The Boston Celtics were set up for a fairly hiccup-free run as a title contender so long as the team was willing to pay the luxury tax. But the NBA's new collective bargaining agreement has given Brad Stevens a whole bunch of tougher decisions to make.
Editor's Note: This is the final installment of Chris Forsberg's five-part series on how the new CBA impacts the Celtics' future. You can read Parts 2-4 below.
CHRIS FORSBERG'S CBA SERIES
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Draft and development will need to become a much bigger priority for the team. Playing by the previous set of rules, Stevens was absolutely justified in spending three first-round picks to add Al Horford, Derrick White, and Malcolm Brogdon. But having Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum on supermax contracts will force the team to seek low-cost contributors to slot in rotation roles.
The Celtics can cross their fingers that Sam Hauser continues to develop, but even his price tag will be set to jump when the Jays’ deals eventually spike. That puts a premium on the team hitting on upcoming picks, including the No. 35 selection in the 2023 NBA Draft. Maybe a Yam Madar or Juhann Begarin can emerge from overseas to eventually help the team.
The Celtics also must give heavy consideration to Brown’s future. In the aftermath of Boston’s unsightly Game 7 loss to the Heat in which he had eight turnovers, many emotional Celtics fans have clamored for trading Brown instead of paying him max money.
What’s lost there is that Brown and Tatum, despite their overlap in skill sets, have had copious amounts of success together. Yes, they’ve fallen short of their ultimate goal, but so few young superstars have achieved Finals success at their age.
Trading Brown would be a risky move, particularly if your plan involves rolling the dice on acquiring a lottery pick. Would Tatum even be willing to take a temporary step backwards when the team is still positioned to compete with the current core? Do you run the risk of frustrating Tatum if Plan B fizzled?
There are no easy answers here for the Celtics. A disappointing exit in the 2023 playoffs only adds a layer of difficulty to assessing the best path forward. And this new CBA is only going to hit the accelerator on Boston, forcing the C's to make some tough decisions quicker than they ever could have seen coming.