Big or PG?

[lbgreen33]

This to me is one of the weirdest off seasons in a very long time. I mean I feel we will not compete for a championship with this team. You still need a good PG and a dominant center to win a championship. I know, teams have won the chip without those, but the east and west have changed!!! For the first time in a while, I feel we have neither. JH and KP meant so much to the last championship!! So, which would you rather have? Everything comes with a price, our best option is JB. Would you go Giannis or maybe Ya Morant?? Both have big risks! OR, should we go young and build for the future???
That is what I mean by a weird year. If we give up JB, to me we still need the possibility of landing the better player. Ja has been a knucklehead, but could he reach his high ceiling in Boston?? Giannis is getting older, is his best ball behind him? Go for the Youth movement?? Is that fair to Tatum?? I don?t believe after last year that Tatum and Brown are a good fit anymore. I said it then, Brown really likes being the #1, everyone said I was wrong!!! But, I don?t think I was!! So anyway, what to do for the future is anyone?s guess, many interesting options! It will take guts to make any decision! The easy thing is to roll it back, do the minimum. We won?t beat the Nicks, but we won?t make anyone upset. Looking to win again with our best player will take guts!! And, YES, our best player is Jayson Tatum.

[Vermont Green]

You still need a good PG and a dominant center to win a championship.

I don't know if you mean  this literally, only a "good" PG but a "dominant" center.  But I think what you are asking is if Brown is traded, is it better to get back a PG (Morant, for example) or a Center (Giannis?)?  For me, if Brown is traded, I see it for a Center or maybe a PF/Big (who these days plays center).  I say that for two reasons.  First, I see Center/Big as the more value position.  I think it helps the team more to have say a top 10 player at center than a top 10 player at PG.

And Second, I just do not see the PG options out there.  It would have to be a top 10 or top 15 player in order to trade Brown for.  Not sure Ja Morant is that.  You aren't going to get SGA or even Brunson.  Who else are you going to target that would have value on par with Brown?

The third option of course, at least relative to trading Brown, is to trade him for two more middle class players, say Zion and Murphy (not a PG, I know).  Or Markkanen and a young guard from UTA.  Something like that.  Maybe there is a big and a PG to be had from POR.

[Celtics4ever]

I think we need a guard who can break down pressure and attack the rim and a big as well. 

We need both as I see it.   Now how we get them is the question?   Do we trade, draft or sign them.   This free agency class is only ok.

If dealt with Memphis, I would want Morant and Aldama and 16 for Brown and 4O.  Morant is a headache and comes with significant risk.

I would avoid dealing with Danny Ainge, he always tries to win every trade by  landslide.  I would try to get Jaren Jackson and Collier with some other young talent for Brown if you put a gun to my head, they won't be dealing Keyonte or Ace Bailey.

[SparzWizard]

We need a big. That should be priority.

For PG we just need someone who can facilitate the floor, handle the ball, pass the ball and play D. Let the forwards and bigs do the damage

[jambr380]

Imo, we need both. That's why I think we'll see Hauser traded so that we can use the MLE on one and a trade or TPE on the other. I do think there is value in using the MLE on one of the myriad of scoring guards that will be available, while it might make more sense to trade for a big.

[Phantom255x]

Queta is not a superstar big, so you need another big man period. In the past 5-6 years, the teams that have won it all either have a great duo (Ibaka-Gasol, KP-Horford, Chet-Hartenstein), or a superstar big (Davis, Jokic, Giannis). Even this year, it'll be Wemby, or KAT-Robinson.

The Celtics were heavily exposed on that front in the Sixers series when Embiid returned, and they were going to be in the Knicks series too. Queta is a solid big man, but Vucevic/Garza were basically nonfactors or terrible so it left a void. If they can pair Queta with another capable guy, it should help the team a lot.

PG would be nice but I don't prioritize that. Of course, adding both would be ideal. Dump Hauser, let Baylor/Hugo play more and use some of those savings to acquire one of the two. The other can be acquired via TPE or a White trade.

