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The 2017-2018 Boston Celtics miraculously finished their season with a record of 55-27, good enough for second best in the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference after two of their seemingly best players, Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, had missed extended time due to injury during the regular season. Many, including me, had written off these Celtics from that very first regular season game where Gordon Hayward had that terrible ankle injury, which ended his season. But they pressed on, upsetting everyone they met through the Eastern Conference in the playoffs until their dreaded match up with the King and the Cleveland Cavaliers. They took LeBron to the brink, but didn't manage to take game 7 and progress to the NBA Finals. Like the Raptors, losing to King James is nothing to be ashamed of, as many have done so before and many will continue to lose to him for a very long time to come. Brad Stevens, who has my vote for coach of the year, did a wonderful job with this roster this year. He managed to simultaneously develop and win at the same time, while also transforming his star, Kyrie Irving, into an effective number one option and "the guy" for a championship-caliber roster. This team is young, exciting, and will only continue to get better next season.
The most remarkable thing about the Boston Celtics is how they are still overflowing with assets after all of this time. They hold all of their own first-round picks until the end of time, the Sacramento Kings 1st in 2019, and picks from the Clippers and Grizzlies that won't convey to them for some time. The roster for next year is miraculous as well, as many GMs would kill to have Celtics bench players like Terry Rozier and Marcus Morris to start for their team, as well as a player like Jaylen Brown or Jayson Tatum. One of those two (likely Brown) will have to come off the bench next season if no moves are made over the summer due to the addition of Gordon Hayward back to the lineup, which is mind-boggling, as they are consistently mentioned in the conversation for top young, two-way talents in the league.
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The Celtics really just need to run this roster back next season, as its combination of depth, coaching, and top-level talent is rivaled by nobody. Any discussion of trading major player players and draft picks needs to be tabled for next season, so they can really take into account what they have as a whole right now. A guy like Kawhi Leonard would be a tremendous addition for any team, and the Celtics certainly have the assets to swing a trade, but I'm not sure cashing in those assets right now for a disgruntled, injured star whose contract is almost up is the most productive use for those resources. The man assumed to be the primary target for general manager Danny Ainge, Anthony Davis, just came off a very successful playoff birth for the Pelicans and may not be looking to relocate just yet. We don't know what next season may hold, however, as the Pelicans could very easily (and should) move on from DeMarcus Cousins, which may miff Davis as the Pelicans are already lacking in overall talent-level on the roster. Some future combination of the Kings pick, an extended Terry Rozier, and Jaylen Brown/Jayson Tatum (along with additional salary) could be a very enticing package for both sides. The point here is that the Celtics have aspirations to continue their long, dynastic history of winning NBA championships, and the tools are certainly in place for the them to continue this tradition for a long time.
The main focal points this offseason for the Celtics will be very minor, mainly involving taking care of their own and developing further chemistry among this up-and-coming roster. One major decision will be the restricted free agency of guard Marcus Smart. Smart has gone on the record to say that he feels that he is worth far more than the $12M to $14M-a-year valuations that people currently have for him this summer, and even that number seems quite above market value for a guard that can't shoot. His contributions on the defensive side of the ball are massive and should not be overlooked, but the Celtics will have plenty of defensive bodies to throw at teams next year. He would certainly be welcome back on a low-money or short-term deal should the market turn out to be less fruitful than Smart thought, but the Celtics should not hamstring their future selves financially out of fear of losing him. Aron Baynes and Shane Larkin should also be resigned for depth, although on very minimal, preferably 1-year deals, similar to the ones signed last summer. Monroe has been very underwhelming after being acquired on the buyout market and should be let loose. Abdel Nader has a partially guaranteed contract, along with Semi Ojeleye and Daniel Theis, and has had a very minimal role for this team unlike the other two. He, along with Guerschon Yabusele, are nothing more than end of the bench prospects at this point in their respective careers and should be replaced soon by more meaningful contributors if they don't develop.
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In the draft, they hold pick #27 and no second-round picks just yet, although they have $5.1M which can and likely will be sent out to other teams to acquire one. 27 will likely be used to stock up on additional guard depth like Donte DiVincenzo or Grayson Allen as insurance for Kyrie Irving's knees and the very real possibility of Rozier's departure in the near future, and the second-round pick will likely be best player available, although additional bigs would be a good look. The list of Celtics needs heading into free agency is to essentially just be frugal and smart. If a premium talent like Tyreke Evans (who the Celtics heavily targeted at the deadline) can be had for a short-term, after-market deal, they should make it happen. Other than that, they really only need a big that can defend, rebound, and spot Baynes, Theis, and Horford when called upon for minimal or injury minutes at the 5, essentially to replace Monroe and his role. This could very easily be a guy like Nerlens Noel or Brandan Wright, or even a homecoming for Amir Johnson.
The Celtics have an incredibly bright nucleus with which they will almost certainly dominate the East, if not the entire NBA, for years to come. Props to Brad Stevens and especially Danny Ainge. Banner 18 coming soon.
