2018 NBA Free Agency includes the chance to pry Kawhi Leonard from the San Antonio Spurs. Now the Boston Celtics must weigh their moves. But isn’t it obvious? To compete with the Golden State Warriors, they must go all in.
Kawhi Leonard is available. For the right price, that is. The Boston Celtics have built their roster on the backs of the Brooklyn Nets thanks to a blockbuster trade in 2014. In that deal, the Celtics surrendered Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, plus two other players, for five Nets players, three first round picks and the rights to swap on two others.
The result? The Celtics immediately retooled for another prolonged playoff run while the Nets have been forced to piece together a roster without much access to the best prospects entering the NBA for five years.
Now, the role is reversed for Boston. The Boston Celtics are the team intent on improving now, and the San Antonio Spurs are the team with the right pieces to hopefully launch them to the NBA championship. But there is one catch. That asking price for star Kawhi Leonard is very steep indeed. For Boston, the ask is likely multiple first round draft picks plus players, including either wing Jaylen Brown or rookie sensation Jayson Tatum.
So far, Boston has resisted the urge to take the plunge, but that could be a mistake.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained. However, gain requires risk, and risk is not something a team on the cusp of competing in the NBA Finals is usually prone to take. But is Boston truly there?
The Celtics may be the odds-on favorites to win the NBA Eastern Conference, but they have not won that series since 2010. Beyond that, the team has not enjoyed the benefit of Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving. They could be terrific together, or they could struggle to find chemistry in the season. Even with both, they are not guaranteed to overcome the Golden State Warriors.
That’s where Kawhi Leonard comes in, and it’s the reason Boston should be all in on working out the right trade for him.