Celtics Need To Make MASSIVE Changes?

0:03 Now, I just want to deal with Jaylen Brown.

0:05 I I don't want to go chapter and verse over Jaylen Brown.

0:10 I just want to say two things.

0:11 And Bon Temps, this is your neck of the woods, so I'll get out of the way.

0:16 Two important things that happened on Wednesday.

0:19 one Brad Stevens sell his end of season media availability just christened

0:26 as executive of the year and said as far as I know

0:30 Jaylen is happy I just talked to him two days ago

0:32 and he didn't say anything to me second thing he said was we

0:36 were 3-1 against the top three seeds in the west and the top

0:39 two seeds in the east that's not good enough we have

0:42 to get better those two things were said then and talk about

0:47 an actions over words and in this case actions to get to words.

0:51 Jaylen beat a path to get back onto the internet and say,

0:55 "No, no, no, no, no, no.

0:56 I'm sorry, Brad.

0:57 I didn't mean for you that to happen to you, and I am very happy in Boston.

1:00 I want to stay here 10 more years." So, those two things happened.

1:04 Now, Bontemps, your reaction.

1:07 Well, you left out the the initial context

1:09 of that, which is Tracy McGrady said that Jaylen Brown, there was some things.

1:14 Well, I mean, let's just say flatly what it is.

1:16 He said he said he said this is my favorite year of my career when a year

1:21 set aside.

1:22 That's not what Brad that's not what Brad was answering to.

1:24 Brad was answering to Tracy McGrady who has a long time

1:27 close relationship with Jaylen Brown going on I think a podcast.

1:31 I don't think it was on NBC.

1:34 It was on his podcast.

1:35 Okay.

1:36 Going go or right sorry on Demar's podcast

1:39 go saying the bottom line is he said J cousins him and Vince Carter's podcast.

1:45 Oh sorry I'm sorry.

1:46 Yes, his podcast with with Vince Carter, his cousin.

1:49 Sorry.

1:50 Anyway, point was he went on a podcast

1:52 said Jaylen Brown has deep frustrations with the Celtics.

1:56 That was what Brad Stevens was asked about.

1:58 Not the favorite year thing.

2:00 He's been saying that all season.

2:03 Uh, and then Brad responded and then Jaylen responded.

2:07 Look, the Celtics are in a very interesting spot.

2:09 They're in, I think, a very similar spot to the one the Denver

2:12 Nuggets are in where they have excellent high-end talent,

2:17 but they don't have a lot of depth.

2:19 They don't have a lot of tradable salary.

2:21 Now, unlike the Nuggets, they have some young players that are interesting,

2:24 and they have a million draft picks.

2:26 They hold I think they have just about every draft pick they have.

2:29 I think they have one swapped out.

2:30 So, um, they have a lot of flexibility to swing

2:34 trades with draft picks if they want to improve the roster,

2:37 but they don't have money to put in deals unless

2:40 it is Jason Tatum or Jaylen Brown or Derek White.

2:44 Three awfully good, awfully important players to

2:47 I don't want to cut you off, but that's not 100% accurate.

2:50 They do have a $27 million trade exception

2:53 in your face attempts

2:55 that they could use.

2:56 Just they have they have a trade exception.

2:58 They're also going to be about $14 million below the luxury tax.

3:02 And I don't think they're going to go into the luxury tax

3:04 this season for repeater purposes if they don't trade any of those guys.

3:08 In your face, Wendy.

3:09 They might they they could they could go in the tax take on money that way,

3:13 but um overall they are in a they're in a tricky they're

3:18 in a they're in a better spot than Denver overall because they do have

3:22 they do owe they don't control their next two first round picks.

3:26 next year is a swap and then they owe a pe owe

3:30 a first round pick to Portland for having traded for Drew Holiday.

3:35 So just they didn't give up any picks in the Drew Holiday trade.

3:40 Portland Portland Milwaukee and Portland had picks in the Drew Holiday trade.

3:45 Celtics didn't

3:46 What I'm looking at is in 2029 first round pick to Portland or Washington?

3:53 for jumping to Portland or Washington.

3:56 I mean, maybe what I'm looking at is inaccurate.

4:01 I don't Maybe what I'm looking at is inaccurate.

4:04 I will I don't think they can I don't think they control

4:06 their first the next two first round picks after this year.

4:09 Okay, they have Okay, I'll check that in a minute.

4:12 The The point is less about that.

4:14 The point is that they do have a lot a decent amount of assets.

4:19 They do have some interesting young talent.

4:21 Gonzalez had a nice rookie year.

4:22 Jordan Walsh came on, Baylor Shyman came on, Kada

4:25 had a really good year as their starting center.

4:28 But Brad's point about the 3-1 record against the elite teams,

4:32 I think, was telling in terms of their overall talent level.

4:36 When the Sixers were healthy as that series went on, they look like

4:39 the more talented team from a top end standpoint as that series went on.

