Random Thoughts on the State of the Offseason

I took a few weeks off after the playoffs to regroup and now I'm ready for the offseason.   The Celtics' season ended with a first round exit once again,  but they made progress.  They won more games in the regular season than they did last year and they won 2 playoff games instead of being swept.  Progress is good but sometimes Celtics fans get impatient for another championship.  


We have to keep telling ourselves that this is just year 3 of the rebuild and instead of wallowing around at the bottom of the league for years (Philly anyone?) the Celtics missed the playoffs just one year and have given us a couple of very fun seasons to watch as they improved each season and given us a bit of playoff action as well.

But, thanks to Danny's shrewd trades, the Celtics are also looking forward to the draft as they hold the third pick in the draft.  I know we were hoping for the first pick,  but at least we didn't drop to 5th or 6th as we have in past years when we hoped for a top pick.   The lottery ended up with no teams moving up or down from where they landed at the end of the season. 

I've seen a lot of talk about how It's Simmons or Ingram and then the rest.  But lately I've seen a lot of articles about how Dragan Bender could be even better than either of those two players.   There are rumors that the Lakers may take Bender at #2.  But there are also rumors that they might trade the pick as well.  This time of year is so frustrating because there are dueling rumors swirling about almost everything.  Either way,  if the Celtics keep the pick,  they could get a very good player.

While most of the draft talk has swirled around that #3 pick,  the Celtics have a lot more going on that that pick.  They have 7 other picks to make, or trade.  Perhaps the most valuable of those will be
the 31st and 35th picks.  First round picks are guaranteed salary while second round picks are not.  So the Celtics could grab a couple of good players at a bargain price with those picks.  While Danny's first round picks have been hit or miss, his second round picks have been pretty good.

I expect several of the 8 picks to be traded though, even if just for cash or future picks.  There are only so many roster spots available and the Celtics certainly don't need 8 more rookies on the roster.  Over the next few weeks until the draft I'll be looking around the mock drafts and commenting on various rumors that are making the rounds. What teams will trade their picks.  Who is looking to buy a pick, etc. 

 It is going to be an interesting time to be a Celtics fan or basketball fan in general.  Will Danny keep some of the picks?  Will he trade all of the picks?  Can he attract a big name free agent?  Your guess is as good as mine but it's going to be a roller coaster ride from here on out.  And let's not forget that the conference finals and then the NBA Finals will be going on as the draft intrigue unfolds behind the scenes. 

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