OKC Thunder: Power Rankings all teams at the trade deadline
18. . 21-21. Previous: 12th. Boston Celtics. 16. team
Boston Celtics:
Week 13: 1-3
Offense: (111.9) 12th
Defense: (112.1) 20th
Net: (Plus +0.8) 11th
Danny Ainge has a massive $(28.5M) TPE obtained in the Gordon Hayward deal that is burning a hole in his pocket. The Celts have failed to impress and struggled much more than anticipated. While they Beantown crew dealt with COVID and injuries this season there have been issues beyond that with this squad.
Their frontcourt is a mess that doesn’t seem to work and they need more playmaking — not to mention Kemba Walker’s knee seems to be a lingering issue that has led to his inconsistency.
With two rising talents in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, the Celts can’t afford to sit back and wait. They’ve been to the Eastern Conference Finals in three of the last four seasons so to find themselves a half-game up on the ninth-place Pacers is far from ideal
Boston is named as a serious contender for numerous stars such as a deal with the Magic to get both Aaron Gordon and Evan Fournier. Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer notes they’ve also been in discussions for the Hawks John Collins and Bogdan Bogdanovic.
A concern for the Celtics, however, is no team is looking to take on Walker and most want Marcus Smart who like Lowry is to the Raptors is the heart and soul of the Celts. Kevin O’Connor and Chris Vernon discussed the issues with Tristan Thompson and the team on the Ringer podcast. and how all this drama is affecting the on and off court chemistry of the team.
Suffice to say, if there is a big deal that happens today don’t be surprised if it’s the Celtics.