Celtics rumors: 3 moves Brad Stevens should make this offseason

Scott Edwards

Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images)

Brad Stevens has a lot of work to do this offseason to get the Boston Celtics back to Finals contenders.

As we know now, Brad Stevens is the new President of Basketball Operations. He takes over for the long-tenured Danny Ainge, who is retiring. That makes this an even bigger offseason than expected for the Celtics. Stevens will look to bolster the team he coached to a .500 record that saw them eliminated in the first round by the Brooklyn Nets.

The problem for the team overall does not come from the top, as both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have shown they are studs prepared to lead the Celtics for years to come.

Really, the main problem is everything else. Whether it be under-performances, the bench not giving you enough, or continuous injuries that get in the way, there’s a serious problem here that fans felt all year long.

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Seeing that Stevens experienced that firsthand as the head coach, one has to think he knows the weaknesses more than anyone and will make the moves necessary to fix it.

Let’s take a look at three moves Stevens should make this offseason to get the Celtics back to Finals contenders.

3. Add depth scoring to this Boston Celtics squad

A clear struggle for the Celtics this season was counting on anyone outside of the main core. While Payton Pritchard was a wonderful surprise in terms of how good he played in his first season, it was often that there just was not enough. The late season signing of Jabari Parker was also relatively solid for the team, as he gave them a dynamic they hadn’t had on their bench. But they need help scoring more points.

It feels as though all the elite teams in the league have depth pieces that can come onto the court and not only contribute, but be major contributors in the box score. The Brooklyn Nets, for example, had their “Big 3” which of course made up for most of their scoring, but with the likes of Jeff Green and Landry Shamet all averaging around 10 along with their entire starting lineup doing so as well, you can’t help but realize that is a massive help when the stars aren’t on or they need rest.

Evan Fournier was supposed to flll that gap, but with Brown, Kemba Walker, and Robert Williams all injured, it showed that he could not fill in the massive gap they all left. Stevens likely notices that this was a real problem and adding depth to the team to aid Tatum and Brown will go a long way.

2. Celtics must move on from Kemba Walker

In the 2019 offseason, the Celtics answered the departure of Kyrie Irving by signing Kemba Walker to a four-year, $141 million maximum contract. After two seasons, we have a general idea of how Walker fits on this team. And simply put — it’s not the right fit.

Walker is beloved by fans around New England from his days with UCONN and was welcomed with open arms. Unfortunately, Walker’s health has been a real deterrent to him over his first two seasons with the team and makes him expendable moving forward.

In two seasons with the team, Walker has played 99 regular season games averaging 19.9 points per game and 4.8 assists. While those numbers are not bad by any stretch, they’re nowhere near the amount that he is being paid and he hasn’t always been the player he was in Charlotte. His performances in the playoffs also haven’t been much to write home about, despite the Celtics making it to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2020.

He has become expendable with his contract being the major problem and the fit not being as complete as fans would hope. That’s the business here. While Stevens and Walker likely have a connection, Stevens must do what is best with the team. Packaging Walker with a tempting asset like the rising Romeo Langford could help bring in another star to this team, which is the biggest need to seriously contend moving forward.

Walker is a good team guy, but it’s time to move on.

1. Celtics should obtain Bradley Beal from the Wizards

The Boston Celtics need another superstar. That’s a fact. Jayson Tatum has established himself as top 10 player in basketball, Jaylen Brown has become a legitimate all-star, and then that’s where we stop.

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Once upon a time (2020), that may have been enough. There were superstar duos everywhere but nothing that entered the range of serious Big 3s. Then the Nets went and acquired James Harden and all of that changed.

So what superstar could conceivably be acquired with all the hoops and money problems the Celtics face this offseason? The Washington Wizards’ Bradley Beal.

Beal has been in trade rumors for a number of years now as one of the league’s most prolific scorers has went from one of the solid players in the league to one of the elite scorers in the game.

Considering what Tatum and Brown bring to the table, Beal would be the ideal piece to complete the Big 3 puzzle that Boston has been awaiting since the days of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen.

Beal has averaged 30-plus points over the last two seasons and would instantly be what the Celtics have been looking for in terms of help for their two stars.

Of course, making the deal work would be difficult in itself. Draft picks, Kemba Walker, and Romeo Langford would have to be a part of the conversation to make it work. Seeing Beal makes a pretty penny, his contract can go hand-in-hand with Walker’s.

There are plenty of hurdles, including the Wizards having to decide if they want to trade him, but Beal is a player who Stevens should inquire about the moment it is even remotely possible that he can be moved. Make the Big 3 that Boston needs.

Scott Edwards

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