The Boston Celtics had an eventful 2023 NBA offseason, marked by several significant moves that aimed to reshape the team and bolster its chances of reaching a championship breakthrough.
Despite recent Eastern Conference Finals appearances, the Celtics sought change to elevate their performance further by shaking up the core of the team that got them to the cusp of competing for a title multiple times and to the league’s biggest stage outright in 2022 — but has failed to deliver Banner 18 despite a number of close calls. Did they make the right moves to such an end?
While it may be impossible to know until the NBA’s 2024 postseason is in the books, Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley tried his hand at offering up some letter grades for Boston’s bigger moves; let’s take a look at his assessment.
Celtics Lab 210: FIBA flubs, insurance fraud and fan surveys in the doldrums with Wayne Spooney https://t.co/4RZ9ObKh4z via @thecelticswire pic.twitter.com/M4w6E8Pq4j
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) August 11, 2023
Acquiring Kristaps Porzingis
“Boston clearly wanted to get bigger and did, bringing aboard the 7’3″, 240-pounder,” suggests Buckley. “His injury history is all kinds of worrisome, but he did stay mostly healthy this past season (65 games) and showed what kind of an impact presence he can be when he does.”
“The risks are real here—both with Smart’s subtraction and Porzingis’ availability—but the reward could be quite rich.”
GRADE: B-
Extending Jaylen Brown
“Boston likely felt that was a wager it had to make,” offers the B/R analyst. “Brown almost certainly wasn’t extending for less than the max, so not offering it could have been akin to showing him the exits and really having to retool this roster.”
“Keeping him around—and alongside Jayson Tatum—is smart, even if he could have trouble living up to this pay rate.”
GRADE: C+
Sign-and-Trading Grant Williams
“The Celtics couldn’t pay that much for someone who’d be their fourth big, but they lost an asset that they effectively devalued first,” writes Buckley.
“There aren’t a ton of players who can match Williams’ combination of defensive versatility and outside shooting (career 37.9%), so losing a valuable archetype and collecting just two second-rounders in return is a disappointing outcome.”
GRADE: D+
