A disappointing season usually leads to changes, and Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge confirmed that’s what the organization has in mind, relays Tom Westerholm of Boston.com. In an appearance Thursday on the Toucher and Rich radio show, Ainge talked about shaking up the team this summer.
“I think that we will definitely be looking to make some changes in the offseason,” Ainge said. “Obviously can’t go into any of those kind of details. But yeah, there will be changes. How significant? I don’t know yet. We’ll see.”
The Celtics are 35-35 and locked into the seventh spot in the East, but coach Brad Stevens’ job remains safe, as Ainge called him a “fantastic” coach who is “getting better, not worse.” Ainge also indicated that the changes he has in mind won’t involve the team’s best players.
There’s more from Boston:
- The Celtics’ most important decision this offseason will involve free agent guard Evan Fournier, Westerholm adds in the same story. Fournier was acquired from the Magic at the trade deadline and has been productive after overcoming a case of COVID-19. Boston gave up multiple second-round picks, center Daniel Theis and a valuable trade exception to acquire Fournier, so management is expected to make a strong effort to keep him. The Celtics own his Bird rights and can go over the salary cap to re-sign him, but that could create a huge tax bill for next season. Westerholm suggests Marcus Smart or Kemba Walker might be moved if Fournier stays in Boston.
- Jaylen Brown talked to teammate Jayson Tatum before deciding to undergo season-ending wrist surgery, tweets Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Tatum’s advice was for Brown to make the best decision for his long-term health.
- In his re-draft grades for 2020, Chad Ford of The NBA’s Big Board gives the Celtics credit for landing Aaron Nesmith and Payton Pritchard in the first round, but says they could have benefited from taking Saddiq Bey, who was still on the board at No. 14.
I am sure Smart will be gone if they re-sign Fournier. Smart will be entering his final year of contract at $14M….he’s way easier to move than Kemba
Next season
Celtics current team salary $134 million
Fournier projected $16 million
Add 6 million MLE
Total team salary $156 million
Luxury tax bill $49 million
It won’t be easy to win the East next 3 years
Trade away Walker and TT $45 million salary a year the early the better
good
Disagree about Saddiq Bey because sure he might have been good on the second unit, but I don’t think he’d be as productive here as he is in Detroit. Nesmith and Pritchard were fine selections.
Same GM, same head coach, same star players. Sounds like everyone other offseason.
Ainge will change the amount of G league players on the roster. Considering they have about 100 of them.
There are so many good ball handlers on this team and the defense is so bad that it might be interesting to replace defenseless Kemba with a taller guard who can shoot and defend. Maybe a unit of Brown, Nesmith, Tatum, Fournier and Williams. Use Pritchard as a change of pace, Smart and Romeo also off the bench. Thompson as a rebounder. Team isn’t that far away if they can stay healthy, get improvement from the youngsters and add some veteran specialists who can add some grit. Kemba needs to either go or take on a more specialized role. This play one game, sit the next isn’t helping establish continuity.
If Boston Brought back the same team they could be third in the east. Kemba should be able to play back to backs. Growth from Nesmith and Langford should happen too .
In a perfect world you’re not wrong but I have a hard time seeing it. Even if Kemba got healthy-er, he’s not getting younger and it doesn’t seem like something that will just go away.
Growth from Langford, Nesmith…it would need to be exponential. They are multiyear projects. That’s my opinion anyway.
Celtics need revolution, not evolution
Trade, Trade, Trade
Trade Walker
Trade Smart
Trade draft picks
Probably save some time by just posting “Celtics stink”. You can analyze it however you like, but that’s the reality.
They had zero games together with their top 7 players. I wouldn’t over react. But I also wouldn’t mind moving Smart. He’s run his course. When he went down I thought the team spiraled but when he came back he was more reckless than ever.
I’ve also heard the games together stat, but what team wasn’t hurt by covid this year? How many games have the Nets big 3 played together? Plenty of times where they had most of their guys and just didn’t step up.
If Celtics don’t pay luxury tax
They need to
1 trade for 2 quality starters with rookie contracts
2 salary dump Walker – attach picks
Starters salary will be too high next year
They need to let Evan Fournier go because he doesn’t fit this teams need and quite frankly doesn’t look like he wants to be here he took his time coming after the trade and called a friend who played for the C’s last yr to see what it’s like then reportedly ( I’m sure he did) got COVID and doesn’t hustle when on the floor oya a d he’s highly overrated and stat’s are bloated because he played for a crap team and someone need to score
Poor Fournier, he went from a crap team to a crap team, boy that is some life for the dude, right?
Don’t trade Smart. He has grit and is plus defender. Kemba has to go. That’s been a disaster. Fournier has done squat and his defense sucks.