I like what Brad is doing. The Celtics may not be a top contender this year, but they are focused on the long game. But also if you look at the trend, they went from champions to out in the second round to out in the first round. So it’s not like he was breaking up a championship squad this off-season. I see that Walsh got a three-year extension. So they are doubling down on their homegrown talent. A lot of of these teams in the east are not much better than the Celtics but have given up a lot of future draft compensation to get there.
Honestly, I feel like the biggest loser. This off-season is Miami and not the Celtics. I don’t see how Miami is even a top four team in the east. They have like nothing to fall back on either. The Sixers got LeBron on a cheap deal and got rid of Paul Jorge so even though I questioned the team chemistry, you can’t really argue with shaking things up and taking a solid gamble.
It's not new to see players "collude" to assemble a team they think can dominate - it's clear that's what the Sixers have done, with LeBron's help, agreeing to sign for half of what Anfernee Simons is getting isn't quite in the spirit of the NBA salary cap, but nothing illegal about it. Though we all know player egos can get in the way of that.
That being said, the Sixers aren't exactly spending much more than the Celtics are even in this reboot season while they're fielding what they hope will be a dream team, but there"s still some shoes yet to fall such as, will they extend Brown for another two years at $71 million a season now that he's eligible? And if they won't, will he be a problem child on the court, looking at a lot fewer shots than he had in his "favorite season?"
But it's important to look at how the Celts are spending up to (but not above) the luxury tax ceiling even while rebooting. They've now extended Queta and Walsh to contracts that follow the Peyton Pritchard model of having players who outperform their low contacts, allowing the team to carry multiple gamechangers at higher salaries, once they get out of the albatross of George's contract and are past the luxury tax constraints for what will hopefully be a dynasty run timed to coincide with other teams in the East having to disassemble to get out of their own cap nightmares.
Overall I look at the Celtics roster and I see guys that Stevens has under cheap control for years, many of whom have the potential to be game changers themselves, including Gonzales, Scheierman, and Cenac as well as Queta and Walsh. He actually chose NOT to trade those guys for Giannis, so obviously has some confidence in their potential.
So he's locking in good core guys who will come of age in 2 years or sooner, while still on cheap contracts at a time when he'll be adding one or two game changing players AND when other teams will be on the decline.
We'll just have to let it play out now but there is a method to Stevens' madness.
