While the Celtics offseason was by no means flashy, the current roster is shaping up to be a contender in the near future. Despite the lack of big name acquisitions in the offseason, the Celtics are still among the top of list for “rebuilding” teams in the NBA.
Teams like the Knicks, Lakers, Nuggets, Kings, and the Nets are in similar situations, but there is one key difference: the roster talent. If the Celtics are able to land an All-Star in next year’s free agency, the team already has the talent to surround that star. Or, if Danny Ainge prefers, the Celtics have the trade picks and young assets to make a blockbuster trade in order to bring in another big name to the city.
Historically, the Celtics haven’t been a prime destination for free agents; even Kevin Garnett was hesitant to come to Boston in the trade that brought us the “Big Three”. Despite that, history and tradition is beginning to fade away in the NBA. Just look at the teams that are contenders for this years Larry O’Brien Championship trophy: the Golden State Warriors, LA Clippers, and Cleveland Cavaliers are all front-runners to take home the trophy. Golden State also dismantled the notion that teams can only be successful with a dominant big.
Having said all that, this offseason wasn’t all that bad, even though we didn’t land a big name. Namely because the Celtics made acquisitions that won’t hurt our salary cap for next year’s offseason: David Lee (1 year – 15.5 million) and Amir Johnson (2 year – 24 million). These new signings, plus an addition of three talented rookies, makes for solid progression in the roster.
The last important piece to the Celtics future, is the young and brilliant coach, Brad Stevens. Last year, after trading Rondo and Green, the Celtics were expected to have an abysmal record for the rest of the year. Despite expectations, Stevens was able to improve the record and make a late push for the 7^th seed in the Eastern Conference. Although the East is weak, it’s still amazing that we made it that far.
Stevens is excited for the continuation from last year’s roster to this years roster. “I just think, in general terms, the more continuity, the better.” said Stevens. “So obviously it’s great when you’ve got guys like Avery, Kelly, Sully, that have been here the whole time, and that you can draw back on all [playoff/past] experiences.”
This upcoming season, the Celtics look like a playoff team, but don’t expect much more than that. Smart, Thomas, Crowder, Olynyk, Johnson, Lee, Sully and Turner are all returners that are predicted to be key pieces to the 2015/16 squad. If Stevens can put together the puzzle pieces, the Celtics will likely improve last season’s record. However, no Celtics fans should be crazy enough to expect to see the Larry O’Brien Trophy returning home next year. While the Celtics “rebuilding process” is definitely light-years ahead of the 76ers, we are by no means a championship contender. All we can do is continue to improve and continue to build our assets until a top 10 talent returns to The Garden.