The return of Al Horford won’t get nearly as much fanfare as his first stint with the Boston Celtics, when he left the Atlanta Hawks after nine seasons to become the most highly regarded free agent to sign with Boston.
But as important as it is to examine what Horford’s arrival means for the Celtics now and in the future, it's more important to look at how this move gives us a better sense of how Brad Stevens will work towards positioning Boston for one of the top-tier spots in the East.
While the book on Stevens is still being written, there are a few takeaways from his first major move as the team’s President of Basketball Operations to keep an eye on going forward.
Stevens didn’t waste any time addressing the biggest issue with the team, and that was what to do with Kemba Walker Not only did they move on and add some legit talent, but they also did it in little to no time.
There was no waffling about what they should do.
And while Horford certainly isn’t the same player he was when he was in Boston, he will provide some added depth at the center position that includes a trio of bigs still under contract. (Robert Williams III, Tristan Thompson, Horford)
The decision by Boston to include this year’s first-round pick, 16th overall, feels very much like a thing that Stevens would do and not necessarily a move his predecessor, Danny Ainge, would have tried to execute.
Once you get into the particulars of the deal, it essentially becomes a swap of Walker for Horford and a parting of the 16th overall pick by Boston in exchange for Mo Brown. Having a young player like the 21-year-old Brown provides more than added big man depth, but also a young player with upside whose best days in the NBA are ahead of him.
A league executive told Boston Sports Journal following the trade that he believes Stevens is more focused on giving his new coach more roster stability than he had when he was the Celtics' head coach.
“Remember how Danny kept trading players over and over and over again when Brad first became head coach?” the executive told the Boston Sports Journal. “Adding the (Mo) Brown kid, you don’t add him to move him. You do so to develop and hopefully play him. Getting the Brown kid, to me, was the best part of the deal if you’re a Boston Celtic.”
While Boston may have a little more wiggle room with the trade, don’t think for a minute that Stevens is done reshaping this team.
It remains unclear still what the Celtics will do with their backcourt; specifically Marcus Smart and free agent-to-be Evan Fournier. Smart has been a top-shelf defender throughout his time in Boston, but is entering the final year of a four-year, $52 million deal with no clear indications that he will be re-signed.
After using part of the Gordon Hayward TPE (Traded Player Exception) at the trade deadline to acquire Fournier, Boston must decide if it's willing to pony up and pay him which will most likely result in having a luxury tax bill for a team that's not expected to contend for a title next season.
Boston must also figure out what to do with Williams III who will eligible for an extension prior to the start of the 2021-2022 season. Look for Williams’ extension offer to heavy on incentives due to his injury-riddled career thus far, with a total package (including incentives) that will likely be in the Clint Capela (five years, $90 million) range.
TATUM PLAYING (AND RECRUITING) IN TOKYO?
Seeing how Jayson Tatum at times struggled with his health following testing positive for the coronavirus, the last thing Celtics fans want to see is him playing games that don’t directly impact the Celtics when it comes to wins and losses.
But for him and the organization, being on the United States Olympic team is a privilege he should take advantage of, and one that could be beneficial to the Celtics as well.
We saw in 2016 when the NBA All-Star game was in Toronto, then-Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas used his time to talk to some players about what it was like playing in Boston.
Among the players he spoke with?
Al Horford who would later sign a four-year deal with the Celtics.
Tatum will have an even bigger audience to have those conversations with during the Olympics. As one of the top players on the team, Tatum’s voice will have, by far, greater significance in conversations which could ultimately result in the Celtics making a run at one of the top players on Team USA. In doing so, he could speed up the process of Boston being in the running for Banner 18.
TIME TO MANN UP
No Kawhi, no problem for the Los Angeles Clippers who are on to the Western Conference finals for the first time in franchise history. A big part of their Game 6 win over Utah was the play of Terance Mann.
Mann, who grew up in Lowell, Mass., scored a career-high 39 points in the Clippers' victory. He did so by exposing Utah’s 7-foot-1 center Rudy Gobert, a three-time Defensive Player of the Year. Gobert’s inability to rotate out to the 6-foot-5 Mann standing in the corner shooting 3's (he made seven of 10 three-point attempts) proved pivotal in Utah’s season coming to an earlier-than-expected ending.
No surprise, Mann's play was the talk of the game and the post-game euphoria as the Clippers advanced to the Conference finals for the first time in franchise history.
ALL-SNUB TEAM
When the NBA released its All-NBA teams, as is the case every year, there were a few notable omissions. Here’s one man’s list of the obviously overlooked.
Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics: Continues to re-write the record book for the most storied franchise in the NBA. Should be a perennial all-NBA selection
Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns: One of the best scorers in the league, much of his shine was overlooked due to playing with Chris Paul.
Donovan Mitchell, Utah Jazz: He’s clearly the best player on the team with the best record in the league, but he’s not a top 15 talent?
Russell Westbrook, Washington Wizards: A first-ballot Hall of Famer, a triple-double machine unlike anyone we’ve seen in the league.
Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks: A lethal shooter with Steph Curry-like range, he has been arguably the best postseason performer this far this year.