A legitimate question can be asked; is the Boston Celtics agreement on a $77.1M, four year contract extension with popular guard Marcus Smart a prelude to a huge deal for another star player?
Or is it just more of the same pablum from the Boston Celtics management that doesn’t solve the club’s long-term issues?
This answer to this question certainly ties in with a broader discussion of the Boston Celtics plan for the future, whether in fact they even have a plan, and if so, what should that plan be?
Some have argued that the plan is clear; they will sign free agent super-guard Bradley Beal next summer. He’d be a solid addition, but will this happen?
Signing Bradley Beal is a good idea for the Boston Celtics, but is it likely?
If so, then why spend solid dollars on Smart maybe just to be a backup after this season? There are questions here that need to be explored.
One thing is certain, no one knows if they can/will actually sign Beal, so placing all bets on a possibility is no way to build a team.
A Forbes article puts a real damper on the prospect of Beal being signed in light of the Smart extension. Here’s what they said about it,
"Stars like Bradley Beal and Zach LaVine are set to become free agents next summer, and Boston would prefer to be key players in those sweepstakes if possible. Smart’s extension takes away the possibility of Boston having max cap space entering next offseason, as long as he remains on their books at that time."
So if they were trying to clear cap space to sign Beal or another top free agent, it looks like they can’t after having committed all that cash to Smart.
With a Beal signing now in question, does the Boston Celtics Smart extension make sense
This is no “capologist” writing here. But others who are more astute on these matters obviously think it puts a crimp in any such plans. So what’s the situation?
Now, no one outside of Causeway Street likely has an answer to that one. But one thing seems perfectly clear; the Boston Celtics aren’t likely to improve much with the same cast on hand.
First, extending Smart looks like a back to the future move. The Boston Celtics ostensibly are staying on course with their current core and nothing much changes, at least for 2021/22 or longer.
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Those are not good optics. The move has been seriously questioned and even the most ardent Celtics fans can’t help but be a bit perplexed at the “steady as she goes” course of the Boston Celtics.
This strategy can’t be looked at as anything other than more of the same that we saw with Danny Ainge under the new President of Basketball Operations, Brad Stevens. And that’s not much.
This club is not anywhere near championship caliber and this extension, unless followed up by another deal, has this team looking exactly like what we saw under Ainge, nothing more, nothing less.
They certainly aren’t going to be championship contenders with the likes of the new champs, the Milwaukee Bucks, and the Los Angeles Lakers among others.
Does the management and ownership of the Boston Celtics really feel they can now compete with the aforementioned teams and others who seem clearly better in overall talent than this club?
Hopefully, not. You have to believe there’s another plan afoot. Going into this season without a major shakeup is frankly unacceptable. Fans can’t be satisfied with that approach.
A major shake-up trade to make the Boston Celtics competitive
The status quo with Boston, even after the flashback trade for Al Horford and the signing of Enes Kanter, have not improved the Celtics much. They are still also-rans.
What is needed now is a blockbuster deal to shake this team to its very foundations to try to emerge as a legit competitor. Nothing else will do.
With the formerly hapless Milwaukee Bucks now owning the same number of championships as the once-mighty Celtics over the past 18 years, frankly, it’s the only thing that will do.
This team needs a major overhaul and where there is major gain, there is bound to be pain. Marcus Smart is a very popular player and rightly so. Jaylen Brown is an All-Star caliber player.
He’s a great starter on any team in the NBA. But it may be time to part ways with both to take the club in a new direction. A club like the Minnesota Timberwolves may be just the place to look.
The Wolves were even more hopeless than the Celtics last season with a .319 winning percentage as opposed to the Celtics .500. They may be just the team to talk with.
The guy to move for, that’s easy; big center, Karl Anthony Towns (KAT). He’s still only 25 years old and is a star.
KAT averaged 24.8 points and also added 10.6 rebounds per game last season with the woeful Wolves. What would he do sided with Jayson Tatum?
He’d be the Boston Celtics’ first really talented big since their last Championship win when the great Kevin Garnett was on board.
Not sure about the cap numbers, (we’ll let the cap gurus figure that out), but they seem to look good. Throw in a first-round pick to sweeten the deal if you have. Whatever. Then get creative.
Not sure if this is the best option, but if the numbers work, it’s a darn good one. Get a third team involved if you have to to make it work.
This deal makes sense for both teams. One is mired in mediocrity (the Boston Celtics) and one is worse (Minnesota). It might just work for both.
The Celtics could rock with a starting five of maybe: Towns, Horford, Tatum, maybe Aaron Nesmith or Romeo Langford; and, Dennis Schroder.
One thing is certain, it would shake things up, big time. That’s exactly what the Boston Celtics now need now under their new President of Basketball Operations, Brad Stevens.
What do you think of this idea? We’d like to hear your feedback.