The Boston Celtics enter a very moved offseason. After failing to compete in the East this season, the C’s are looking to make moves to catch up with powerhouses like the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks.
After Danny Ainge’s departed from the team, they’re linked with players that were hard to get before. Two big names appeared on the team’s radar in recent days, and people are already dropping ideas on how they could get any of them.
According to Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated, Damian Lillard and Bradley Beal are two stars the Celtics should pursue this summer. Mannix adds that they should offer Jaylen Brown for the Portland Trail Blazers or Washington Wizards to unlock negotiations.
Via NBC Sports:
“There are a couple of players out there that I think the Celtics would move for Jaylen Brown,” Mannix said Thursday on Early Edition. “One would be Bradley Beal, who has to make a decision of his own the next couple weeks if he wants to sign that extension with Washington. If he doesn’t, that’s tantamount to a trade request and he can become available. And we all know at this point about the relationship between Bradley Beal and Jayson Tatum.
“The other is Damian Lillard. It’s still very much up in the air, Lillard’s future in Portland. If in the coming weeks the Blazers decide that they have to trade Damian Lillard, I think Boston would be in a pretty good position to make a strong offer that would have to include Jaylen Brown. So, you don’t just move him to shake things up, but if one of those two players becomes available I think you have to look long and hard about trading Jaylen Brown.”
This is an interesting scenario for the Celtics. Although Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum have created a terrific duo at the TD Garden, the front office can pull the trigger for any of these moves.
Although free agency won’t be as enjoyable as we thought it would before the start of the season, the trade market can bring many surprises around the league. The Celtics have already made some major changes, even trading Kemba Walker for Al Horford, and that wouldn’t be the only big move they carry out this offseason.
