Our friends at ESPN Insider have analyzed the immediate future (2014-2017) of all 30 teams. The projections take into account the current roster, player potential, management, ownership, coaching, spending habits, cap situation, reputation and future draft picks.
Our Boston Celtics rank… drum roll please… 24th.
The summer of 2014 appeared to be a pivotal one for the Celtics as they chose between accelerating their rebuild by parlaying draft picks and young talent into a star or extending their stay in the lottery. Boston chased Kevin Love but came up short, and with point guard Rajon Rondo now heading into the final season of his contract, a trade appears all but inevitable, and so too a lengthy rebuild.
Our panel certainly isn’t sold on the Celtics’ talent, ranking the team 29th in players. To improve that score, Boston will need recent draft picks Kelly Olynyk and Jared Sullinger to take a major step in their development. Lottery pick Marcus Smart also figures to step into a larger role at point guard when — not if — Rondo is traded. Beyond that group, Boston is paying a lot of money to inconsistent wings Avery Bradley and Jeff Green and has young prospects with more questions than answers at this point.
The good news is only the Philadelphia 76ers rank higher in terms of future draft value. The first of three picks coming from the Brooklyn Nets fell to 17th and was used on Kentucky wing James Young. The next two, unprotected in 2016 and 2018 (plus the option to swap in 2017) could have far more upside given our panel’s pessimism about the Nets’ future. The Celtics have a third first-round pick from Cleveland in 2016 and can clear $30 million or more in cap space that summer.
Next year will be a dud. Make no mistake about it. But again, I’m not sold that trading Rondo is a foregone conclusion. As John outlined this morning, the C’s will have the extra money to overpay him and not have it hurt the chances of signing other top free agents. Jared Sullinger is getting shortchanged, but I’m not surprised. I also think C’s management should have been ranked a tick higher.
The Spurs, Cavs and Thunder rank 1-3. The Knicks, Bucks, Wolves Lakers, Kings and Nets round out the bottom 5. Yes, the Lakers and Knicks.
In similar news, the Celtics rank 29th in USA Today’s Watchability survey.
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