Four (Bold?) Celtics Offseason Predictions Ahead Of Free Agency

The Boston Celtics were one of the NBA’s busiest teams in the few weeks separating the conclusion of the NBA Finals and the start of free agency.

The C’s acquired Kristaps Porzingis in a trade that saw Marcus Smart depart for Memphis and Danilo Gallinari and Mike Muscala head to Washington, D.C. Boston also nearly made Malcolm Brogdon the focal point of a trade that would have seen him go to the Los Angeles Clippers.

Boston then made five trades on draft night, eventually picking up Jordan Walsh alongside a litany of future draft picks.

So, now what? Well, despite their desire to add some accentuators and no issue continuing to spend money, it doesn’t appear the Celtics have much room to make moves. That doesn’t necessarily mean they won’t do anything, however. Here are some of the things that Green Teamers might see happen over the course of the summer.

Bye-Bye Grant Williams
In what would have looked like a wild prediction one season ago, it appears Grant Williams’ days in Boston are numbered.

Williams, after falling out of Joe Mazzulla’s rotation throughout the 2022-23 season, was extended the qualifying offer by the Celtics and becomes a restricted free agent on Friday. That gives Boston the option to match any contract offer extended to him, but there is almost certainly a team out there that will be willing to throw a large chunk of change at the 24-year-old three-and-D guy. It’s not that the Celtics’ won’t want to keep Williams, they just won’t be able to.

Boston Locks Up Kristaps Porzingis
This isn’t very bold. In fact, it’s probably going to happen within the first week of free agency.

Kristaps Porzingis is eligible to sign a two-year, $77 million contract extension with Boston as early as July 6, so let’s jot that down now to make us look smart when it does happen.

Adding A Minutes Eater
The Celtics have a nice little front-court rotation, with Porzingis, Al Horford and Robert Williams III all expected to have big roles. The only problem is none of those guys can be expected to play a full season without needing scheduled rest time or getting injured.

Danilo Gallinari is no longer an option, while we’ve already discussed how Grant Williams could be on his way out the door. That leads us to the idea of Boston signing another big body, with JaMychal Green, Trey Lyles, Jeff Green and Keita Bates-Diop all making sense as low-cost options.

Russell Westbrook: Marcus Smart Replacement
This one is just funny.

Russell Westbrook is coming off a contract that paid him $46 million per season, so how in the world would the Celtics be able to obtain his services? Well, he’s 35 years old for starters, and his level of play over the past few years will take about half the teams in the league out of the running to sign him. He could probably get a chunk of change from a fringe playoff team, but wouldn’t it make some sense for him to take a miniscule contract to join a contender? We can dream.