The Boston Celtics are in an awkward position entering the offseason. With their cap situation in duress due to the team going all out for a second-straight title, the team may need to make some drastic moves this offseason.
That could become even more of a priority after Jayson Tatum suffered a gruesome Achilles injury, ruling him out for the rest of the NBA playoffs and possibly longer.
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Until the team knows for sure how long Tatum is out for, it is unclear how likely the team is to win a title next season. If the team doesn't like its chances to win next year, then changes need to be made.
That was made apparent by ESPN Insider Shams Carania in an appearance on SportsCenter.
"Win or lose, the Celtics — from my understanding, they've been destined for potential changes in the offseason," Charania said. "And now they have Jayson Tatum, who's on a supermax contract, potentially with a serious injury."
With the potentially serious injury now a reality, Celtics fans should be worried about what may be in store this offseason.
Similar to how the Bucks are feeling with Damian Lillard's injury, the Celtics may be looking to move on from some of their top players to retool in what could be a gap year while the team waits for one of their top players to return from injury.
According to Marc Spears in a SportsCenter appearance, the San Antonio Spurs and the Houston Rockets are clear options for the Celtics to trade with. Both have intriguing options to acquire, especially the Spurs, who have the second overall pick.
However, that type of package would likely only involve Jaylen Brown, which may be one of the only off-limits pieces for the Celtics this offseason. It would certainly make for an interesting trade discussion between the two sides, though.
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The Rockets also have plenty of interesting pieces, both with regard to good role players and young rising pieces that could be enticing for the Celtics.
With Kristaps Porzingis being inconsistent and often not healthy and Al Horford nearing retirement, maybe trying to acquire a big man from the Rockets, like an Alperun Sengun, could make sense. However, once again, that would likely involve Jaylen Brown, which likely wouldn't leave Celtics fans happy with the new-look roster.
Despite a grim situation, the Celtics are still in a solid position to try and compete going forward. The team has multiple paths it can take, and based on the stellar track record of Brad Stevens as general manager, the team is at least in good hands. Hopefully for Celtics fans, this Tatum injury isn't the start of a downward spiral.
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