4:43 And it is going to be a challenge for the Celtics to add, I think,

4:48 the kind of depth and talent necessary to really be a championship contending

4:52 team when you look at Oklahoma City and you look at San Antonio,

4:55 like the situation that Denver's in.

4:57 And it's a reminder that over the course of the last year,

5:00 they lost Drew Holiday and Chris Esperzingis and Luke Cornet and Al Horford,

5:04 all critical parts of their team the past few years.

5:07 And they sort of didn't replace any of them

5:09 because they had to shed so much money.

5:11 So, it is going to be a very

5:14 interesting summer to see what happens with Jaylen Brown,

5:17 who, as you have pointed out, Brian,

5:19 is eligible for a contract extension uh this summer.

5:23 He's got three years left on his contract,

5:24 so it's not exactly pressing, but he can extend on July 25th.

5:29 Um, and you know, the Celtics have talked about,

5:32 Brad talked about in his press yesterday, they have to add more talent.

5:35 They have to get better.

5:36 and they're going to stay under the tax especially.

5:40 They have fairly limited ways of doing

5:43 that without moving one of those big salary guys.

5:47 You know, I will just remind people that the Celtics

5:50 were considered the clear-cut favorites in the Eastern Conference.

5:53 Um they got up to a 3-1 lead.

5:56 Uh you know, Jason Tatum came back from an Achilles late in the season.

6:01 you would anticipate that he will be healthy and better uh next year.

6:07 I mean, it's not like the the sky is falling in Boston,

6:11 but there there are some, you know, there are some issues.

6:15 I agree.

6:16 I think you have two players in their 20s

6:19 under control who who are players that you need, two-way wing players with size,

6:25 who have proven that they are championship a championship duo.

6:29 I would absolutely not break them up.

6:32 I would examine whether or not I want to be all gas,

6:36 no break when it comes to the three-pointer.

6:39 Um that, you know, and and may maybe take a look at personnel that way.

6:42 I think that's a fair evaluation.

6:44 I would evaluate, you know, my big man rotation.

6:48 And they did a great job getting Kada,

6:49 but you know they they gave up two key big I

6:52 mean I don't blame them for moving on from Porzingis and Horford,

6:54 but they need to address whether or not that's you know

6:57 they traded for Vusic and I don't think he'll be back.

6:59 No.

7:00 So I think they you know they have some things they need to evaluate

7:03 and I think they need to you know check in and make sure everybody's cool.

7:06 But I I am not the executive of the year.

7:10 Brad Stevens is.

7:11 Brad Stevens has stuck his neck out and made

7:14 trades of play like you know they traded Drew Holiday.

7:17 They traded Marcus Smart.

7:19 They traded Chris Epsorzingis.

7:20 He's not been afraid to trade core players, right?

7:24 Um, so I I will take that into account,

7:26 but I think that two guys in their 20s who are two-way wings pretty valuable.

7:33 And and the trades they made last year were about saving money.

7:36 And part of the reason they had to make those trades

7:37 is because Jaylen Brown and Jason Tatum are super max players.

7:42 But as you said, on the other side of it, when the when the smoke call cleared,

7:47 they still had the second best record

7:48 in the East and were regarded as the favorite.

7:50 So, I would say Brad Stevens at his front office has

7:54 a track record for which you could say they know what they're doing.

7:57 So, I will Yeah, I would I would agree with that.

8:00 I I would say we also had Denver as one of the three

8:03 favorites in the West and they lost in the first round like the Celtics.

8:08 And when you lose in the playoffs in the manner those two teams did,

8:11 it clarifies your situation a little bit.

8:15 And um I'm not sitting here saying the Celtics are doomed either.

8:19 Like they have obviously they have high-end talent.

8:22 They've got an excellent coach.

8:23 They've got an excellent front office.

8:25 They've been one of the best organizations in the league for a decade or more.

8:29 Like they they they have a track record of getting things done.

8:32 However, I think even if you ask the Celtics,

8:34 they would say this is not the easiest situation to navigate from.

8:39 And look, it's also a reminder that they've been an outstanding,

8:43 you know, top of the league team for a decade.

8:45 Like the way the new rules are set up,

8:47 it is very difficult to extend a window like that for an, you know,

8:53 more than four or five years.

8:55 And the Celtics are at a really interesting inflection point after

8:58 shedding several hundred million dollars

9:00 in payroll and luxury taxes this summer.

9:02 It they have to try to get that talent back.

9:05 That's I mean it's a conversation I've had

9:06 with people around the league is like getting

9:08 that level of talent back when you had to shed it without obvious ways to do it.

9:14 It's going to be a challenge.

9:15 Doesn't mean it's impossible.

9:16 It's going to be hard.

9:17 We'll talk we'll talk more about the Celtics when we get to the offseason.

9:21 There's a Pton Pritchard option to extend.

9:23 There's a option to extend name is Kada blah blah blah.