The Celtics put some finishing touches this week after introducing Kemba Walker and Enes Kanter in Brighton, while also making the contracts of Daniel Theis, Brad Wanamaker and Vincent Poirier official. While the heavy lifting over a tumultuous month appears to be done, there are still several unanswered questions about what comes next for the franchise. A closer look at a few of the more notable areas on that front as we head into the dog days of summer:
1. What is the starting five going to look like?
The Celtics found their replacement at point guard in Kemba Walker for Kyrie Irving but there is a lot of uncertainty about the remaining starting five after an offseason full of turnover. Enes Kanter is the safe choice at starting center to at least begin the season after taking less money to come to Boston but that situation could change depending on the opponent from a night-to-night basis. The case could be made that Kanter’s offensive punch may be needed more with the second unit as well but that’s a shift that I would not expect to be made until midseason.
Beyond that? There are still three spots up for grabs with four obvious candidates in the fold. Jayson Tatum is a smart choice to start given his track record so that leaves three names (Gordon Hayward, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart) for the final two pieces. Brown is entering a contract year after a season when he adapted nicely to a bench role over the final few months of the regular season. Smart was one of the few Celtics that played above expectations last year and probably will be eager to stay in the starting five after earning an All-Defensive nod for the first time. Meanwhile, Hayward will be in search of a return to his former All-Star form two years out from his horrific ankle injury.
The good news for Stevens is that nearly any duo out of the three should be able to work in the starting five. Ultimately, it’s going to come down to fit and how Stevens wants to manage the rotation. Given how many of last year’s problems stemmed from a slow 10-10 start and a subpar performance by Hayward and Brown within the starting five, there is going to be a lot of added emphasis to get this right out of the gate for Boston. That won’t make the decision any easier for Stevens since someone will have to be accepting of a sixth man role. This offseason did nothing to clear up the logjam on that front.
2. What's the plan for the Celtics to get back towards contending beyond internal improvement?
The Celtics had a nice recovery in landing Walker after Irving departed but there’s still no questioning that this group is a cut below a title contender with this current roster. They (perhaps wisely) refused to give up significant future assets and financial flexibility when it came to Al Horford so now the team is straddling the line of a good playoff team with no championship aspirations with this current core. There is no question they will be a more enjoyable group to watch but that doesn’t mean they are a contender. Bringing aboard Walker for four years in a win-now move but the team’s collection of future assets is starting to look weak compared to other teams around the league when it comes to bidding for a potential future star.
For the first time in a while, it’s hard to directly point out a long-term plan for the franchise as the NBA looks wide open. The initial bet appears to be on youngsters like Tatum and Brown returning to their form from two years ago but sizable paydays will be coming due on both soon. Can either of those guys be a top-tier option on a contender? If not, the team needs to hesitate on investing max money in either and cash out while they still have more value on their rookie deals.
The Grizzlies pick looms as one final appealing draft chip at the team’s disposal and how it will be used is more pivotal than ever after the team’s other first-round stash of picks were used in large part last month. The early returns on those selections are promising from this past summer but at least one of those players needs to break out and look like a bargain deal to help the Celtics create an appealing trade package for their next star target in the near term The margin of error now is very thin for the front office, making every decision now even more crucial.
3. How much will last season's inactivity when it comes to managing assets cost the Celtics in the long run?
Part of this is beyond Boston’s control as they remain committed to contending last season but it’s hard not to look at how other teams fared with free agents around the league and how the Celtics ended up. The Warriors got D’Angelo Russell for Kevin Durant. The Sixers got Josh Richardson for Jimmy Butler. The Raptors lost Kawhi Leonard for nothing but won a title in a process. Meanwhile, the Celtics saw their best two players walk away without getting any compensation. Some of that was a reflection of circumstances of the teams pursuing them having max cap room but the C’s did have outs during the course of last year to hedge against that, particularly with Irving. Additionally, Terry Rozier could have fetched a protected first-round pick last summer but was held onto for ‘Kyrie’ insurance. Marcus Morris had his best season to date but the team declined to sell high on him at the trade deadline and saw him walk away for modest money elsewhere. Staying patient with draft picks (Kings first-rounder) also came back to bite Boston as well.
From an asset management standpoint, things could not have gone much worse for Boston. Luck had something to do with that but a lot of these were decisions within Boston’s control. They left themselves with a very small safety net and a lot of faith they would be able to retain key pieces and add big ones after this season. The cupboard is far from bare at this point but there is more pressure than ever now on the C’s young players to develop. Without them maximizing their form, last season could haunt Boston’s contending chances for years.
4. What's the plan with Jaylen Brown's future in Boston?
We already touched on this last week here at BSJ in an exclusive conversation with Brown. The Celtics clearly had a number of other moves to make in the past two weeks which probably put this situation on the back burner but it remains as one of the most important storylines for this upcoming season with this group. The Celtics are unlikely to reach an extension with Brown before the season begins based on the market and their history of rookie deals but they will need to determine by February what they are willing to commit to the 23-year-old swingman next summer.
Rolling into restricted free agency next July is going to be a major roll of the dice for any team with a promising young player due to the lack of top-tier veteran talent available. The Celtics will have to feel confident about the total they are willing to invest in Brown before that point. Otherwise, they risk having to overpay him (a la Otto Porter Jr. in Washington a few years ago). If not, they could lose another asset for nothing. Whether or not the Celtics will choose to be proactive on this front (via trade or getting more aggressive in extension talks earlier) should help clarify the long-term direction for the franchise. The best bet, for now, is simply to see how Brown meshes with this group out of camp (any preseason trade feels unlikely) but this is one name to watch as the regular season unfolds.
