The Boston Celtics aren’t concerned with anything over the next few weeks other than capturing an NBA title, but summer is coming regardless of how the Finals play out, and with it the opportunity for the team to deepen an already talented roster.
Jayson Tatum becomes extension-eligible this offseason and locking him down on a five-year super-max deal worth $315 million figures to be Boston’s first order of business. Attempting to extend Derrick White is likely also high on the list, though the star two-way guard can hold off a year and potentially make much more money by entering free agency, which adds cloudiness to the proceedings.
What’s left after that is a limited list of scenarios to improve, considering how the Celtics have spent money in recent years and where their salary cap is likely to be once it comes time to make roster additions. Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report on Monday, June 3, named forward Tari Eason of the Houston Rockets as Boston’s “dream” trade target based on the organization’s limited maneuverability.
The Celtics are going to be a second-apron luxury team next season, which puts a lot of restrictions on who they can trade for.
Eason is a player who Boston should be very interested in. The 23-year-old still has two years remaining on his rookie contract (at $3.7 million and $5.7 million) and could grow into a really nice rotation piece for the Celtics over the next few years.
Unless the Celtics are willing to trade one of their high-priced vets, Boston will need to settle for players making far less money. Eason would be a tremendous value on his cur
rent deal.
