Who’s Safe, Who’s On the Bubble, and Who’s Leaving Boston
As I have stated time and time again, this has been one of my favorite Celtics teams in a long time. There isn’t a single person on the roster that I can say I genuinely disliked. Everyone from Jayson Tatum to Vincent Poirier had a place in my heart. The unfortunate reality is, though, that this exact team will not be back to play a second season together.
Whether it’s through free agency, draft selections, or trades, some of these guys will be on other teams next year. It’s just how the business of basketball works. With that in mind, I wanted to talk about who I think is safe, who I think is on the bubble, and who I think will have to say their goodbyes.
Untouchable: Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown
If Danny Ainge plays his cards right, these guys should be competing for championships together for the foreseeable future. Brown just signed an extension at the start of this season, and Tatum is primed to get his max extension this offseason. At 22 and 23 years old, they are arguably the second-best two-way tandem in the league, behind Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
The idea of trading one of them seems preposterous. Tatum was an All-Star this year, and Brown was on the cusp. Both will be in serious contention for an All-Star nod next season, and the Celtics’ future is looking bright with them at the helm. I don’t see any way Ainge moves either of these guys this offseason and if he does, feel free to come back here and roast me.
Safe: Kemba Walker, Marcus Smart, Robert Williams, Romeo Langford, Grant Williams
Despite the rumors, I am not one of those people who think Smart will get traded. Smart has been the heart and soul of the Celtics for years and is the closest thing to a team captain they have. Trading him would not only trigger riots in the streets of Boston but would also be giving up one of the most unique talents in the league.
Kemba Walker just finished up his first year in Boston, and while he did struggle a little in the playoffs, he was damn good. I mean, the guy was a starter in the All-Star game, are you really going to trade him just like that? The only reason he isn’t in the untouchable category is that you never know with Danny Ainge.
Lastly, we have Romeo Langford, Grant Williams, and Robert Williams. Both super young players coming off a solid stint in the bubble. Robert broke out as a great rim roller and showed real promise on both ends of the floor. Langford displayed some elite defensive potential, and Ainge even commented on how he expects him to step up next year. As for Grant, the defense he played at the end of the Raptors series should speak for itself. The new fan favorite shouldn’t be going anywhere.
Pretty Safe: Gordon Hayward, Daniel Theis, Tacko Fall
As much as I’d love to see Myles Turner in green, I personally don’t think that Hayward will get traded this offseason. Trading him after he just missed the birth of his child to help the C’s win a championship would be a real slap in the face. I know Ainge is all about doing what’s best for the team, but I just don’t see Hayward getting moved before the start of the year. It’s definitely possible, but I don’t think it happens.
Theis emerged as a solid defender, and super surprising player for the Celtics this year. Coming into the season, I think a lot of people thought Enes Kanter would get the start. Theis stepped in and showed great defensive ability, something that Kanter doesn’t really have. That along with his ability to stretch the floor makes him a great asset. The only reason he’s only “pretty safe” is in case a trade for Turner does come to fruition.
Losing Fall is a deathwish for Ainge. He was only on a two-way contract this year, but with the amount of hype surrounding him in Boston, and across the nation, has been monumental. He’s also been known to be an extremely hard worker and is constantly trying to get better. You can’t teach height, so that alone helps keep his roster spot safe to some degree.
Questionable: Carsen Edwards, Tremont Waters, Vincent Poirier, Brad Wanamaker
Edwards and Waters are both sub-six-foot point guards who showed a little bit of promise this year. Edwards inked a four-year deal at the start of this past season, while Waters was only on a two-way contract. Personally, I think Waters shows a little more promise than Edwards, but his deal is up at the end of the year, while Edwards’ remains on the books. If it were me, I would look into dealing Edwards and keeping Waters, but this really is a toss-up. I just don’t think both of these guys will be on the roster next season. My guess? One is gone and one is back.
As for Vinny Sex Pants, he has one more year on his deal, but the possibility of a trade is there. In my opinion, he’s the most expendable guy on the roster as he really hasn’t contributed anything since he’s been in Boston. If there were to be a guy to throw in as salary-filler, it’d probably be Poirier. However, the reality is that he has one more year left on his contract, so you never know.
I was super close to putting Wanamaker in the category below this one, but I just couldn’t do it. I know there’s a huge group of people who hate Wanamaker with a passion, but he was actually super good throughout the playoffs. His consistency off the bench provided much-needed depth for the C’s. The only issue with Wanamaker is that he’s at the end of his current deal, and with the amount of youth Boston has, there may not be a lot of playing time to go around. It’s honestly a toss-up whether or not Wanamaker is on the roster next season. I’d personally like to see him back in green, but we’ll just have to wait and see.
Goodbye: Enes Kanter, Semi Ojeleye, Javonte Green
I love Kanter. Kanter loves Boston. The only issue here is that he has a player option and I don’t believe that he’ll take it. As we saw near the end of the playoffs, and all throughout February and March, he wasn’t really getting much playing time. As soon as Williams came back in the bubble, you could see Kanter’s playing time deteriorate. That along with the fact that he could probably get more than what he makes now ($5 million) on the open market leads me to believe that he will walk away from the C’s this offseason.
I honestly really like Ojeleye, but his time in Boston is looking like it could be over. If he had been able to hit his shots in the playoffs then there would have been a real case to keep him around, but unfortunately, he struggled to make a lot of shots. There were times where he was able to get hot from deep but was just unable to consistently hit threes for Boston. He plays super solid defense, but with the number of solid defenders on the roster already, the priority will be bringing in shooters, and since he hasn’t shown he can be that guy, I think he ends up elsewhere next season.
Green was the most surprising addition to the roster this season and only ended up making it after a super impressive run in the preseason. His explosive leaping ability provided Boston fans with a show whenever he was on the floor, but outside of that, he was unable to make a real impact this season. He was never a great three-point shooter, his defense is solid but not great, and he’s not an elite passer or anything like that. His one shining quality is his hustle and willingness to do whatever the team needs, but that’s just not enough to warrant a roster spot for next season. I think his time in Boston is sadly over.
Who do you think will be on the roster next season? Who’s safe? Who’s gone? Let me know in the comments below what you think of my predictions.
