In the few weeks between the completion of the NBA Finals and the start of free agency, the Boston Celtics were one of the NBA’s busiest clubs.
Kristaps Porzingis was acquired by the C’s in a trade that sent Marcus Smart to Memphis and Danilo Gallinari and Mike Muscala to Washington, D.C. Boston was also close to making Malcolm Brogdon the centerpiece of a trade that would have sent him to the Los Angeles Clippers.
On draft night, Boston completed five trades, eventually acquiring Jordan Walsh along with a slew of future draft picks.
So, what’s next? Despite their desire to add additional accentuators and their willingness to continue spending money, the Celtics don’t look to have much flexibility to make changes. That does not necessarily imply that they will do nothing. Here are some of the events that Green Team members may witness this summer.
Grant Williams, good-bye.
Grant Williams’ days in Boston appear to be numbered, which would have seemed like a wild forecast one season ago.
After dropping out of Joe Mazzulla’s rotation for the entire 2022-23 season, Williams was extended a qualifying offer by the Celtics and will become a restricted free agency on Friday. That gives Boston the option to match any contract offer made to him, but there will almost certainly be another team prepared to throw a substantial sum of money at the 24-year-old three-and-D player. The Celtics will not want to keep Williams; they just will not be able to.
Kristaps Porzingis has been arrested in Boston.
This isn’t very daring. In fact, it’s likely to occur during the first week of free agency.
Kristaps Porzingis is eligible to sign a two-year, $77 million contract extension with Boston as early as July 6, so note it now so we can seem smart when it happens.
Introducing A Minutes Eater
The Celtics have a solid frontcourt rotation, with Porzingis, Al Horford, and Robert Williams III all projected to play significant minutes. The only problem is that none of those players can be expected to play a complete season without being injured or needing scheduled rest.
Danilo Gallinari is no longer an option, while Grant Williams has already been mentioned as a possible departure. That brings us to the possibility of Boston bringing in another big body, with JaMychal Green, Trey Lyles, Jeff Green, and Keita Bates-Diop all making sense as low-cost candidates.
Marcus Smart’s replacement is Russell Westbrook.
This one is simply plain amusing.
Russell Westbrook is coming off a $46 million-per-season contract, so how in the world would the Celtics be able to sign him? For starters, he’s 35 years old, and his recent level of play will rule out almost half of the league’s teams from pursuing him. He could definitely receive a good deal from a non-playoff team, but wouldn’t it make more sense for him to take a small salary to join a contender? We can fantasize.
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