The Celtics core, and even the rotation, will almost certainly be the same next season. With Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, but also Al Horford, Jayson Tatum, and Derrick White under contract, there is no reason to be active on the transfer market on the Boston side.
“We will always evaluate how to improve the team”, nevertheless specifies Brad Stevensthe president of the franchise. “But I think we would be crazy to deny that the identity and the foundation of this team are good. Let's see if we can be as consistent as possible. You have to progress, develop and improve. I don't anticipate any major changes, at least initially, because I think this team has earned it. »
Not only did the team deserve it by dominating the NBA whether in the regular season or in the playoffs, but any trade or recruitment will be much more complicated from now on. The day after the Celtics' victory, the NBA switched to a new collective agreement, much more restrictive with the implementation of the “second apron”, which harshly punishes teams that spend too much. Thus, sanctioned franchises will no longer be entitled to exceptions to sign players and will even lose future Draft choices!
“That's one of the reasons why last year was a great time to make trades. It was a time when we could combine multiple players to match a salary…” explains Brad Stevens. “Now, when you're past the 'second apron', you can't group them together anymore… So with this new convention coming, it'll be interesting to see how it affects the league…”
Additions to the Draft?
Moreover, the few changes to come in Boston should be made during the Draft, but given the success of the team and its quality, the playing time of future rookies will be very low.
“I think there are a lot of factors to maintain the level of this team beyond this year. But especially this year, we'll have a lot of guys back.”recalls the former coach. “It will be difficult for a draft pick to break into our rotation if everyone is healthy. So we're going to think about how we can continue to invest in the young players and their development and their growth, with the mindset that if we're able to continue to move forward with this group, the guys are going to be on the field. »
The Celtics have two picks in the Draft. This is the last choice of the first round, as well as the 54th, the next day, for the second round.
“As far as picks, if the right guy is available at 30th, we'll take him, and if we think a few people might be the right fit, we'll see what our options are… I'm already anticipating picking a few players,” however concludes Brad Stevens.
