

Watching the Bucks, they relied on the likes of Pat Connaughton, Bobby Portis, and PJ Tucker in their championship run.  It is on Stevens and Udoka to identify players who fit specific needs that can flourish alongside of Tatum and Brown.  Those are the two stars, and the Celtics need to effectively build a roster around them. 

That will be the difference between the Celtics being an also-ran in 2022 or being in the mix to contend for a championship in 2022.