When the Boston Celtics traded Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce last year on draft night, it was a sign that the team was moving in a new direction. Struggles were expected especially since Rajon Rondo’s return was uncertain. First year head coach, Brad Stevens had his hands full and lacked the talent to make Boston any sort of threat in the Eastern Conference.
The Celtics now enter the off-season faced with a bit of dilemma; finish blowing up the roster and truly start from scratch or try and use their assets to acquire a big man player to help Rondo out.
Boston Celtics (25-57 last year)
2014-15 Projected Depth Chart:
C: Jared Sullinger/Kelly Olynyk/Vitor Faverani/^Joel Anthony
PF: Brandon Bass
SF: Jeff Green/Gerald Wallace/#Chris Johnson
SG: *Avery Bradley/Keith Bogans/#Chris Babb
PG: Rajon Rondo/Phil Pressey
NBA Free Agents:
PF-Kris Humphries (UFA)
PG-Jerryd Bayless (UFA)
*SG-Avery Bradley (RFA)
^C-Joel Anthony (PO)
#SG-Chris Babb (TO)
#SF-Chris Johnson (TO)
2014-15 Team Salary: approximately $52.6 million
Team Needs:
1. What to do with Rondo?:
Rondo is entering the final year of his contract and unless Boston somehow makes significant strides this season, he likely walks next summer. The smart thing to do would be trading Rajon Rondo and trying to acquire as many assets and future cap space as possible. If I were general manager, Danny Ainge, I would insist any deal with Rondo include Gerald Wallace and the remaining two years, $20-plus million left on his contract. That won’t be an easy deal to swing but would certainly help the franchise if they end up in a full fledge rebuilding effort.
2. Be aggressive on draft night:
Dating back to the Ray Allen trade and last year’s dealing of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, the Celtics aren’t afraid to make a major move on draft night. With the 6th and 17th overall picks and multiple future first rounders, Boston has enough ammunition to make a move for a veteran to help get the team back into the playoff picture. (Kevin Love, anyone?) I am not expecting Ainge to be quiet leading up to the draft so it will be interesting to see which direction he ends up taking with the club.
3. Shooting Guard:
Avery Bradley is a restricted free agent so Boston has to make a decision regarding his future. They do have the right to match any deal Bradley signs but will they want to pony up the seven-nine million dollars per year Bradley might get on the open market? I doubt it.
If Bradley ends up leaving, the Celtics must find a shooter who can spread the floor and allow Rondo to do what he does best; drive and create. Even if Bradley stays, adding another outside threat in the backcourt should be a priority.
OTHER NBA OFF-SEASON TEAM NEEDS PAGES:
David Kay is a senior feature NBA Draft, NBA, and college basketball writer for the Sports Bank. He also heads up the NBA and college basketball material at Walter Football.com and is a former contributor at The Washington Times Communities. David has appeared on numerous national radio programs spanning from Cleveland to New Orleans to Milwaukee to Honolulu. He also had the most accurate 2011 NBA Mock Draft and the most accurate 2012 NBA Mock Draft on the internet (Yup, repeat champ… #humblebrag), and finished with the second most accurate 2013 NBA Mock Draft (nearly a three-peat.) You can follow him on Twitter at David_Kmiecik.