Offseason Targets For Boston Celtics
BOSTON (CBS) -- It's been just over two years since Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck made his famous "fireworks" comment, a hope that Danny Ainge and the C's brass could find a superstar for the Boston roster that would end the team's rebuild and elevate them to contender status.
There weren't fireworks the last two offseasons, more like sparklers. Fun, but not the big bang that makes you cover your ears as you look on in awe.
This summer, it seems like those fireworks are in place and the Celtics just have to light the fuse.
Ainge heads into the offseason with all the necessities to light up the transaction wire. He's armed with enough cap space to sign a pair of big-name free agents. If the C's can't lure a star to Boston via free agency, Ainge has eight draft picks (including three first-round selections) and some tradeable young talent to pull off a franchise-altering trade. The Celtics will have a much better picture of those draft assets after the May 17 Draft Lottery, when they'll learn where Brooklyn's pick falls (it has the third-best odds of being a Top 3 pick).
Ainge spoke to the media on Wednesday and said the Celtics will have plenty of opportunities this summer. But even with all those options, nothing is guaranteed.
"We look forward to every offseason. This offseason is bigger. My expectations are high this offseason, and yet I also know that it takes good fortune. We need the ping-pong balls to bounce our way to give us the best opportunity. Whether we use that pick or whether we trade that pick, and in free agency, we have opportunities," he said. "And that's all we have. We have no guarantees of great things happening. We just have a lot of hope. And so we have a lot of work ahead of us, and we have to have plan A through Z. Usually it's more A through G, but we have A through Z this year just to have an opportunity to upgrade our team."
It certainly sounds like Ainge is trying to temper expectations, and it's hard to blame them after Grousbeck's "fireworks" comment basically blew up in their face. He knows that getting a star to Boston is no easy task, either -- it took the acquisition of Ray Allen at the 2007 draft to convince Kevin Garnett to sign off on the blockbuster trade that put him in green.
But that won't stop fans and the media from dreaming big. The names started flying early and often during the regular season, and that list will get more plentiful with free agency getting underway in July (just be warned, it's usually the names you don't hear that Ainge usually acquires). Here are some of the potential offseason targets for the Celtics, as they look to blast off into contender status with some big moves this summer.
Free Agents
Kevin Durant
2015 Stats: 28.2 points per game, 8.2 rebounds per game, 5.0 assists per game
Career Stats: 27.4 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 3.7 apg
He's the superstar the Celtics have needed since the new Big 3 era officially came to an end in 2013. Durant would make Boston an instant contender in the Eastern Conference and would break the trend of top-flight free agents snubbing the Celtics. He turns 28 in September and has a lot of miles (and a few injuries) during his nine-year career, but he's a consummate professional and one of the rare unselfish stars in today's NBA.
Signing Durant would cost the Celtics a truckload of money, and it's really just a pipe dream unless Ainge can add another star to help convince Durant.
Al Horford
2015 Stats: 15.2 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 1.5 blocks per game
Career Stats: 14.3 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 1.2 bpg
That other star could be Al Horford, who was involved in trade rumors with the Celtics prior to this year's trade deadline. Horford has been a solid big man in the NBA for nine seasons since being drafted third overall in the 2007 draft, and would immediately give Boston some presence in the paint.
Horford will turn 30 in June and would command a max contract, which many will debate whether or not he's actually worth it. But if he gets Durant to Boston then his value is a moot point.
Bradley Beal (RFA)
2015 Stats: 17.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.9 apg
Career Stats: 16 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 3.0 apg
Beal is a restricted free agent who can be a solid offensive option when healthy. But "when healthy" is the key part of that statement. Beal dealt with multiple injuries last season that limited him to just 55 games, including a stress reaction in his right leg that doesn't sound like it's going away anytime soon. He'll turn just 23 in June, but the bad leg could follow him the rest of his career.
That's a scary situation for any team thinking about giving Beal the max deal necessary to pry him away from Washington.
