The Boston Celtics took the loss to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals as a sign that things needed to change
for this team to become a legitimate title contender.
Even though it was an admirable comeback in the Eastern Conference Finals to force a Game 7, the Celtics fell flat when the
lights were the brightest once again, leaving many to wonder if this team would ever get over the hump as currently
Cconstructed.
Once the NBA offseason began for Boston, it didn’t take long for the storied franchise to start making moves to make these
needed changes, with the team pulling off a trade to acquire star forward Kristaps Porzingis from the Washington Wizards.
The team also parted ways with Marcus Smart in the deal and sent Grant Williams to the Dallas Mavericks shortly after that,
which is a hit defensively for Boston, but an improvement offensively.
Boston wasn’t done there, as the team agreed to pay Jaylen Brown upwards of $300 million on his next contract, which
secured his long-term future and shows a commitment to the Brown-Jayson Tatum duo moving forward.
Harrison Sanford and Camron Smith believe these moves make it championship-or-bust for the Celtics, with a loss to the
Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA playoffs being the only acceptable thing, via Stadium.
Committing that much money to Brown and likely doing the same with Tatum in the near future means the Celtics will live
and die by what these two stars can do in the coming years.
Although these two players, with Porzingis added to the mix, are a talented bunch, it remains to be seen if they’ve got enough
to top the competition in the Eastern Conference and get the best of the Western Conference’s elite in the NBA Finals.
READ MORE:
Dwayne Wade’s Message to Jayson Tatum
In six seasons in the NBA, Celtics small forward Jayson Tatum has been to four Eastern Conference Finals and one NBA
Finals but none of that resulted in a ring.
Despite this, earning that many Finals appearances in Tatum’s young NBA career is a big achievement and Heat legend
Dwayne Wade has some advice for the 25-year-old.
“Yeah, next up is showing up next year and doing it all over again,” Wade told Sports Illustrated. “Head up high, keep taking
the hits, keep learning from them. I think it’s a challenge. We have challenges in life. Right now, he’s going through a
challenge. He’s had a lot of success in this game but hasn’t had the ultimate success I’m sure he wants. He wants to play for
that championship. He wants to win that championship.
“But he’s had a lot of times where he’s been right there. And a lot of people like to talk about it like that’s a bad thing. No,
please give me a lot of opportunities at it. … I want to see him get everything he wants from the game. But you’ve got to have
patience with it as well. Your career doesn’t look like someone else’s; it just doesn’t.”
Tatum and Jaylen Brown have been a force to be reckoned with at the Celtics and have forged one of the best duos in the
league.
Though they have stumbled at times during big moments.
Wade noted that he doesn’t personally know what Tatum and Brown’s relationship is like but he does know what it’s like to
grind for a championship.
“You don’t just win because you have talent,” Wade said. “You don’t just win because that’s what you want to do. Everything
has to align. You’ve got to be healthy at the right time. You’ve got to be making shots at the right time. Like, there are so
many things that come into play for you to win a championship. It’s not just being the best team. It’s not just being the best
player. And it’s not just because, ‘Hey, I want it.’ Well, a lot of people want it.
“And so, for those guys, as I said, they just have to continue to keep showing up. Continue to keep putting in the work.
Continue to keep believing in something. And continue to keep learning from it, learning from the game. Because what
you’re going to have to do once you get that trophy, you’re going to have to do it all over again next year anyway. So do it all
over again this year. … I hope one day I get to see those two young men hoist that trophy because they’re two of my favorite
players to watch.”
Brown just signed a five-year, $304 million deal – the most lucrative contract in the NBA’s history, so it seems Boston have
high hopes for the 26-year-old.
The Celtics pulled off a blockbuster trade which involved giving up their longest-serving player in Marcus Smart to obtain
big man Kristaps Porzingis.
Could Porzingis be the missing piece from Boston’s championship puzzle?
Only time will telL,
Cavaliers’ Plan for Donovan Mitchell Revealed
Donovan Mitchell is coming off a career year with the Cavaliers but some think that isn’t enough.
ESPN’s Tim Bontemps caused a stir in recent days when he said, “I don’t think there’s any chance he signs an extension
there ever, and if it was up to me I would trade Donovan Mitchell today” on The Hoop Collective podcast.
However, a source close to the situation believes the franchise is doing everything they can to please the shooting guard.
“They’re doing their best to reconfigure things around him and just keep rolling out the red carpet, making sure he knows he
is taking care of, all of that,” one source told Heavy Sports. “No one is hitting the eject button on this. There is a lot of cost
that’s been sunk into him and they’re going to push forward.
“It’s Donovan Mitchell or bust,” the source said. “Make him happy, make him comfortable, that is the job.”
The 26-year-old averaged 28.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 1.5 steals in 68 games last season.
But in the postseason, his form took a dip after his points average dropped to 23.2 points and was visibly hesitant at the rim.
The team has bolstered their position during the offseason by adding shooters like Max Strus and Georges Niang in free agency to take the pressure off Mitchell.
“They did not go to him and say, ‘Hey, what do you want us to do, who should we get?’” one Eastern Conference executive
said. “It’s not that kind of situation. But what they did was go and get players who can shoot and by doing that they sort of
said to him, ‘The playoffs, that was our fault, not yours.’ That’s an attempt to keep him happy right there.”
Mitchell is on an expiring contract but the Cavs gave up plenty of assets and future picks to get him to Cleveland.
The Cavaliers chances at competing for a championship remain much higher with Mitchell on the roster.
READ MORE: Why LeBron James’ Teammates Didn’t Like Him in His Rookie Season
‘They Got Basketball Leagues Too Right?’: NBA Players React to Kylian Mbappe Offer
Kylian Mbappe appears to be on the brink of becoming insanely rich.
Saudi club Al Hilal has offered to pay the French soccer star $766 million for one season, and NBA players can’t believe it.
For context, Mbappe would earn more than 14 times as much as next season’s highest paid NBA player, LeBron James, who
will make $53.4 million in 2023-24.
Here are the best reactions from NBA players around the league:
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