Grading the Celtics’ offseason additions and contract extensions | Sports
The Brad Stevens era officially got underway in Boston back in June. And while the Celtics’ new President of Basketball Operations hasn’t necessarily made any drastic or eye-opening moves thus far, he hasn’t exactly been quiet, either.
From dealing the oft-injured, overpaid Kemba Walker and bringing back an aging Al Horford, to landing a relatively young and proven guard on the cheap and extending the contracts of key rotational players, Stevens has undoubtedly made his presence felt in his new role.
Considering all the new faces in green — and the fact that numerous other Eastern Conference squads have significantly bolstered their rosters — it’s nearly impossible to predict where the Celtics might fall in the upcoming season’s standings. Will Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown continue to progress into superstardom and push their team over the hump? Will new coach Ime Udoka prove to be the right man for the job? And most importantly, will the latest additions fit the mold and gel with their new teammates?
All these questions will be answered in time, but for now, the best we can do is break down the major changes inside the C’s locker room and attempt to gauge how their talent level lines up to the upper echelon of East powers.
Change of the guard
Stevens’ first order of business was finding a trade partner for the 31-year-old Walker. While the talented guard certainly had his moments in Boston, injuries plagued his shorter-than-expected tenure and he just never felt like the right fit alongside budding starts Tatum and Brown.
Walker was ultimately dealt to Oklahoma City before landing in New York with the Knicks. His ‘replacement’ in Boston? That would be former Atlanta Hawks, OKC Thunder and Los Angeles Lakers guard Dennis Schroder.
Schroder boasts a unique combination of speed, quickness and off-the-charts energy. The eight-year pro is still just 27 years of age and has averaged better than 15 points and four assists in five straight seasons. It was reported that Schroder turned down a lucrative contract extension from the Lakers last season (upwards of $80 million over four years), choosing instead to bet on himself and weigh his options during the offseason.
When no teams came running, that opened the door for Stevens’ and Co. to offer the German-born speedster a less-than-stellar, one-year $5.9 million contract. It’s a win-win for Boston.
If Schroder thrives the Celtics get an all-star caliber guard on the cheap. If for whatever reason he flops, it will do next to nothing to hurt Boston in the long run and serve as nothing more than a one season trial rental. Personally, I lean towards the former.
Schroder is the type of competitor any team would want. He’s got a motor that doesn’t quit and a skillset at his position rivaled by only a dozen or so other players in the association. It remains to be seen whether Udoka will start Schroder or have him lead the reserves off the bench; regardless, there’s undoubtedly a significant role in place for him on this team.
Boston’s other backcourt splash was bringing in Josh Richardson. The 6-foot-5, 27-year-old began his career in Miami before spending the last two seasons in Philly and Dallas, respectively.
Acquired by the Celtics using their remaining traded player exception (TPE) received in the Gordon Hayward deal, Richardson is known for his consistently tenacious defense and above average length for his position. He’s a decent outside shooter (36 percent for career) and proven scorer (has averaged over 12 points in each of the last four seasons with a career-high mark of 16.6 ppg. with the Heat back in 2018-19). He’s due to make better than $10 million this year before entering free agency next summer.
Richardson is a solid player. He’s not going to overwhelm anyone with his offensive abilities and likely won’t make any all-star teams. But he’s a terrific defender who, alongside Marcus Smart, will form a formidable tandem in the backcourt on that side of the ball. Potentially another one-year rental, Richardson is another low risk, high reward type addition.
Speaking of Smart, the Boston-drafted guard agreed to a four-year, $77 million contract extension just last week. It was the maximum amount the Celtics could offer at the time.
Do I agree with the move? Not necessarily.
For all the good Smart brings with his grit and tenacity on defense, his approach offensively has never quite favored the Celtics. His shooting has improved slightly over the years, but not enough that he should be taking away good looks from the likes of Tatum and Brown.
If Smart can learn to accept a lesser role on offense and focus more on what he does so well on defense, the deal could work. But if his first seven years in the league are any indication of what’s to come this season, that’s not likely.
I would’ve rather seen Boston move on from Smart and get what they could in return.
Familiar faces back in the front court fold
Al Horford, now 35, is back in town after spending three seasons in green from 2016-2019. So is Enes Kanter, who spent one season with Boston back in 2019-20.
Considering Horford’s age and Kanter’s limited defensive capabilities, neither player is likely to do much to move the needle. But at the very least, they’re tremendous locker room presences who can certainly aid in the progression of some of the younger guys. I expect Horford to serve a regular, if not insignificant role off the bench, while Kanter can certainly be used in spotty situations and in certain matchups.
The biggest news here is really that of a current player: Robert Williams. While he’s yet to string together a full season, the 23-year-old has been nothing but productive when on the court and Stevens’ clearly felt the need to lock him up, recently signing him to a four-year, $54 million extension.
He’s started just 16 games in Boston, but it’s also easy to see him as the center of the future. An athletically gifted shot blocker and offensive lob threat, all signs point to a breakout campaign for the Texas A&M product — that is, if he can stay healthy. If for whatever reason he doesn’t pan out this season, Williams’ contract is certainly trade-able.
Among their smaller moves, the Celtics brought in the once highly-touted guard out of Providence, Kris Dunn, as well as 23-year-old big man Bruno Fernando. The former has struggled to stay on the court in his short career, while the latter has yet to fully blossom since he was taken early in the second round of the 2019 draft.
Both are smaller additions that could very well pay off.
When looking at the current roster as a whole, it’s difficult to project whether this year’s team will be an improvement from last season. There’s certainly some nice new pieces, and having a new coach to lead them is definitely intriguing. But talent wise, Boston remains a middle-tier Eastern Conference playoff team with the potential to jolt into contender status by year’s end.
To me, it all boils down to the continued progression of Tatum and Brown from both a leadership and decision making standpoint. Their talent is unquestionable, it’s what they do with it, and with their teammates, that holds the biggest value.
Only time will tell.
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Nick Giannino can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @NickGiannino_SN.
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