Ramp to Camp: Exploring potential in-season moves for Celtics originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Brad Stevens isn’t one to get complacent.
A year ago, when Boston could have easily kept the core of its team together, Stevens took two big swings to land Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday. Those moves helped thrust Boston to elusive Banner 18.
While it’s been a fairly quiet summer for Stevens — though he did re-sign a bunch of core players, ink Jayson Tatum and Derrick White to big-money extensions, and utilize the first first-round pick of his GM tenure — the Celtics essentially elected to run back the new core of this team for 2024-25 with hopes that chemistry might fuel a title repeat.
But that doesn’t mean Stevens won’t ponder potential moves. Even on the heels of Boston’s title season, he has noted how he wants to give this team a chance to keep the momentum going, but won’t sit on his hands if things go awry.
For the eighth installment in our Ramp to Camp series, we asked our NBC Sports Boston panel to play armchair general manager and pick one potential move that Stevens might make during the 2024-25 season.
(Check out the first seven installments of Ramp to Camp here.)
If first-round pick Baylor Scheierman carves out a Year 1 role, or if camp invite Lonnie Walker IV proves he can be an effective bench presence, then Stevens might not need to tinker much this season.
There will be obvious eyes on the big-man spot with Kristaps Porzingis sidelined to start the season following offseason leg surgery. But it feels like we spill a lot of ink fretting Boston’s center depth and the likes of Luke Kornet and Neemias Queta have proven they can hold the fort.
The one potential move we see in our crystal ball revolves around Jaden Springer. The Celtics acquired the former first-round pick at last season’s trade deadline, but he’s entering the final year of his rookie contract and will earn $4 million this season. (That’s basically what bench stalwarts Sam Hauser and Luke Kornet will earn combined this season.)
The Celtics, with their luxury tax concerns, might be willing to pay to let Springer develop in the shadows, but they might also yearn to move off that salary to 1) Lower their tax burden and 2) Make any potential addition during the year.
Early season play could force Stevens’ hand. If Boston’s bigs hold the fort while Porzingis is out, maybe there’s no greater urgency to add a big. If Hauser and Payton Pritchard continue to thrive in bench roles, maybe the team is content to roll with a bench that is otherwise thin on experience (at least while Al Horford is filling Porzingis’ starting role).
But the team likely will explore moves on the periphery. Walker IV will get a chance to assert himself in camp, but the Celtics have some flexibility to ponder end-of-the-roster shuffling during the season.
(Full disclosure: We were fully planning to make some absurd trade proposal that would bring Robert Williams III back from Portland, but the Celtics can’t aggregate contracts as a second apron team. We might simply have to wait for Time Lord to hit the free agent market in the summer of 2026).
Here is what our panel thinks about a potential action from Stevens:
Is there anyone left to extend? Neemias Queta? JD Davison?
(Editor’s note: Stevens does love extensions. But Jaden Springer is the only extension-eligible player to start the year.)
Tom Giles, Multi-platform host
I loved the Blake Griffin experience a couple of years ago and wish he could have been a part of the championship team. So, just for fun, how about a veteran guy with playoff experience to bring along for the ride? Almost like a P.J. Brown or Sam Cassell circa 2008. Maybe Jeff Green? He’s got championship experience.
Max Lederman, Multi-platform producer
The Celtics are pretty limited with what they can actually do, but if they can find another big to help eat some innings with Porzingis out, that would be neat.
Mark Hazlett, Multi-platform producer
Tough one. This team has few holes, is deep, and the chemistry is off the charts, so any move risks that. I’m simply scouring the G League for a potential wing who’s more NBA-ready than Jordan Walsh and Anton Watson in case one of the Jays goes down.
Trade for Saddiq Bey. The versatile Wizards wing is a certified Celtics killer (career 49.4 percent 3-point shooter vs. Boston), so you know he’s on Brad Stevens’ radar. If Walker doesn’t pan out, Bey would be a great trade deadline pickup as a gritty 3-and-D forward on a reasonable contract (three years, $19 million).
Trade for Torrey Craig. He’s a versatile defender who has also hit 39 percent of his 3-point attempts over the last two seasons. The Bulls aren’t very good and Craig is in a contract year. Adding a 3-and-D wing would be a smart move, especially if Walker doesn’t fit or has trouble staying healthy.
(Editor’s note: Craig is earning $2.8 million this season after triggering his player option in Chicago.)
As solid as Pritchard and Hauser were, the Celtics ranked 26th in bench scoring last season. How about a veteran presence who could add a scoring punch to the second unit? Maybe a Boston native who grew up dreaming about playing for the C’s? Bruce Brown Jr. checks those boxes and the Raptors will likely make him available at the deadline.
(Editor’s note: Brown Jr. is set to earn $22 million this season for a hard-capped Toronto team, which makes it difficult to craft big-money deals.)
Kevin Miller, VP, Content
This is a bit of a cop-out because it lacks some specifics, but if any moves are made in season, I feel they would be centered around health issues (i.e. Porzingis doesn’t come all the way back, someone else gets injured).