Sorry but the more I watch these Finals and even the ECF/WCF, the more I feel the Celtics are just not even close to these other teams in the frontcourt. Again, I like Queta and he's gonna continue to grow/improve, but they absolutely need another guy in the frontcourt. And I doubt Amari Williams will be close next season. Sure, the playstyle and 3-point philosophy needs to be adjusted, but that won't matter a ton either if the frontcourt isn't revamped.

[Moranis]

In the last 2 playoff series, Boston was torched by both Brunson and Maxey.  They need someone that can defend the point of attack far more than anything else.

[johnnygreen]

In the last 2 playoff series, Boston was torched by both Brunson and Maxey.  They need someone that can defend the point of attack far more than anything else.

If you go back to when the Celtics won the title, Haliburton got hurt in game two of the ECF. Everyone of those games came down to the end, so who knows what a healthy Haliburton may have done.

To me, it's not just a guard that can defend. Didn't Derrick White just make all defensive first team? I still think they need a PG that can attack the defense like Brunson, Maxey, and Haliburton. The again, maybe our guys can do that but are limited by the offensive philosophy of the team.

[Who]

In the last 2 playoff series, Boston was torched by both Brunson and Maxey.  They need someone that can defend the point of attack far more than anything else.

I wouldn't mind Keon Ellis as a 20-25mpg starting two guard to take those tougher guard assignments. He can provide more defense than Baylor or Hauser. And more shooting than J Walsh or Hugo.

[Vermont Green]

I am not as worried about PG as I am the front court.  When you look at players like Haliburton, Brunson, Maxey, they are really good players, they score a lot of points against a lot of teams.  BOS guards are not real fast, that is a weakness, but if BOS had the personnel that allowed us to play White at combo guard and Brown at SG, I am fine with that.  I do feel that another starting level guard would be nice, but not as big a need as a starting level big.  Jrue Holiday was not real fast either, more of a combo guard like White.

[Goldstar88]

I am not as worried about PG as I am the front court.  When you look at players like Haliburton, Brunson, Maxey, they are really good players, they score a lot of points against a lot of teams.  BOS guards are not real fast, that is a weakness, but if BOS had the personnel that allowed us to play White at combo guard and Brown at SG, I am fine with that.  I do feel that another staring level guard would be nice, but not as big a need as a starting level big.  Jrue Holiday was not real fast either, more of a combo guard like White.

This is literally what they did once Tatum came back. It was White at the point and JB at the 2. Sam was the 3, Tatum 4.

[Moranis]

In the last 2 playoff series, Boston was torched by both Brunson and Maxey.  They need someone that can defend the point of attack far more than anything else.

If you go back to when the Celtics won the title, Haliburton got hurt in game two of the ECF. Everyone of those games came down to the end, so who knows what a healthy Haliburton may have done.

To me, it's not just a guard that can defend. Didn't Derrick White just make all defensive first team? I still think they need a PG that can attack the defense like Brunson, Maxey, and Haliburton. The again, maybe our guys can do that but are limited by the offensive philosophy of the team.

White cannot guard the point of attack. He isn't fast enough. 

[Vermont Green]

I am not as worried about PG as I am the front court.  When you look at players like Haliburton, Brunson, Maxey, they are really good players, they score a lot of points against a lot of teams.  BOS guards are not real fast, that is a weakness, but if BOS had the personnel that allowed us to play White at combo guard and Brown at SG, I am fine with that.  I do feel that another staring level guard would be nice, but not as big a need as a starting level big.  Jrue Holiday was not real fast either, more of a combo guard like White.

This is literally what they did once Tatum came back. It was White at the point and JB at the 2. Sam was the 3, Tatum 4.

Exactly although I would quibble that Hauser was more of the 2.  I don't like Hauser as a starter due to talent level, not necessarily position.  The Hauser replacement could be more of a PG type, sliding White and Brown to more of wing roles, or you could go with more of a guard/wing type and keep White as the combo/PG and have Brown more of a wing role.  My point is that I don't see that as an issue.  Holiday was a combo/PG too.  No roster is perfect but in 2025-26, Hauser and Queta were starters.  The issue with them isn't positional, it is talent level.