A potential offseason of wholesale changes for the Boston Celtics began in a big way Wednesday.
The Celtics announced that Brad Stevens will transition from head coach to president of basketball operations with Danny Ainge retiring from the role. A search for a new head coach will begin immediately.
The front office shakeup is enough to produce headlines for months. But what about the roster?
Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype recently talked with multiple NBA executives about some of the Celtics' looming decisions. Marcus Smart was identified as a player who might land on the trading block.
Check out this excerpt from Scott's column:
With young star Jayson Tatum locked into a long-term deal and Jaylen Brown solidifying himself as an All-Star this season, the Celtics are unlikely to part with either franchise building block leaving Marcus Smart as the team's most tradeable asset according to NBA executives.
"I think they'll trade Smart this summer if I had to guess," an NBA executive told HoopsHype. "Retool around Tatum and Brown if they can get real value for Smart, but a lot up in the air there."
Smart averaged a career-high 13.1 points and 5.7 assists per game this season. He's owed $13.84 million next season in the final year of his contract.
"They need to have internal growth," another NBA executive told HoopsHype. "They're pretty stuck when it comes to salaries. They've been trying to move Kemba Walker for a year now and no one is touching that. Their best bet would be to move Smart, but I don't know what his market is. They could trade Brown to try to fill a different position, but that would be a bad move."
Obviously, this doesn't mean Smart will be traded. The fiery guard is a core piece of the team's culture, and it wouldn't be a surprise if the next head coach wants to keep Smart, and his leadership, in the locker room.
However, the Celtics might need to tear this thing down to its foundation -- Tatum and Brown -- before building it back up. Smart might find himself a casualty of the process.
