What's The Most Likely Offseason Route For Boston Celtics?
BOSTON (CBS) -- The NBA Draft Lottery is still a few days away, but all the positive vibes Celtics fans were feeling heading into the offseason seem to be drying up.
Signing Kevin Durant was a pipe dream to begin with, but with the Thunder now just a win away from the Western Conference Finals, that slim hope of seeing him in green has all but diminished. The Sacramento Kings have a new coach and have said DeMarcus Cousins isn't going anywhere, and Doc Rivers has made it clear he won't be trading Chris Paul, Blake Griffin or DeAndre Jordan this offseason.
So it appears all of the big-name options C's fans were dreaming about are not longer realistic options. Things can change quickly in the NBA, and Danny Ainge probably has a few Plan Bs no one has thought about up his sleeves, but the offseason doesn't look as promising as it did a few weeks ago.
With that in mind, what's the most likely route now for Celtics? 98.5 The Sports Hub's Adam Jones welcomed Dan Feldman of Pro Basketball Talk to Wednesday's show, and in his opinion the C's best option is to stay the course if they can't land a marquee free agent.
"Most likely they use their highest draft pick, trade one or two of the lower picks for a young veteran, and either sign another young veteran or give a short-term deal to an older veteran. Just kind of stay the course, keep your flexibility and try to get a little better than last year," said Feldman. "Give Brad Stevens another year to impress players around the league. Another year of steady progress where you leave your options open."
Ainge won't be afraid to cash in his assets if the right trade presents itself, but Feldman said recreating the magic of the 2007 offseason when he landed both Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen is extremely unlikely.
"The Celtics hit lightning in a bottle the summer they got Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. You'd love to repeat that, but the odds are always against that," he said. "Cousins and [Chicago's Jimmy] Butler, maybe their teams will trade them for the right package, but maybe that package isn't out there. Maybe you don't have the right pieces or maybe you aren't giving up enough. The odds are just always against stars like that moving."
If Durant, Cousins and Butler are no longer options, Feldman said signing Hawks center Al Horford to a max deal is Boston's best bet.
"Horford would be a great fit, someone who can help them advance in the short-term," he said. "But he's going to cost [a lot of money], which is the dilemma. He's a very good player and there are a number of teams, including the Celtics, who would benefit signing him to a four-year, max contract. You would get great value in years one and two, maybe in year three and not so much in year four. But it's worth it for a team like the Celtics already in the playoffs, you already have these draft picks coming from outside, so there's little downside to being good. I think he'd be an excellent pick."
And if the Celtics get lucky and land the No. 1 overall pick in next week's lottery?
"I would take Ben Simmons for any team, no matter who gets the No. 1 pick," said Feldman. "He's just a fantastic all-around player, especially as a passer. There are question marks and not a can't miss prospect, but his talent level is so high I wouldn't pass him up."
Listen to Jones' full discussion with Feldman:
Jones and Sean Silver (filling in for Rich Keefe), also tried their luck with the lottery simulator, though luck was not on their side on Wednesday night. Find out what Jones thinks the Celtics should do if they land the fifth overall pick in next month's draft:
