Despite picking up Gordon Hayward, the Boston Celtics missed a bit opportunity this offseason
The Boston Celtics entered the offseason as one of the best short-term and long-term teams in the league. Although they were blown off the court by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Celtics are a team on the rise that has already risen to substantial heights.
With all of their talent and future draft picks, the Celtics seemed like a team that would use their assets to land at least one superstar. But with superstars Jimmy Butler and Paul George no longer on the market, the Celtics may have missed their opportunity to land a two-way superstar player for pennies on the dollar.
The Celtics deserve a lot of credit for obtaining a lot of assets. They not only have their future first round picks, but they also have Brooklyn’s 2018 first round pick, a future Grizzlies first round pick (top 8 protected in 2019, top 6 protected in 2020, unprotected in 2021), a future Clippers pick (lottery protected first round pick in 2019 or 2020, then becomes a second round pick in 2022 if not conveyed), and a high first round pick that they received from Philadelphia for trading away the number one pick in this year’s draft.
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That pick could be the Lakers’ first round pick in 2018 if it falls between picks 2 and 6, otherwise it will be the better of the 2019 first round picks from Philadelphia or Sacramento.
The Boston Celtics also have a lot of good players that teams would covet. These tradable players include Avery Bradley, Marcus Smart, Jae Crowder, Jaylen Brown, and Jayson Tatum. Brown and Tatum were the third overall picks in the last two drafts, and apparently weren’t made available for trade during this offseason. Although both of these players are extremely talented and young, they’re both worth trading for a superstar like Butler or George. Instead, GM Danny Ainge didn’t pull the trigger on a trade that could’ve propelled Boston ahead of Cleveland in the Eastern Conference.
Bradley, Smart, and Crowder are three of the best wing defenders in the NBA. Bradley is arguably the most underrated player in the league. He should’ve made the All-Defense team, just ask his peers. His offensive game is also underrated. Bradley would’ve been the best player either Chicago or Indiana received if they chose to make a trade with Boston. Smart is a combo guard that can defend either guard position and smaller forwards. He isn’t consistent on the offensive end of the floor, but that part of his game is improving. Crowder is the classic 3-and-D wing that every team needs.
Although the Celtics don’t have a starting caliber point guard behind Isaiah Thomas, they should’ve been willing to deal the All-Star point guard if it would’ve landed them a superstar. Thomas is an offensive spark plug that has led the Celtics’ resurgence back to the top tier in the Eastern Conference, but his defense is so putrid that it limits his overall effectiveness. He’s extremely undersized and it’s likely that his game won’t age well, so trading him while his stock is sky high for a better player with more long-term potential would’ve helped Boston in the long run.
This would anger Celtics fans, but Danny Ainge’s job is to help the team win championships.
Danny Ainge deserves credit for obtaining all these assets, but he should get even more criticism for failing to maximize their potential. Jimmy Butler and Paul George were traded for way below market value. Boston should’ve easily been able to beat both deals. Since George may not have stayed beyond one year, they shouldn’t have sold the farm for him.
The package of Marcus Smart, Jae Crowder, and two lesser first round picks (one of Boston’s picks and the Clippers first round pick) should’ve closed the deal. That haul is worth a lot more than Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis.
Since Jimmy Butler’s contract situation was a lot clearer, the Celtics could’ve offered a few more quality assets without worrying about him leaving after one year. If the Celtics offered Avery Bradley, Brown or Tatum, and two major first round picks (the Grizzlies first round pick and 2018 Nets first round pick), then they probably would’ve landed Butler.
Brown is a defensive stopper with offensive potential and Tatum is an offensive star with defensive potential. They could’ve given Chicago their choice of player and kept the other. Both would fit with George and Butler.
Hardwood Houdini
DeMarcus Cousins was traded at last year’s trade deadline for essentially Buddy Hield and a first round pick. Hield was a great college player, but has extreme limitations that will likely keep him from being anything more than a role player. If the Celtics wanted Boogie, they could’ve easily afforded him. He can be difficult to manage at times, but there aren’t many centers in the league with his skill set.
Some have speculated that Chicago and Indiana didn’t want to trade their superstars within the Eastern Conference, but that shouldn’t matter for these rebuilding teams. They won’t have to worry about running into their former star players in the playoffs when they aren’t good enough to even make the playoffs.
Others have speculated that Danny Ainge is difficult to work with, so teams are avoiding trading with Boston. If this is true, this is extremely damaging. Maybe Ainge was lowballing Chicago and Indiana and they got tired of dealing with him. Either way, it’s inexcusable that Boston didn’t end up with George or Butler. Given what they were traded for, Boston should’ve ended up with both players.
The good news is that the Boston Celtics signed Gordon Hayward in free agency, saving them from being the biggest losers of the offseason.
Problem is, if the Celtics want to dethrone the Cleveland Cavaliers, Ainge has to hope another superstar comes on the market shortly. And, if this past offseason was any indication, he will likely have to overpay to get them. It’s unlikely that other superstars will get traded for pennies on the dollar. This was Boston’s chance, and they blew it.
Even without acquiring another superstar via trade, the Celtics have a bright future.
They’ll have a chance of turning these assets into a championship team, but it’ll be a lot more difficult than it needed to be. The Celtics will be operating with two different timelines. Al Horford, Thomas, Bradley, Crowder, and Hayward are part of the older timeline.
This unit is talented enough to make noise in the Eastern Conference, but they cannot get past the Cavaliers. Brown, Tatum, and the draft assets are part of the younger timeline. By the time that these players reach their prime, the players on the older timeline will have faded away.
And there’s no guarantee that these younger players will be able to lead Boston to a championship.
Although Danny Ainge made critical mistakes this offseason, it’s not all doom and gloom in Boston. Gordon Hayward just committed to Boston, and a superstar player might become available for trade. Boston’s draft picks could contribute quicker than expected and help them surpass the Cavaliers this year. You never know?
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LeBron James could get injured or leave in free agency after the 2018 season. There are a lot of ifs, so we’ll all just have to wait and see what happens. But given the fact that two superstars that were linked to Boston were traded away for minimal returns, Danny Ainge deserves criticism for hoarding his assets and missing out on an opportunity to create a team that can rival the Warriors’ super team.