Celtics Reset: With Kevin Durant Gone, What Comes Next For Boston?

Two days after pulling off the greatest free-agent coup in franchise history, the Boston Celtics lost out on their No. 1 target: Kevin Durant.

The former Oklahoma City Thunder star agreed to join the Golden State Warriors on a reported two-year, $54.3 million contract, creating arguably the scariest NBA roster the league has ever seen.

So now that Durant is off the board, what does that mean for the C’s? We took a closer look at what the Celtics might and should do next.

Expectations
For starters, they didn’t completely strike out in free agency.

Boston reached a contract agreement with four-time All-Star Al Horford, marking the first time in franchise history a marquee free agent picked the Celtics in his prime. For a scrappy team that went from 25 to 48 wins and two playoff appearances in two seasons, this is a major, major move that sets the franchise up both on and off the court for more good news in the future.

Even if they can’t beat the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers in a seven-game series, expect the Celtics to be real contenders in the Eastern Conference next season. Some experts have the Celtics pegged for 53 wins. We think the number could — and, with health, should — be more.

Roster Reset
As for the rest of the roster, the Celtics currently have approximately $97 million on the books, about $3 million over the NBA’s salary cap for the 2016-17 season, per Yahoo! Sports’ calculations. That number includes Horford’s projected cap number, non-guaranteed money for Amir Johnson, Jonas Jerebko, Jared Sullinger and Tyler Zeller, and cap holds for first-round picks Jaylen Brown, Guerschon Yabusele and Ante Zizic.

With Durant out of the equation, Boston can pick up Johnson’s and Jerebko’s options for next season without having to worry about tying up cap room for a loaded 2017 free-agent class, and The Boston Globe is reporting that league sources indicate that’s precisely what they’ll do.

If they let Sullinger and Zeller walk in restricted free agency, they cut another $12 million in cap holds off that salary total (though it would be much more if either decided to remain here). Should Yabusele and Zizic play overseas, the Celtics get even more room. Don’t be shocked if their second-round picks get cut or sent overseas as well.

This flexibility is key for Boston, who almost certainly still will search for another star to pair with Horford, Isaiah Thomas and the rest of its playoff core.

Who Comes Next?
As far as this year’s free-agent class is concerned, don’t expect Boston to make much more noise. They might go after another rim protector and they certainly could use a legitimate 3-point shooter, but both would have to come at the right price and not at the expense of their flexibility. They might opt to use one of their rookies for that role, too.

The real prizes now come in next season’s free-agent class, which includes names like Durant, Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, Gordon Hayward, Kyle Lowry and Giannis Antetokounmpo, to name a few. And yes, there’s still a chance Durant winds up in a Celtics uniform.

Don’t expect a major trade unless an earth-shattering name becomes available at a relative discount, either. The three most obvious names — Jimmy Butler, Kevin Love and DeMarcus Cousins — are unlikely to be traded right now without a king’s ransom coming in return.

Danny Ainge will continue to look at creative ways to improve the team without sacrificing its core or future, but for now what you see likely is what you’ll get.

This offseason probably won’t end up quite as great as Celtics fans hoped it would, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t an excellent one and a giant leap toward championship contention.