What the Celtics Need to Do to Make It to the NBA Finals Next Year

As much as I hate to say it, the Celtics will not make it to the NBA Finals this year.  The Cavaliers, especially after recently adding Kyle Korver, have way too much depth to let a still developing team like Boston beat them in playoffs this year.  Even though the Celtics roster continues to grow and improve every year, and even though they’re playing at a level similar to that of the Toronto Raptors, who have given the Cavs the most trouble in the postseason, and even though Isaiah Thomas is playing the best basketball of his career, the playing ability gap between Boston and Cleveland is still way too great to give Boston a chance to make it to the NBA Finals.  However, it is very possible that the Celtics could easily knock out Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers next season.  While Cleveland’s lineup rarely changes (with only 2 free agency signings and 1 trade since their 2016 NBA Championship), Boston’s roster has constantly been rearranging and changing for the last few seasons, and every adjustment the New England franchise makes ends up paying off.  However, Boston still needs one or two more good moves to secure a team that could be a serious contender for the NBA Finals.  In the same way that adding free agent Robert Parish in 1980 and free agents Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen in 2007 brought Championships to the city of Boston, it appears that the Celtics need one or maybe two more veterans to join Isaiah Thomas and Al Horford to make yet another Boston Big 3 that could potentially bring in banner number 18 and possibly more.  There are essentially two options for the Celtics that could bring in this desperately needed talent.  They could either sign free agents at the end of the year, or they could trade before the trade deadline.  A trade could possibly help them further their playoff chances as early as this season, but the key pieces they would have to give up might be more costly than playing with what they have and keeping their picks and cap space going into the offseason.  I broke down the best options for Boston to make their franchise a Championship team again, regardless of if they choose to trade, sign free agents, or both.

 

The latest Brian Scalabrine “trade rumor” is that there could be a multi team trade that would result in Boston receiving two all stars.  According to this latest rumor, the Celtics, Kings, and Wizards would all be involved with the potential of other teams joining in in this trade.  Apparently if the Celtics trade Isaiah Thomas, Marcus Smart, and at least this year’s Brooklyn pick, Boston would then get Demarcus Cousins and John Wall.  Even though it might be tempting to go through with this trade to see Cousins and Wall in Celtics jerseys, I honestly don’t think it’s worth it, or even realistic.  If you know anything about Celtics “trade rumors” then you know that that’s all they are: trade rumors.  Whether it’s the infamous Jimmy Butler trade, or the Greg Monroe and Khris Middleton trade, or the Klay Thompson trade, it’s extremely likely that this latest rumor is just another story to generate headlines and pageviews.  If this trade were to go through, it would mean that these teams involved would all lose their centerpieces.  Thomas of the Celtics, Cousins of the Kings, and Wall of the Wizards are all the centerpieces of their respective teams, and these organizations have built their rosters around them.  Even though the Wizards are having a slightly underachieving season, the Kings are on the verge of potentially earning their first playoff appearance in 11 years and the Celtics are closing in on the Raptors to become the best team in the Eastern Conference behind the Cavaliers.  Not to mention that Isaiah Thomas is having a career best season, with multiple 40 point games and a phenomenal 52 point game, while still showing potential to further improve.  Even though the Celtics are in desperate need of a league leading big man like Demarcus Cousins, it doesn’t make any sense to give up one of the league’s best shooters for John Wall, an all star guard who does not perform well from beyond the arc.  Hopefully, this is just another trade rumor about the Celtics that will blow over before the All-Star game.

 

If the Celtics really want to see a playoff appearance that runs to at least the Eastern Conference Finals, then they will have to sign at least one more notable veteran.  There are a handful of tempting options available for the C’s, but in my opinion, there are 8 options that are both possible and a great fit for Boston to continue to progress as a team.

