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While challenging at the top of the East, the Boston Celtics have consistently fallen at the final hurdle. Even after their nemesis, Lebron James left the conference, the Boston Celtics had a strong enough team to make it to the NBA Finals but lost to the Miami Heat in the bubble.
After Gordon Hayward was offered a mega $120 million deal with the Charlotte Hornets, Boston Celtic's fans were reminded of the frequency with which their star players have been able to leave during Free Agency and those which they have failed to acquire. This article will look at 5 such players.
5 Free Agents the Boston Celtics have struggled with
1. Kyrie Irving
What will go down as one of the Boston Celtics' biggest mistakes of recent times was Kyrie Irving's departure, leaving without any return for the franchise. Irving is an All-Star ball handler and court general who has Championship-winning experience. To have let him depart to the Brooklyn Nets, an Eastern competitor no less, was difficult to take for the Boston faithful.
The Boston Celtics may regard his departure as a success on its own after the relationship between the player and the team had significantly soured. However, Irving is a player who averages over 20 points a season and almost 6 assists.
Although Boston did move on to trade for Kemba Walker as a replacement, they should have pursued a deal with Irving whereby they could have received some assets from the Nets.
2. Gordon Hayward
After losing Kyrie Irving for nothing, the Boston Celtics managed to repeat the feat by letting Hayward leave. Last week, after opting out of his player option, Gordon Hayward signed a 4-year deal with the Charlotte Hornets earning $120 million in the process. Although this is a figure the Celtics were never going to match, losing another high-end player and receiving nothing in return is a poor move on Boston's part.
They are unlikely to return to the Eastern Conference Finals unless they make some serious moves in the market. Freeing up $30 million to spend before reaching the tax line will help, however, they don't seem to be on the cusp of any dramatic moves.
Hayward is an elite wing player who averaged 17 points and 6 rebounds last season despite being hampered by injury. The Celtics will find it extremely difficult to replace a player who could potentially return to his former All-Star level with the Hornets.
3. Al Horford
In the same offseason as losing Kyrie Irving, the Boston Celtics also lost their starting center Al Horford. After spending three seasons with the Celtics, the veteran chose to move on in search of a Championship and moved to the Philadelphia 76ers. The Celtics had a disappointing season in 2018-19 despite their roster looking ready to push for an NBA title, however, allowing their star players to leave may have hindered them in the long-run.
Horford averaged 13 points and 7 rebounds while at the Celtics and his replacement Daniel Theis has failed to live up to his predecessor. Despite this, the Boston Celtics were able to make the Eastern Conference Finals this year, sweeping the 76ers on the way. Regardless of this, if they are to push for a ring, they cannot continue to allow key components as Horford was to leave so easily to rivals.
4. Anthony Davis
A player who was available to the Celtics and who they had reportedly chased for years is Anthony Davis. The big man had requested a trade from the Pelicans in 2019, however, the Celtics were reluctant to take on a player who could have taken his unrestricted free agency this offseason. In the trade, they would have lost Jayson Tatum. This, on top of losing Kyrie that year, would have been too much of a risk for a player that may have left after one season.
The Boston Celtics' reluctance to push for a star they had tracked since his arrival in the league, however, is worrying. Despite having faith in Tatum, who this offseason has signed a new contract, the Celtics could have benefitted from centering a team around Davis.
Whether they could have competed with the LA Lakers offer or the players' wishes to join LeBron is debatable, however, they could have formed the league's most lucrative package.
5. Marcus Morris
Marcus Morris had a career-year with the Boston Celtics in 2018-19 yet the franchise were uninterested in offering him another contract when the forward entered free agency last year. Morris scored 13 points and 6 rebounds with the Celtics yet was allowed to leave to the New York Knicks that summer.
Morris has since moved to the Clippers and provided their defense with a ferocious steeliness that he has built a career on. The veteran was inevitably beyond the Boston Celtics valuation as he signed a 1-year, $15 million contract with the Knicks. However, he provided the leadership their young roster could benefit from and a selfless bench player they could rely on.
