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Boston Celtics: Did The C’s Already Strike Out In Free Agency?

By Eric Laboissonniere

Apr 23, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (0) shoots for three points against the Boston Celtics during the second half in game three of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at TD Garden. The Cavaliers defeated the Celtics 103-95. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 23, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (0) shoots for three points against the Boston Celtics during the second half in game three of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at TD Garden. The Cavaliers defeated the Celtics 103-95. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Boston Celtics were going into NBA free agency, which started on July 1, with a positive mindset, seeing that the team had plenty of cap space and assets, but the Celtics have not ended up with any of the players that were on the top of their list.

Most of the big names like Kevin Love, Jimmy Butler, Kawhi Leonard, and Marc Gasol stayed put on their former teams, and players like Greg Monroe and Tyson Chandler–both on the Celtics’ radar–found new homes.

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The Celtics re-signed Jae Crowder and Jonas Jerebko for pretty solid deals, and the team added a new player in Amir Johnson for two years and $24 million. The deal for Johnson makes him the highest paid player on the team, which might be a little of a stretch, but he is an upgrade over Brandon Bass, who will likely be playing on another team next season.

Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports /

According to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald, the Celtics have backed out of trying to land free agents Tobias Harris and Corey Brewer, which means there are not many names left that the Celtics are going to try and go after.

There are not many options left for the Celtics, and there is no chance the Celtics can end up with LaMarcus Aldridge, who has not made a decision yet, which means the Celtics will have to look forward to trades in the near future.

So what now for the Celtics?

The team has way too many guards, and a lot of post players, but the team lacks wings, which is why the Celtics might need to ship some guards out of town. Trades, trades, and more trades are how the Celtics can rebound from not signing a big-time free agent because some teams, including Boston, are starting to realize that their team is not that appealing to free agents.

General manager Danny Ainge is trying the best he can to find a deal that can help the team get closer and closer to a championship, even though he has not found that deal or player yet. We can look back on how Ainge did not do well with the Rajon Rondo trade because the team could have gotten a lot more for Rondo if they traded him earlier.

Brandan Wright only spent a short while in Boston, and he was a big piece in that trade. Rondo was the last “star” the team had to give up, and we should have given him up sooner. Other than the Rondo trade, Ainge has been doing the best he can to save picks and assets for a big deal that will hopefully come around soon, so Ainge should not be blamed for the Celtics’ free agency woes.

The Celtics still have a solid core of great role players, and some talented rookies with some upside, but this team still has a lot of work to do if they want to build a contender for the future. The role players are there, now a star needs to be traded the Celtics’s way because big-time free agents are not coming to Boston. The 2015 NBA free agency was a swing and miss for the Celtics’ franchise.

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