What's Next For Boston Celtics?
BOSTON (CBS) -- You can cross another superstar player off the Boston Celtics' wishlist.
Russell Westbrook signed a contract extension with the Oklahoma City Thunder, making it extremely unlikely they'll trade the All-Star guard anytime in the near future. To make matters worse, that also increases the likelihood of Blake Griffin joining his hometown Thunder next offseason, and not the Celtics.
So what the heck is next for the Celtics?
Danny Ainge and company somewhat made up for a disappointing draft night when they were able to add Al Horford in free agency, but missed out on the big prize in Kevin Durant. At the moment, it looks like they'll be heading to training camp with their current roster, and while many believe they have a great chance to make it to the Eastern Conference Finals, they're not too much closer to being a title contender.
Masslive.com's Jay King joined Adam Jones on 98.5 The Sports Hub on Thursday night to discuss the season ahead for the Celtics, and said the future is still bright despite not being able to add a player like Durant or Westbrook this summer.
"Right now they have a 48-win team, Al Horford plus the No. 3 pick in Jaylen Brown, and almost definitely a top five pick next year. It's a good place to be," said King. "They have the cap space to add another max guy. They're in a great, great place. It would have been nice to get a guy like Westbrook, but Horford, he's not the most firework-y guy, but it's a big deal."
Jones worries that Boston is already running out of time, with Isaiah Thomas's extremely team-friendly contract set to expire after the 2017-18 season. King says there if their quest to add a superstar comes up short via trade during next season or next summer, Ainge will have some tough decisions to make.
"Absolutely there is some sort of trigger date, and that's probably a year-and-a-half away -- the trade deadline in the 2017-18 season -- six months before Isaiah Thomas and Avery Bradley's contracts are up and Marcus Smart is due the second contract of his career. That's when you have to decided if you're going to get a star and cash your chips now, or if you have a younger core to build around and you trade Horford. That sounds crazy, but that'll be the case 18 months from now," said King.
"They're still in a great place and regardless of decisions they have to make, they have a lot of different ways to becoming a really good team, and a really good team for a long time," said King. "There is pressure, but if they can add a guy and ownership is willing to pay the ridiculous tax bill will be to keep Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley and Marcus Smart, then you have a core that is built to compete for championships for a long time, and that's what Ainge is trying to get.
"When Ainge cashes in his chips, it's going to be for the type of player that makes them a contender," he said.
Jones and King also discuss what the Celtics' starting five could be at the start of next season: