NBA: Ranking the teams in the Atlantic Division for 2017-18

1. Boston Celtics

No surprise here. The Celtics have been one of the most active teams in the entire league this summer. And for good reason.

For the second year in a row, they signed one of the top free agents on the market. After bringing in Al Horford last summer, they agreed to terms with Gordon Hayward this year. My, oh my, how nice it must be to have Brad Stevens as your head coach.

In order to make room for Hayward, however, Boston had to trade one of their top wing defenders. Avery Bradley and a 2019 second-round pick were shipped to the Detroit Pistons for Marcus Morris. Morris is on a team-friendly deal and is owed just over $10 million the next two seasons.

The Celtics also traded down from their No. 1 slot in the draft. In doing so, they picked up an additional pick and still drafted Jayson Tatum. He’s one of the top offensive talents in the NBA. That alone would be enough to constitute a busy summer. However, that was only the beginning.

At the end of August, the Celtics agreed to a blockbuster deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers. They received Kyrie Irving in exchange for Jae Crowder, Isaiah Thomas, Ante Zizic, a 2018 first round pick (Brooklyn’s) and a 2020 second round pick.

Next: 15 NBA players looking to shed injury-prone label in 2017-18

With a trio of Irving, Horford and Hayward, along with a young supporting cast, the Celtics figure to have taken another step closer to successfully challenging the Cavs as kings of the East.