 

Gordon Hayward

Hayward is a must sign for the Celtics this offseason.  The 6’8” forward for the Utah Jazz has practically turned that franchise into a playoff team entirely on his own.  As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, it has been years since I could name the entire starting 5 for Utah, and Gordon Hayward is one of the only reasons why they haven’t fallen to the bottom of the Western Conference.  Averaging 21.8 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, and being a fierce contender to the Celtics early this season, Gordon Hayward is the versatile big man who would pair perfectly with Al Horford and give the Celtics the extra advantage needed to potentially eliminate Cleveland from the playoffs.  With Avery Bradley and Isaiah Thomas taking control of the C’s backcourt, and with Hayward, Horford, and Crowder or Jaylen Brown splitting the roles of the frontcourt, the Celtics starting 5 could become deadly in the Eastern Conference, and with a potential first overall pick with the Brooklyn pick along with an already decent amount of depth on their roster, Boston could be looking at banner 18 sooner than later with Hayward coming to Boston.

 

Nerlens Noel

Another big man that could bring some serious improvement to the city of champions is Nerlens Noel.  Born and raised in Massachusetts, Nerlens Noel has put up some solid numbers for Philadelphia this season, averaging 4.7 rebounds per game while also shooting 60.7% from the field in the month of January alone.  Already expressing his interest in both his home, Boston, and wanting to leave the Sixers, Noel could have a spot on the Celtics roster before the start of the 2017-2018 season.  Noel has helped lead the 76ers from being one of the worst teams in NBA history to an on-the-rise, average team that is not to be overlooked.  If Nerlens can help turn around one of the worst franchises the NBA has ever seen, you can only imagine how much Boston could improve with his presence on the TD Garden court.  

 

Andre Iguodala

Boston essentially needs one versatile player who can become a stretch four.  Iguodala might be the answer to that needed position.  With both Steph Curry and Klay Thompson needing new contracts next season, it is very likely that at least one of them will take a max contract.  Combine that with Golden State’s recent signing of Kevin Durant and the fact that Iguodala is getting older now (he actually turns 33 this Saturday), the Warriors could be forced to let go of their former NBA Finals MVP.  Golden State needs to keep as much cap space open as possible for Thompson, Curry, and Durant (assuming he doesn’t opt out of his second year) in order to stay on top of the Western Conference, and not resigning Iguodala might be necessary to accomplish this.  Averaging about 6 ppg, 3.3 apg, and 3.7 rpg this season with only 25 minutes a game, Golden State’s backup to recently signed Kevin Durant has shown signs of still being a dominant player, both in the regular season and playoffs.  If Iguodala wants to continue to go after another ring, his best option might be Boston.

 

Serge Ibaka

One of the most memorable moments of the 2016 NBA Playoffs wasn’t the intense battle between the Warriors and the Cavs, it was Oklahoma City’s strategy.  OKC used both of their big men, Serge Ibaka and Steven Adams, simultaneously, essentially having two Centers on the court at all times.  This strategy was both impressive and effective as it almost prevented Golden State from advancing to the NBA Finals. Together, this duo of Adams and Ibaka averaged 22.4 ppg and 16.8 rpg in the Western Conference Finals and made it extremely hard for Golden State to adjust with two talented Centers covering the front court and all stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook taking care of the offense from 3 point range.  Their playing style was lethal and it’s what Boston needs to shut down Toronto and Cleveland.  Adding a big man like Serge Ibaka to play alongside Al Horford and the rest of the Celtics big men, along with the Thomas and Bradley run backcourt, could cause the Celtics to create their own version of the 2016 Oklahoma City Thunder, which could easily launch them into the NBA Finals.  

 

Blake Griffin

Besides his first two seasons in the NBA, Blake Griffin has been an NBA All Star for his entire career.  Averaging 20.9 ppg and 8.9 rpg this season, and practically averaging a double double throughout his entire career (21.4 ppg and 9.5 rpg), Griffin is without a doubt a superstar.  With his proven success at Power Forward, Blake Griffin could add his ability to knock down mid range jumpers and guard the paint on defense, along with his brief, yet significant success in the playoffs, to help Boston get past the roadblocks between them and the NBA Finals.  The only problem with Griffin is the injury to his left quadriceps that has plagued his career since 2015.  Missing over half of the season last year and continuing to face problems with his left quad this season, Griffin’s NBA future will be greatly affected by how the aftermath of this injury affects his playing ability.  It might be looked at as a gamble to add Griffin to the Boston lineup, but whether or not you agree, Blake Griffin is a consistent all star and a superstar in the league for sure.  If he can stay healthy, he could be a huge factor in the Celtics’ success in the future.

