Options if AD to Boston Does NOT happen

[PhoSita]

The question here is very simple, as in the title. 

Let's assume for a moment that:

(1) Kyrie signs elsewhere this summer

(2) AD is traded to another team or is not traded at all, and the circumstances make clear he is no longer a trade option for the Celts


Who is the next target?  I think most of us would agree that the goal for the team is to eventually be a serious title contender.  I think most would also agree that to seriously contend, you need an MVP caliber player.

So with neither Kyrie nor AD, who should the next target be? 

[NKY fan]

As frustrating as it is. There probably will not be an immediate target.
If Beal price is coming down maybe him.
If the bucks lose in the finals ... overpay their role players to bring them back and lose again next year .... I can se Giannis be the target. When he will be a FA we might have clean books ... no Horford and no Hayward in 2 years... with 2 young up and coming stars and 2-3 young role players under team control.
I don稚 see the need to get someone unless we can get two or even 3 stars at the same time ..
If wizards , pistons and thunder are hitting the reset button we can throw the Js plus 5-6 picks for :

Beal, griffin , George plus Horford and smart .... might be impossible to match salaries though

[mctyson]

The question here is very simple, as in the title. 

Let's assume for a moment that:

(1) Kyrie signs elsewhere this summer

(2) AD is traded to another team or is not traded at all, and the circumstances make clear he is no longer a trade option for the Celts

So with neither Kyrie nor AD, who should the next target be?

There is no next target as the strategy will be to build a team around Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, a strategy that I fully endorse.  Both have shown enough promise to warrant that.

I think the next timepoint is when Horford and Hayward come off the books, and that the focus should be on developing Jaylen and Jayson up to that point.

Does that mean they are contenders?  No, but it make them perennial threats if/when a shrewd trade opportunity is there or if a free agent is added.

[nickagneta]

I do not see anyone on the horizon for many years, by which time, Horford and Hayward might be off the books but most likely replaced with Brown and Tatum on max contracts(the type that start at around $27 million).

The next hope could revolve around that Memphis pick. If that pick doesn't convey until unprotected and Memphis sucks, that pick could be the way to get the next superstar. Danny could use it to draft a superstar, if the pick somehow ends up top four and there is that type talent in that draft. Or they could trade it for a disgruntled star.

Who could be that star in two years? Karl Anthony Towns might get sick of losing in Minnesota. Maybe Paul George in OKC. Not sure who else I see in a possible bad situation that would make sense for Boston. Even George is a stretch. I just don't see Giannis, Harden, Durant, Curry, Thompson, or really any superstar potential player on a rookie contract becoming available then

[86MaxwellSmart]

IMO....it will be Kyrie/LeBron and Davis teaming up in LA...Bron's boy Griffin is running things in New Orleans now.

Hate to use the term Book It...but, Book it.

[PhoSita]

I don't know if Towns will ever be MVP caliber; his raw numbers are there already, but the impact on winning certainly isn't.


Towns does seem like the next most likely target (sometime in 2022/2023).

[Who]

Wait and see mode.

[RPGenerate]

Whatever top prospect is in the next draft.

[hpantazo]

How about Jokic? He's got MVP level talent as a big man. He's locked in with his contract, but could be traded if/when the Nuggets hopes close

[TheSundanceKid]

The other bit that will affect this is what happens with the draft picks.

If we get a lottery pick then I can see us going with youth. Its be a nice mix.

However with no lottery pick then I think we'll go for a pg that'll facilitate or a sg 3 point specialist. Someone to complement the growing dominance of Tatum and Brown

[philr13]

I don't know if Towns will ever be MVP caliber; his raw numbers are there already, but the impact on winning certainly isn't.


Towns does seem like the next most likely target (sometime in 2022/2023).

Towns does look like an obvious target. He's got to be getting sick of the instability in Minn.

[philr13]

I don't think this is a post-kyrie superstar suggestion, but I wouldn't be surprised if Sabonis can be obtained from Indiana. I read somewhere that there's frustration that he can't play along side Myles Turner and they don't want to pay him to be a back-up center. He's a pretty smart player who could take up the slack as Horford ages out.

[NKY fan]

I don't think this is a post-kyrie superstar suggestion, but I wouldn't be surprised if Sabonis can be obtained from Indiana. I read somewhere that there's frustration that he can't play along side Myles Turner and they don't want to pay him to be a back-up center. He's a pretty smart player who could take up the slack as Horford ages out.

What would the price for Sabonis be? The 14the pick plus yabu?

[PhoSita]

I don't think this is a post-kyrie superstar suggestion, but I wouldn't be surprised if Sabonis can be obtained from Indiana. I read somewhere that there's frustration that he can't play along side Myles Turner and they don't want to pay him to be a back-up center. He's a pretty smart player who could take up the slack as Horford ages out.

What would the price for Sabonis be? The 14the pick plus yabu?

I think it would be a lot more than that, but I would be SO stoked to get Sabonis as a long term center.  He does so many good things that the Celts need.


Brown Tatum Sabonis would be a nice place to build from, even if that's probably not going to win you a title.

[GreenCoffeeBean]

Book me a ticket on the Sabonis train.

The only player not named Tatum or Brown that I want to build around is Beal.