The NBA offseason is upon us, which means rumors of trades, free agency, and other game-changing moves are in full swing.
All of this is headlined by 14-time All-Star LeBron James, a player that many think will be packing his bags and joining forces with a new team.
While some of the frontrunners to sign James include the Houston Rockets, Philadelphia 76ers, and Los Angeles Lakers, other teams have slipped into the mix. One of those teams is the Boston Celtics, who most recently lost to James’ Cavaliers in seven games of the Eastern Conference Finals.
James playing in Boston is undoubtedly an interesting thought to ponder, and one that I was originally open to. After all, who wouldn’t want the best player in the world playing for them?
Let’s say that James meets with the Celtics, and tells them this is where he wants to play. In order to sign the 33-year-old, Boston would be forced to deal away a chunk of their core just to make space for the monstrous deal that James will surely demand.
This means trading away at least one of their stars in Gordon Hayward, Al Horford, or Kyrie Irving. Should Ainge choose to trade away Irving, they would also have to give away young talent with value such as Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown, and allow Marcus Smart to walk. This is due to Irving’s contract, which at the moment is the smallest of the three All-Stars.
The possible loss of these multitude of pieces makes it more likely for either Horford or Hayward to be dealt, where finding a suitor could be difficult considering the huge contracts both already have locked up for years to come.
Regardless, let’s say general manager Danny Ainge does trade one away and the Celtics sign the four-time MVP. Irving, who recently left Cleveland due to having to play under James’ ginormous shadow, is now once again in the same situation, with even more gifted players around him to take the spotlight. Boston’s concoction of talent is the perfect recipe to ensure Irving will test the free agency water after the 2018-19 season, and Boston has now lost two of their best players in order to acquire James.
Don’t get me wrong — James, Brown, Tatum, and Rozier (assuming the Celtics manage to keep hold of those players) would still be a fun team to watch. Unfortunately, James is already 33 years old, and the clock is ticking. Even with all of the healthy habits and outstanding body control demonstrated over his prolonged career, James is still human. We saw this year the laziness defensively and exhaustion throughout the playoffs, which to me says he has a maximum of one to two more seasons playing elite basketball.
Overall, chasing James could keep Boston as one of the league’s best for as long as he’s healthy, but when retirement comes knocking, the C’s will look around and wonder what happened. Their young core, ripped away from two of the most talented players in the league, will be negatively impacted on just how much of a contender they would’ve been for the next decade.