 

Kevin Durant

This one is a stretch I know.  Kevin Durant’s career, at this point, is solely about ring chasing.  He has plenty of accolades to make his career Hall of Fame worthy, but a championship ring would solidify him as one of the greatest players to ever play in the NBA.  This, of course, is one of the reasons why he chose to sign with Golden State over Boston or Oklahoma City.  Both the Celtics and Thunder presented great pitches to Durant, and according to Durant he almost signed with the C’s after hearing their persuasive offer, but at the end of the day the Warriors had the strongest team with the greatest chance of winning a Championship in the short run.  My theory, however, is if Golden State falls short to Cleveland again during Durant’s 2 year contract with a player option after this season, we could see the former league MVP look elsewhere to achieve this final goal of winning the NBA Finals.  Boston has consistently gotten better each season, and with Durant already interested in joining the Celtics roster, there is a slight, but possible chance that Kevin Durant could be in talks again about joining the Celtics.  In my opinion, I think Kevin Durant will have a career extremely similar to Lebron James, where Kevin will leave the franchise he started in to go win at least one championship for an already successful team, and then finish his career by rejoining the Thunder and leading them to their first ever championship as the Oklahoma City Thunder.

 

Ersan Ilyasova

Yet another prominent veteran who could also fill the stretch four position for Boston, Ersan is having a phenomenal season averaging 14.6 ppg and 6 rpg while only playing about 28 minutes a game.  Ilyasova is another reason why Philadelphia is starting to see positive momentum towards being a successful franchise again.  A notable Power Forward, who can be deadly both driving to the rim and also from beyond the arc, Ersan might become an unexpected key to playoff success for the Celtics.  The only concern that might come along with Ersan is his age.  Illyasova will be turning 30 in the offseason, and even though he is playing fantastic basketball at the level of someone younger than him, the amount of seasons left in his career is uncertain.  However, if we’re focusing on short term success, Ersan should have an amazing 2017-2018 season and would be a great addition for the Celtics.  Essentially, the 76ers have a solid amount of talent in free agency that could immediately bring results to the Boston roster.

 

Ron Baker

Signing Ron Baker would most likely be an investment into the future, rather than immediate help for next season.  An undrafted rookie showing extreme promise in his play while also finding a starting position extremely early on in his most likely successful career, Ron Baker could easily become a star player in the NBA.  If the Celtics were to pursue Ron Baker, it would be a 2-4 year deal for less than $10 million a year with a role as a bench player with the potential to start in a handful of games.  For a pretty cheap contract and the possibility of having a great 6th man, the Celtics could further expand their bench, which is practically mandatory to win a Championship.  Ron Baker definitely won’t be pursued as heavily as the players mentioned above, but it’s a name that should be on the front office’s radar for sure.
The Celtics are in a great position to become a Championship team again.  For the last nearly 40 years, Boston has been known as a team that becomes successful from signing notable free agents, rather than drafting future stars.  It’s not a surprise that Boston has seen more success from signing and trading for Al Horford and Isaiah Thomas than from their copious amount of Brooklyn picks.  The Celtics have practically always been a team that thrives through this strategy, and they’ll only find success in future seasons if they continue to bring in proven veterans.  Don’t get me wrong, we have drafted some very successful key pieces like Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce, Kevin McHale, and of course Larry Bird, who were key pieces to multiple Boston Championships, but their individual successes alone would not have this same result without the crucial addition of multiple, proven veteran free agents.  I will say though, if Boston can add 1 or 2 more veteran free agents and still fail to make it out of the first round of the playoffs, then the blame has to be shifted towards the front office and coaching, especially Danny Ainge and Brad Stevens.  

 

 

Written by Erik Clark