Going at this blind so if there are any issues apologies. The main points of my rebuild go like this, I'm assuming 1 tier below absolute perfection. I'm not assuming we land the first pick and I'm not assuming Kevin Durant signs here.
For the purposes of this rebuild going off the earth shattering scenario where Durant signs in Golden State and the likely scenario that Brooklyn nets us the 4th pick. Both of these paths IMO are not only plausible but likely. Durant to GS is the type of power house move that hasn't shook the league since Lebron chose Miami and Brooklyn's improvement has finally stalled after the Joe Johnson waive... too late to stop Phoenix from out tanking Brooklyn but just in time for them to retain the 4th worst record in the league. Where does this leave us. I'd argue in a great spot to capitalize.
My off-season can be broken down into 3 phases. Draft and stash Dragan Bender. Sign Al Horford to a 4 year Max. Sign Harrison Barnes to a max outside of GS's match range. As for the smaller moves...Let Sullinger Walk, resign Turner, don't pick up Johnson's option. Resign Zeller to a modest deal. Keep Jerebko if we can.
These scenarios are going to be controversial to many but IMO solidifies us a top 3 team in the East in the short term and has the potential to grow us into a contender in the long term.
Phase 1 Horford. Al Horford is going to be over paid. Many of us are right to worry that his final 2-3 years of his contract will be ugly and while that may be an inevitability it's a reality that the best teams face. Signing Al would essentially cost us nothing in asetts so overpaying in this projected $90+ million cap is only a question whether or not Ownership is ready for years at the luxury tax. Meanwhile Horford fits our complexion as 4/5 who can play in space and marks the best FA signing in Boston history.
Phase 2 Bender. Philly gets #1 and takes Ben Simmons to finally solidify their core. Lakers get #2 and draft Brandon Ingram to replace Kobe's scoring void. Phoenix needs to save face, takes either Brown or Dunn and leaves us to take Dragan Bender, I've been consistent as to why I think Benders the pick in other threads but the cliff notes are that he has the highest upside outside the top 2, fits what's expected in a Brad Stevens 4/5, and allows the team another year to gel before he makes his way over. By the time he's ready to come over in 2017 we will have a better grasp of where to fit him in and who loses their spot.
Phase 3 Barnes. This one is probably the most controversial and admittedly is the scenario I'm least attached too but when I close my eyes and see us in the ECF Harrison Barnes is one of our starters. Barnes finally develops under Stevens putting up 19/8 on good percentages and solidfies our lineup as the Warriors or Spurs of the East. His BBIQ and skills are finally fully utilized and he and Horford form a dynamic pair.
Sorry for the long winded answer KGLL and thanks for making the fun topic.
No offense, but Bender-delayed-by-a-few-years (see loco's thread asap) and Barnes-at-over-20-million (he's not Harden, he's average) and Horford-without-Durant (four years at upwards of 30 million for the steady decline of an already only very good but not great player) might be literally the
worst outcome this summer. It would depress the
bejeezuz out of me.
I like that you tried to do a dream roster without either Durant or Simmons, though. Here's my attempt at the same, with the added limit of no-Ingram, and an emphasis on
dream, lol:
Divide up and distribute in two separate trades all three of the 2016 1sts + the 2017 Celtics/Nets 1st + the 2018 Nets 1st + the 2019 Memphis 1st to Philly and Chicago in whatever way that could get us both Noel and Butler without forking over any players except Amir and Jerebko. Re-sign Turner and Sullinger.
Noel
Crowder
Butler
Smart
Isaiah
Sullinger
Olynyk
Turner
Bradley
Rozier/Mickey/Hunter/Young/whoever
Not just small ball -- small and
defensively ferocious ball, but with the mega-bonus of a legit elite defensive anchor. Positionless only in the middle of the lineup, with a pure-ish point guard and traditional-ish defense-first center. We'd have the best ball movement in the league this side of Oakland. We'd have good three point shooting at four spots (provided Smart continues to improve). Two shot creators and late-game closers. We'd challenge all the NBA records for forcing turnovers. We'd have four All-Defensive caliber starters, which is virtually unprecedented in NBA history, with only a small dropoff in defensive intensity when the starters sit. We'd have a chance-in-hell of disrupting Golden State enough to win four out of seven games, I think, which is the best it seems right now that a team can hope for in the next two or three years.
Topic: Dream roster for Celtics next year (Read 4419 times)