LAS VEGAS — Brad Stevens laid out a simple but challenging goal for his first offseason as Celtics president of basketball operations last month.
“We need to be mindful of our near and long-term views, and at the same time add hopefully an edge and some experience to our team,” Stevens explained on draft night. “When I say experience, I mean just the savvy of someone who has been through it before that will help everybody around our guys better. That’s an important thing for our team as we move forward. The fit is important, What people bring to the table from those attributes is important. That’s what we’re looking at.”
The early days of NBA free agency provided a slow start for Boston on the talent upgrade front. Top midseason addition Evan Fournier headed to the rival Knicks for a big raise that Boston balked at. Other potential Celtics free agent targets headed to other contenders on bargain deals or simply signed contracts that were outside of Boston’s spending ability ($6 million) last week. Through the first three days of free agency, the Celtics were one of four teams that did not make a single signing, leaving them losing ground quickly in the Eastern Conference arms race as they tried to maintain long-term flexibility.
Stevens has always shown good patience as a head coach though and that mentality has translated well to his move to the front office this summer. With limited cap space available among playoff teams, there was going to be some free agent player or players that were going to be left at the altar when big money got handed out elsewhere. The Celtics initially hoped that would be Fournier according to league sources, but a strong market market quickly developed for him with the Knicks.
Stevens and the rest of Boston’s top executives (Mike Zarren, Austin Ainge, Alison Feaster, Dave Lewin) wisely valued flexibility instead of overpaying Fournier on a long-term deal, but that left him with a sizable offensive talent hole to fill, a gamble for a team that had already lost a top scorer in Kemba Walker.
Boston’s front office did not know in all likelihood that Schroder specifically would be the guard left standing on the dance floor without a partner when the music stopped but their calculation worked out well in believing some appealing player would slip through the cracks. On top of that, a closer look at Boston’s preceding moves to the Schroder signing signals a plan that played out well on paper for Boston.
TRADING KEMBA WALKER EARLY
His quick buyout with Oklahoma City confirmed that there was no developing trade market for him even once the free agency market got settled. The Celtics needed to get off his money for next season to create some spending power and they did just that by nabbing Al Horford at the cost of the No. 16 pick. Stevens also created some additional opportunity on the Celtics roster at the guard spot by moving Walker that helped make the team look appealing to Schroder.
LANDING JOSH RICHARDSON FOR A THROW-IN (MOSES BROWN)
This addition turned into a preemptive replacement for Evan Fournier once he moved outside Boston’s price range. There’s no question that Fournier is that far superior offensive player compared to Richardson, who is coming off two subpar years (for him) with the Mavericks and 76ers. However, landing Richardson on an expiring contract once again provided Boston plenty of long-term maneuverability with their salary cap while also adding a guy on a fair market contract. Richardson is certainly capable of playing far better than an $11 million player next year based on his track record in Miami and Philly, something that excites new head coach Ime Udoka.
“A guy I obviously worked with him in Philadelphia,” Udoka said of Richardson. “A guy I saw a ton of in Miami. Defensive mindset, but versatile. He’s another versatile defender, a guy that can play on or off the ball. He’s done that in Miami. He’s played some point guard, so he’s a guy that can do a lot of things out there. Didn’t shoot it as well the last few years, but we’re getting back to that. He’s a better shooter than he showed in Dallas. Josh is another guy you can plug into a lot of different areas if you want to go small or big, or he can be a point guard. Defensively, he can guard all those positions.”
Whether he’s part of the long-term plan in Boston or just a potential trade chip remains to be seen, but Richardson’s age (27) and skillset makes him a good bet for Boston with the remainder of their Gordon Hayward trade exception.
GETTING A SECOND-ROUND PICK FOR TRISTAN THOMPSON
Tristan Thompson’s two-year contract for the mid-level exception looked like an overpay just a couple of months into his tenure with Boston last season. The common theory was that the Celtics may have to move an asset (second-round pick) to dump Thompson’s money for the final season of his deal but Stevens managed to find a taker for the veteran big man in Sacramento. Boston did have to take back a couple of unappealing contracts in Kris Dunn and Bruno Fernando but those players should be far easier to move in a trade if needed. The 2023 second-round pick Boston nabbed as part of this deal should help grease the wheels for that, if required, so this entire transaction was an effective way of cutting costs and clearing out a tough fit for the roster in Thompson.
SIGNING ENES KANTER FOR VETERAN’S MINIMUM
The optics of bringing Kanter back weren’t great after the Celtics traded him away with a draft pick last offseason. However, Stevens didn’t let that prevent him from bringing back a player who provides valuable depth at center behind a pair of centers with durability concerns (Al Horford, Robert Williams). Kanter has his limitations but he can soak up minutes and provide an offensive punch, particularly on the offensive glass.
HOLDING THE LINE WITH SCHRODER AT TAXPAYER MID-LEVEL
The Celtics could have moved around some salary to offer the point guard more with their mid-level exception. They could have offered a second-year (player option) to provide some additional injury security for Schroder. Instead, Stevens and Boston’s front office held the line. Schroder could play here where more opportunity would be guaranteed with a chance for him to rebuild some value by playing with a strong supporting cast around him. However, Boston wasn’t going to change any of their future flexibility plans for his contract. It’s a low-risk, high-reward deal for Boston and allows them to use Schroder (or another guard) to potentially gain another asset at the trade deadline thanks to his low salary if the fit in Boston isn’t great this season.
In totality, these moves don’t jump off the page compared to offseasons by other teams. However, Stevens has managed to make the best out of a tough situation this offseason on a very limited free-agent budget. He cut salary in trades, created long-term flexibility and also has brought aboard respectable talent in the process thanks to a good gameplan put in place by Boston’s brass.
There was a lot of uncertainty about how Stevens would fare leading an experienced front office in Boston following Danny Ainge’s retirement and there’s still plenty of mystery that remains without having seen this team on the floor yet. There also continue to be rumblings that Boston likely isn’t done attempting to make upgrades to the roster either despite its current crowded depth chart. In the meantime, Stevens’ first two months on the job have set a strong positive outlook for his potential in the front office and has helped steady a franchise that desperately needed to turn things around after a rough year.