Dwight Howard
2015 Stats: 13.7 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.6 bpg
Career Stats: 17.8 ppg, 12.7 rpg, 2.1 bpg
The big man is on the back nine of his career, but would be an instant impact for the Celtics down low. He'd be a solid addition for the right price, but it sounds like Howard wants to be paid like he's still 22 rather than a 30-year-old center with almost 1,000 NBA games to his name.
Hassan Whiteside
2015 Stats: 14.2 ppg, 11.8 rpg, 3.7 bpg
Career Stats: 11.7 ppg, 9.9 rpg, 2.9 bpg
Whiteside will make a lot of money this offseason after leading the NBA in blocks last season. The seven-footer has thrived the last two years in Miami, and will provide a big defensive boost in the paint for whatever team is willing to pay him a boatload of cash.
Harrison Barnes (RFA)
2015 Stats: 11.7 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.8 apg
Career Stats: 10.1 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.5 apg
Barnes has been a great reserve for the Warriors, but he may want to head elsewhere for a starting job. There's a good chance another team sees the small forward as a star once he gets out of the shadows of Steph Curry and Klay Thompson.
Kent Bazemore
2015 Stats:
Career Stats:
The Celtics watched Bazemore light them up in their playoff series loss to the Hawks. If they strike out on Durant he would be a decent addition, but he would likely become an extremely expensive backup plan for Ainge and Company. The Celtics can't be dishing out big bucks to guy like that (right Isaiah?).
Evan Turner
2015 Stats: 10.5 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 4.4 apg
Career Stats: 10.7 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 3.8 apg
Turner won over fans in Boston by doing a little bit of everything whenever he was on the floor, and is now poised to make some big bucks on the free agent market. Brad Stevens has said he wants him back, but Turner isn't really the superstar the Celtics need. He's a great role player in their system, but someone is going pay him like a star.
Jared Sullinger (RFA)
2015 Stats: 10.3 ppg, 8.3 rpg
Career Stats: 11.1 ppg, 7.7 rpg
Sully is a restricted free agent, so the Celtics can match any deal thrown his way. He had a solid regular season, but after a disappointing playoff series against the Hawks the Celtics may be ready to move on from the 2013 first-round pick. At least he turned out better than Fab Melo.
Trade Targets
More trade options will surface as the offseason approaches, but here are a trio of intriguing names for Boston:
Jimmy Butler
2015 Stats: 20.9 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 4.8 apg
Career Stats: 13.6 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.6 apg
The Celtics and Bulls reportedly kicked the tires on a Butler trade at the deadline last season, with Boston unwilling to include Jae Crowder in a package that included the Brooklyn pick and Marcus Smart. Ainge would be smart to revisit that decision this offseason, as Butler is the star player the Celtics need and would attract other big names to Boston.
Butler is signed through the 2018-19 season at an average of $18.6 million per year, with a player option for 2019-20 at $19.8 million.
Marc Gasol
2015 Stats: 16.6 ppg, 7.0 rpg
Career Stats: 14.3 ppg, 7.8 rpg
A broken foot ended his season early, but Gasol has been a dominant big man since his arrival in Memphis eight years ago. He is signed for another three years (with a $25.6 million player option for 2019-20), but the Grizzlies could dangle him on the trade market if they're looking to start over. He's the only player on their roster signed passed next season.
DeMarcus Cousins
2015 Stats: 26.9 ppg, 11.5 rpg
Career Stats: 20.2 ppg, 10.8 rpg
Here we go again. Is the headache worth the production? Can Brad Stevens control Cousins' wild side?
The kid can score, he can rebound, and he can scare the heck out of other teams in the paint. That all comes with the disclaimer of "When he is invested." Take him out of a crap situation in Sacramento and bring him to a sports scene like Boston, with a chance to win, and there's a good shot he'll be invested.
It's a risk Ainge has to weigh, since Cousins will likely cost a hefty bounty to acquire, but he's another star that would help get other stars to Boston.