It was already clear that the Boston Celtics needed to make some changes this summer. But now with Kawhi Leonard making his way back to the Toronto Raptors (where he has a 100% championship rate, by the way), that notion has become even more obvious.
Don't look now, but the East is becoming stacked.
The New York Knicks are the reigning champions (and should remain in the title picture for years to come). The Cleveland Cavaliers were just in the conference finals and might reunite with LeBron James this summer. The Miami Heat traded for Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Indiana Pacers are getting a healthy Tyrese Haliburton back. The Detroit Pistons were just the No. 1 seed in the East.
And the Celtics lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Philadelphia 76ers and have a murky short- and long-term outlook with a likely Jaylen Brown trade coming. They already had to make some changes to bolster their roster, but with the way the East is looking, it is an even bigger priority.
Kawhi Leonard to Toronto is forcing the Celtics' hand
The Raptors were already a good team. They were just 46-36, secured the No. 5 seed in the East, and took the Cavaliers to seven games in the first round.
They were already an elite defensive team (for some reference, they had the fifth-highest defensive rating last season) and adding Leonard will make them even more dangerous. The thought of pairing the two-time champion with Scottie Barnes, a top-tier all-around player, should terrify the rest of the league.
Plus, it's not like Leonard isn't a scorer either. He might not be Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, etc. with it, but the California native just scored a career-high 27.9 PPG while shooting 50.5% from the field and 38.7% from deep.
Leonard is going to drastically elevate this Raptors team, and it wouldn't be a stretch to comfortably place them in the title picture now.
As it stands, the Celtics may be losing their standing in the East, and they need to do something about that as soon as possible.
The Celtics need to make some changes this summer
Whether it's a trade involving Brown, acquiring a new starting center, etc., Boston is likely in line for a busy offseason.
It's unfortunate, but it's the truth: the Celtics aren't good enough to compete for a championship as is... They're not even good enough to beat the 76ers with a 3-1 series lead.
And combine that with the fact that the rest of the conference is on their way up, things don't look too good for the Celtics right now.
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