Over the past few years, the Celtics have continuously been a top contender that fell just short of reaching their ultimate goal: an NBA Championship. When the team lost in game seven of the Eastern Conference Finals to the Miami Heat on May 29th, the roster went into the offseason with rather minimal uncertainty. There wasn’t a real expectation that there would be a major turnover. The majority of the core roster was under contract for 2024. Fast forward a few months and the Celtics roster looks completely different. Brad Stevens showed that he isn’t afraid to make any move that he feels improves the team’s chances to win a title. Let’s jump into the Celtics offseason review & grades.
Celtics Trade Grant Williams
Embed from Getty ImagesCeltics Receive:
- 2024 second-round pick (via SA)
- 2025 second-round pick (via Mavs)
- 2030 second-round pick (via Mavs)
- 6.2 million TPE
Mars Receive:
- F Grant Williams
- 2025 second-round pick (via SA)
- 2028 second-round pick (via SA)
Spurs Receive:
- F Reggie Bullock
- Unprotected 2030 first-round pick swap (via Mavs)
The Celtics technically could’ve resigned Grant Williams as a team can go over the cap to keep their own players. With that said, it was an iffy decision whether it was worth giving Williams the money he was going to demand, and if the team’s tax bill increase would justify the move. Ownership has been vocal about their willingness to spend what it takes to win, but they want to make sure their money will go to winning moves. Ultimately, Brad Stevens decided the best decision was to let Grant leave. In the process, he was able to acquire three second-round picks and a 6.2 million trade player exception.
Grade: B-
Celtics Trade Smart for Porzingis
Celtics Receive:
- F/C Kristaps Porzingis
- 25th overall pick in 2023 draft
- 2024 Warriors first-round pick (via Memphis)
Grizzlies Receive:
Wizards Receive:
- G Tyus Jones
- F Danilo Gallinari
- C Mike Muscala
This is the deal that shocked the entire Celtics fan base. Marcus Smart, the “heart and soul” of the Boston Celtics was traded away. Not only did trading Smart shock the NBA world, but it came as an even bigger surprise because there were numerous reports in the days and hours leading up to the completed trade that Malcolm Brogdon was going to be part of the deal. Ultimately, Brad Stevens felt like the roster needed a change. After years of falling short, the deal was made to add Porzingis to the mix. Though he has battled injuries throughout his career, Porzingis produced a career year in 2023, finishing the season with a career-high in points (23.2 PPG) while scoring from all over the court and improving on his defensive game as well. Altogether, Porzingis was one of the most productive big men in the entire league last year.
The big question that was contemplated by the media was if it was worth trading such an important player on and off the court in Marcus Smart. Though it was very difficult to say goodbye to Smart, in the months since the trade, fans seem to have acknowledged that at least on the court, the Celtics improved. Porzingis offers an outstanding compliment to Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. He doesn’t need to be ball-dominant to score and can be an ideal third option offensively. Considering the upgrade on the court, and that the Celtics received two first-round picks, it was a win of a trade. The Celtics were also able to agree to a two-year extension with Porzingis.
Grade: B+
Celtics Extend Jaylen Brown
In late July, the Celtics struck an extension with Jaylen Brown on a five-year, 304 million-dollar deal, the largest deal in NBA history. On the surface, it seems like an overpay. Jaylen Brown is a very good player but obviously not worthy of being the highest-paid player in the league.
With that said, that’s simply how the NBA works. Supermax contracts are given to the top tier of players and each year, that price goes up. Whoever is the latest to sign the supermax will end up with the highest contract. In a couple of years, Brown will drop out of the top 10 highest contracts and will certainly be out of the top 20 by the end of the deal. As I mentioned, Brown isn’t “worthy” of being the highest-paid player in the league, but the decision to extend Brown was rather easy to make. You have to keep him around and hope Brown and Tatum can get over the hump.
Grade: C+
Celtics Trade for Jrue Holiday
Celtics Receive:
Trailblazers Receive:
- G Malcolm Brogdon
- C Rob Williams
- 2024 Warriors 1st round pick (via Celtics)
- 2029 Celtics 1st round pick
After months of back and forth, waiting around, and wondering how things would play out, Damian Lillard was finally traded. The Bucks landed the all-star point guard and looked to have improved their chances of winning the NBA title. What they probably didn’t realize, was trading their own all-star point guard to the Trailblazers would result in him then being shipped back out to Boston.
Brad Stevens has been a long-time fan of Jrue Holiday, and after almost trading Brogdon earlier this offseason, Stevens finally found the right deal. It was tough to send out both Brogdon and Williams, but ultimately, the Celtics added another premiere player. Jrue Holiday is a great defender that can also score the ball. As I mentioned with the Porzingis trade, Holiday fits perfectly into the starting rotation. He will provide an anchor defensively and be able to be a great compliment and fourth option in the Celtics starting lineup.
Grade: B+/A-
Overall Grade: A-
When you look over the current Celtics roster compared to what it was at the end of the 2022-2023 season, it should be viewed as better. They kept their two best players and added two really good players that fit perfectly alongside them. It certainly took a lot of guts to trade players like Marcus Smart and Rob Williams, but Stevens did what he felt was necessary. Depth will be something to watch for this team, but it should be noted that the Celtics still hold a 6.2 million TPE to use if they need to add another piece. The Celtics starting rotation is the best in basketball. It’s as complete as it comes and the pieces within it complement each other well. If this team can stay healthy, the sky is the limit, and an NBA title is well within reach.
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