Boston Celtics
For starters, let’s get one thing clearcut: everything event that unfolds in TD Garden will be influenced by Kyrie Irving‘s monumental decision. If the Celtics are able to pull off a trade for Anthony Davis, Irving’s stay in Beantown will almost certainly be extended. Unfortunately for Celtics, though, his name has been linked for the past year to the upstart Knicks or a potential reunion with former teammate LeBron James on the West Coast.
If GM Danny Ainge isn’t able to lock down Irving, they still have a great young core highlighted by Jayson Tatum to build around for years to come. It’ll all come down to whether the young guys can make the leap they were expected to make this year, before ultimately falling short of monumental expectations set by last year’s Eastern Conference Finals appearance.
There’s also that dilemma regarding what to do with Gordon Hayward, as coming off that gruesome leg injury he suffered on last year’s opening night, he expectedly regressed this season. The former All-Star shooting guard, who’s due nearly $66 million over the next two seasons, has a damn near untradeable contract at this point (more on those later), so the Celtics better hope he can return to what he was during his days as a Jazz player.