2018 Offseason In Review: Boston Celtics

Hoops Rumors is breaking down the 2018 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, revisiting the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll evaluate each team’s moves from the last several months and look ahead to what the 2018/19 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the Boston Celtics.

Signings:

• Standard contracts:
  • Marcus Smart: Four years, $52MM. Includes likely incentives. Re-signed using Bird rights.
  • Aron Baynes: Two years, $10.65MM. Second-year player option. Re-signed using Non-Bird rights.
  • Jabari Bird: Two years, minimum salary. Second year non-guaranteed. Re-signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Brad Wanamaker: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
• Two-way contracts:
  • P.J. Dozier
    
  • Walter Lemon Jr.
• Non-guaranteed camp contracts:
  • Justin Bibbs: One year, minimum salary (waived).
  • Marcus Georges-Hunt: One year, minimum salary (waived).
  • Nick King: One year, minimum salary (waived).
  • Jeff Roberson: One year, minimum salary (waived).

Trades:

• Acquired Rodney Purvis from the Thunder in exchange for Abdel Nader and cash ($450K).
  • Note: Purvis was later waived.

Draft picks:

• 1-27: Robert Williams — Signed to rookie contract.

Departing players:

• Kadeem Allen (two-way; waived)
• Jonathan Gibson
• Shane Larkin
• Greg Monroe
• Abdel Nader

Other offseason news:

• Kyrie Irving announced that he plans to re-sign with the Celtics next July.
• Jabari Bird arrested, arraigned on assault charges; away from team.
• Assistant coach Jerome Allen faces suspension.

Salary cap situation:

• Remained over the cap.
• Carrying approximately $126.75MM in salary.
• Projected tax bill of $6.03MM.
• Full taxpayer mid-level exception ($5.34MM) still available.

Check out the Boston Celtics’ full roster and depth chart at RosterResource.com.

Story of the summer:

During the 2016 and 2017 offseasons, no NBA team added more All-Stars to its roster than the Celtics, who signed Al Horford and Gordon Hayward before trading for Kyrie Irving. For good measure, the club used a pair of third overall picks to draft Jaylen Brown in 2016 and Jayson Tatum in 2017.

However, the Celtics never really got to see that five-man core in action during the 2017/18 season. Hayward went down with a gruesome season-ending ankle injury during the club’s first game of the year, and Irving’s season ended early due to knee issues.

For the Celtics then, the 2018 offseason wasn’t about going out and getting another All-Star — it was about making sure that their current ones got back to full health to see what the entire group looks like on the court.

Boston’s front office was hardly dormant during the summer of 2018. Restricted free agent negotiations with Marcus Smart were tough, Aron Baynes needed to be re-signed, and the team made a few other tweaks around the edges of its roster before also securing a verbal commitment from Irving, a 2019 free-agent-to-be.

However, the Celtics enter the 2018/19 as the Eastern Conference favorites not because of which players they added over the offseason, but rather because of which players they’re bringing back. With Hayward and Irving healthy and Tatum and Brown continuing to develop, this roster has far more upside than last year’s group, even without any significant changes.

Key offseason losses:

Shane Larkin returned stateside last year after spending a season in Spain and was reliable in a limited role for the Celtics. While Larkin didn’t play major minutes – and didn’t put up big per-minute numbers when called upon – his presence was crucial down the stretch when both Irving and Smart were on the shelf with injuries. After his one-year deal with Boston expired, Larkin headed back overseas to Turkey.

The Celtics also lost a depth piece to free agency when Greg Monroe hit the market. Monroe, who eventually landed with the Raptors, averaged 19.1 minutes in 26 regular season games for the C’s after being signed last season on the buyout market, but his playing time dropped to just 9.5 MPG in 11 playoff contests. The veteran could only be relied upon in certain matchups where having a traditional center on the floor wasn’t a liability, and wouldn’t have had a substantial role in Boston if he had returned.

Key offseason additions:

With so many solid second-unit contributors on the roster already, the Celtics didn’t need to go out and find veteran replacements for Larkin and Monroe. As long as Irving and Smart are healthy, Terry Rozier will handle the backup minutes at the point, and the presence of Daniel Theis, Marcus Morris, Semi Ojeleye in the frontcourt behind Monroe and Baynes reduced the need for another big man.

As such, neither Brad Wanamaker nor Robert Williams – the Celtics’ two most notable additions – are expected to play a ton in 2018/19. Wanamaker, a former standout at the University of Pittsburgh, has played in Europe since going undrafted back in 2011, earning multiple All-Star nods in the Turkish and French leagues. Like Larkin last year, he’ll likely only be relied upon in a pinch — if the Celtics need him, they can be confident that he’s far more seasoned than a typical NBA rookie.

Speaking of typical NBA rookies, Williams fits that bill. This year’s 27th overall pick, who just turned 21 years old on Wednesday, has faced questions about his character, and didn’t help quiet those concerns by oversleeping and missing his very first media availability after being drafted. There have also been rumblings that health concerns played a part in Williams’ slide down the 2018 draft board. The Celtics are taking their chances on the big man’s upside, but they’ll bring him along slowly — I expect the Texas A&M alum to see more action in the G League than in the NBA this season.

Outlook for 2018/19:

The Celtics have played in the last two Eastern Conference Finals, but they were significant underdogs in 2017 and significantly shorthanded in 2018. This season, for the first time, it feels like anything short of an appearance in the Finals would be a bit of a letdown in Boston.

Of course, if the team requires reinforcements at the trade deadline or ultimately falls short in its quest for a championship this season, there are paths to improve the roster beyond just counting on continued improvement from youngsters like Tatum and Brown.

While the Nets no longer owe the Celtics any assets from their trade for Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, Boston could still have as many as four first-round picks in the 2019 draft, putting the club in position to make another major splash on the trade market, even after adding three veteran All-Stars and a potential future star in Tatum over the last two offseasons. The future is bright in Boston.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post. Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.