The Boston Celtics have a roster built to win an NBA title.
But that isn’t the first time anyone has said that about this franchise, which last celebrated a title in 2008.
So, for as dominant as the Shamrocks have been to this point, there’s a real chance this run won’t end any differently than their recent postseason ventures.
And if this club can’t capitalize on this opportunity, change is likely coming to this roster.
The moves probably won’t be dramatic—though we’ll all have to wait and see what happens with Jrue Holiday, who holds a $39.4 million player option for next season, per Spotrac—but when a club is this close to winning it all, even marginal moves can have a significant impact.
If the Celtics go searching for ways to upgrade their rotation, they could make some things happen on the trade market.
We’ll explore some possibilities with a trio of hypothetical offseason swaps, although since payrolls and rosters will look differently by the time these deals could go down, we’ll focus on general trade concepts as opposed to fully realized, salary-matching moves.
Assuming the Celtics don’t sense a need for dramatic change—and barring a premature playoff exit, they shouldn’t—then they’ll probably be shopping the bargain bin this summer.
Much like their deadline deal for Jaden Springer, a trade for AJ Griffin could be a chance to buy low on a young player with untapped potential.
And if the Celtics happened to get the best out of Griffin, they’d suddenly have a cost-controlled, three-and-D wing added to the equation.
