Happy 4th of July everyone! As usual, NBA free agency is keeping us on our toes, making us check our phones during cookouts and fireworks displays. We still have two major situations to resolve with Jaylen Brown’s assumed super-max extension and deciding on what to do with restricted free agent Grant Williams. (For today’s discussion we’re glazing over minimum signings and end of the rotation roster moves.)
There’s a lot of directions the team could theoretically go, including making franchise altering trades – perhaps even getting involved in the Damian Lillard sweepstakes. However, it seems most likely that Brown and the Celtics will announce his signing shortly. Then there’s a realistic world where the team decides to blow past the 2nd apron and sign Grant Williams for somewhere at or above the MLE (or perhaps matching an offer from a cap space team).
That would be a reasonable win-now approach where we “go for it” with the Jays, Porzingis, and a loaded roster behind them. If it doesn’t work out, the team would be faced with restrictions on how to make further changes next summer. But that might be worth it for a chance to win it all this year.
On paper that’s still a loaded team that has more roster balance than last year’s team did. They lose Smart’s playmaking and defense, but gain a talented big man shooter that can defend at the rim. It will mean a shift in style of play, in particular on defense, but perhaps that’s what the team needs to unlock the best version of themselves.
There are some caveats. While everyone understands that this is a business, there is a human element that could be a challenge to manage. Is Malcolm Brogdon ok with being almost-traded? Is Payton Pritchard ok with not being traded? Does Grant Williams feel slighted by the restricted free agency negotiations? Does Porzingis mesh well with the team? How much will Marcus Smart be missed?
So the question I pose to you, dear readers, is are you ok with the team if they simply pay our free agents what it takes to get them to stay and thank Wyc and company for signing big checks? Or would you prefer to see them go in a different direction?
Note: With various social media sites going through some …interesting changes, I humbly suggest jumping in and signing up to our community of Celtics fans here on CelticsBlog. Sure you can lurk and just read the comments, but it might be fun to be able to offer your own comments and insights and engage with more fans just like yourselves. Give it a shot!
