Buon giorno, Herald readers. I’m back from my two-week Italian honeymoon and have some thoughts on the moves the Celtics made (and didn’t make) while I was away:
— Brad Stevens said in his recent news conference at the Auerbach Center that the word “rebuild” is “not going to be part of the lexicon in (that) building” this season. Fair enough.
But however you want to phrase it, there’s no denying that Boston’s current roster is the weakest the franchise has fielded in years.
Consider this: If you include Jayson Tatum, who’s out indefinitely as he recovers from his ruptured Achilles, the Celtics have lost four starting-caliber players from their 2024-25 squad (Tatum, Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford, plus an ideal backup in Luke Kornet) and added just one: guard Anfernee Simons, whom they acquired from Portland in the Holiday trade (and still could offload in a subsequent deal for further luxury tax savings).
Outside of Simons, Boston has added a decent journeyman rotation player (Georges Niang), plucked two guys from the very end of Minnesota’s bench (Luka Garza and Josh Minott), used its first-round draft pick an intriguing but raw prospect who probably won’t be ready for a substantial role as a 19-year-old rookie (Hugo Gonzalez) and signed two second-round picks to two-way contracts (Amari Williams and Max Shulga).
The Celtics boasted the best roster in basketball during their run to the 2024 NBA championship, and that same group won 61 games this past season despite having its full starting lineup available just 24 times. Thanks to the dynasty-killing buzzsaw that is the NBA’s second apron, that enviable depth now is gone.
— No Celtics position has been hit harder this summer than center.
Boston traded Porzingis — an understandable and expected move given his hefty salary and durability concerns — and then failed in their stated goal to re-sign his top two understudies. Stevens said on draft night that the team hoped to retain Horford and Kornet, but it whiffed on both. Kornet landed a long-awaited payday in free agency (four years, $41 million from San Antonio), and though Horford remained unsigned as of Sunday, Stevens later admitted the 39-year-old locker room leader was “unlikely” to return.
What’s left? Three veterans who were not everyday rotation players this season (Neemias Queta, Xavier Tillman and newcomer Garza) and second-round rookie Williams. That might be the weakest collection of big men in the NBA.
Queta, who projects as the top option at this early stage, made 62 appearances and six starts in his first season as a full-time NBA player, but the 26-year-old was a distant fourth on the depth chart behind Porzingis, Horford and Kornet by the end of 2024. Garza, also 26, played sparingly in a crowded Timberwolves frontcourt during his three seasons in Minnesota, averaging just 6.3 minutes per game over 92 outings. The two combined to play just 32 minutes this postseason, all in garbage time.
Tillman does have a fair bit of NBA starting experience (60 in his five-year career), but he was nowhere near head coach Joe Mazzulla’s rotation this season, exiled to the end of the bench due largely to his woeful 3-point shooting (15.6%). Also, unlike the 7-foot Queta and 6-foot-10 Garza, the 6-7 Tillman is more of a four than a traditional center.
Williams has some enticing traits, namely his length and passing ability. But as the 46th overall pick, odds are he’ll spend more time in Maine than in Boston this season.
“We’ll have to do that by committee,” Stevens told reporters on June 8. “That will not be the group that people will single out, based on paper, on what they’ve done with their careers thus far, as our strongest position, but it’s up to them to prove it otherwise.”
The reaction to Boston’s first Summer League game on Friday underscored the lack of proven talent in this group. After former Spurs reserve Charles Bassey, added to the C’s summer squad days earlier, had 14 points and 11 rebounds and was a plus-20 in 18 minutes against Memphis, speculation quickly began over whether there could be a spot for him on the big club.
— Changes were coming to the Celtics’ roster regardless of how the 2024-25 season ended. That’s a simple fact. But it’s hard not to wonder how significantly Tatum’s injury altered their offseason trajectory, especially as it relates to Horford.
Though Horford, who’s been heavily linked to the Golden State Warriors as his free agency drags on, hasn’t spoken publicly about his desires, he seems to be prioritizing a chance to contend for another title as his nearly two-decade NBA career winds down. Teams like the Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers, who also were rumored as Horford suitors last week, can offer that opportunity.
The Celtics, as currently constructed, cannot — but they could have if Tatum was healthy, regardless of any other luxury tax-related cuts they needed to make this offseason.
— Stevens told reporters he’s “comfortable” entering the season with his team’s current roster, but with more than three months to go before opening night, there’s still plenty of time for additional moves.
The most pressing question is whether Boston will make a play for Damian Lillard, who became a free agent after being cut by Milwaukee and clearing waivers. The Bucks still owe Lillard $112.6 million, which they stretched over the next five seasons to clear salary cap space, meaning his next team should be able to sign the nine-time All-Star point guard on the cheap.
Multiple reports have listed the Celtics among the suitors for Lillard. Adding him would be a future-focused move, as Lillard also suffered a torn Achilles two weeks before Tatum’s and is expected to miss most or all of the upcoming season.
The appeal of signing Lillard is obvious: He’s long been one of the NBA’s top offensive players and premier 3-point threats, and he’s now available at a steep discount. The Celtics aren’t expected to contend this season anyway, so what’s the harm in bringing him aboard, letting him rehab and then entering 2026-27 with a core of Tatum, Lillard, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White and Payton Pritchard?
The concern, though, is that while Tatum is in the prime of his career at age 27 — and, as such, should be uniquely equipped to overcome his Achilles injury — Lillard is eight years older. He turns 35 this week and could be 36 by the time he plays his next game. There is no precedent for an NBA star suffering Lillard’s injury at his age and continuing to perform at the same level upon his return.
If the Celtics do choose to sign Lillard, they could easily clear a 15-man roster spot by releasing guard JD Davison, whose salary is non-guaranteed.
