With Kyrie Irving and Al Horford both likely out the door, the Boston Celtics appear to be going all in on one of the best available talents this offseason.
The Celtics reportedly are the front-runner to sign Kemba Walker, who could commit to Boston immediately upon the open of NBA free agency. While Walker could fill a void in spades for the C’s, Matt Barnes believes the lucrative signing might prevent the franchise from addressing an equally important matter.
During an appearance Thursday on ESPN’s “The Jump,” Barnes highlighted a potential negative impact of Walker joining the Celtics while noting where he’d like to see the star point guard wind up.
“I like Dallas. I like Dallas a lot,” Barnes said. “Luka (Doncic) and if they’re able to sign the unicorn (Kristaps Porzingis), being able to add pieces there. I think teams are so enamored now with trying to get their big three situations that they’re forgetting — that all looks great and you get the fans excited — but being able to build a supporting cast and solid role players will help you win championships. Golden State had their big three, but Iggy (Andre Iguodala) was a huge piece in them winning. (Fred) Van Vleet was a huge piece of Toronto winning. So these teams are trying to get these big threes and these big names on paper, but they’re forgetting about what’s gonna happen — it takes a lot of luck to stay healthy the whole season and be there in the Finals if your team makes the Finals. You saw that from Golden State. If you don’t have anything to come off the bench, no firepower, no kind of chemistry or guys you can really count on, you’re putting all your eggs in one basket.”
Boston would need to extend the majority of its available salary cap space in order to sign Walker, who reportedly is “likely to accept” a four-year deal worth $141 million. This would leave the Celtics with a little less than $5 million to address the rest of their roster needs, including in the interior. While the expected exit of Horford and the trade of Aron Baynes helped put the C’s in position to sign Walker, it also will leave the team without a trusted big man. Boston also soon is expected to lose solid role players in Marcus Morris and Terry Rozier.
As such, Danny Ainge might need to be a little creative in order to put together the rest of the puzzle.
