PART 5 Why the NBA Draft will need to matter more for Celtics under new CBA

Why the NBA Draft will need to matter more for Celtics under new CBA

The draft has been mostly an afterthought for Brad Stevens, but that will need to change.

NBC SPORTS BOSTON By Chris Forsberg, Celtics Insider • Published June 16, 2023 • Updated on June 16, 2023 at 2:12 pm

VIDEO https://www.nbcsportsboston.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-videos/the-new-cba-with-forsberg-how-will-brad-stevens-change-the-roster-this-offseason/535601/

In the final episode of his series looking at the new NBA CBA, Chris Forsberg talks about how the Celtics will most likely have to structure the make-up of their roster moving forward with the new NBA collective bargaining agreement.

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

CHRIS FORSBERG JUN 15
The Grant Williams dilemma: Celtics at a crossroads with RFA forward

CHRIS FORSBERG JUN 14
Will Celtics break up talented guard trio? CBA could force their hand

CHRIS FORSBERG JUN 13
Can Celtics afford to keep the Jays together? CBA may force cap crunch
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.

This article tagged under:
Chris Forsberg

112288

Why the NBA Draft will need to matter more for Celtics under new CBA?

The article asks the question, but never answers the "Why".  It adds the statement, "Draft and development will need to become a much bigger priority for the team."  Still, not an answer to the question.

We know the answer: Teams need low cost players to fill in the bulk of the roster.  Fine.  But filling in those positions with developing rookies on a contending team is not a recipe for success.  It is just not that simple.

Teams that are contenders need to fill some of those positions with experienced players.  Danny tended to hoard mid-to-late first round draft picks and after their use, the players picked find themselves out of the league in a couple of years.  Brad tends to spend these picks because he sees the need for experience.  There is a sweet spot somewhere between those two tendencies.

It is now Brad's job to find that sweet spot.