As the NBA playoffs continue without the Boston Celtics, the flaws in their roster construction are becoming harder to ignore.
Victor Wembanyama, the 22-year-old, 7-foot-4 phenom, is going toe-to-toe with one of the best defenses in league history against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The San Antonio Spurs center opened the Western Conference Finals with 41 points and 24 rebounds in a double-overtime win. Oklahoma City responded in Game 2 by leaning heavily on their second center, Isaiah Hartenstein, using his physicality to wear down Wembanyama.
The top of the NBA is loaded with elite frontcourt talent. Each of the four remaining playoff teams has at least one All-NBA-caliber big man, along with another reliable frontcourt partner who can handle postseason minutes. By the end of the first round, the Celtics looked unsure whether they even had one center they could consistently trust in a playoff setting.
If Boston wants to compete for another championship anytime soon, adding size capable of matching up with Wembanyama — or any of the league’s other imposing frontcourts — is essential.
Fortunately for them, this summer could offer several avenues to improving the position, ranging from blockbuster stars to safer role-player upgrades.
What Do the Celtics Have in Their Frontcourt?
The Celtics’ first-round collapse was most damaging to the perception of their centers.
In the final three games of the series, a hobbled 32-year-old Joel Embiid averaged 28.7 points and 7.3 assists per contest while helping the Philadelphia 76ers complete a 3-1 comeback against Boston. With no answers for a past-his-prime Embiid and the rise of playmaking seven-footers across the league, the Celtics need to add significant talent to their frontcourt.
Neemias Queta and Luka Garza are both under contract after encouraging regular-season breakouts. Boston still has a contract-extension decision looming with Queta, but the Celtics at least have a foundation in place.
Meanwhile, Nikola Vučević will hit free agency. Even if he returned for another season with a better understanding of Boston’s system, it is difficult to envision him providing the level of defensive improvement needed against the NBA’s elite centers.
Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens needs to be aggressive in upgrading the position. The bigger question is just how aggressive he will be this offseason in doing so.
The Superstar Route
If Stevens believes Boston’s best opportunity for Banner 19 is striking before San Antonio and Oklahoma City’s stars enter their primes, there is an obvious superstar target available.
Rumors surrounding the Celtics’ interest in Giannis Antetokounmpo have circulated for the past year. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Boston reportedly explored the possibility of trading for the Milwaukee Bucks superstar at the 2026 trade deadline.
Antetokounmpo would make perfect sense for an all-in championship push. Not only does he possess the size and athleticism to challenge players like Wembanyama defensively, but he also brings relentless rim pressure offensively.
One of the areas Stevens specifically highlighted after the season was Boston’s inability to attack the rim consistently. Few players in NBA history have dominated that area like Antetokounmpo. Despite appearing in only 36 games this season, he still recorded 142 dunks — sixth-most in the league. It marked the first time he finished outside the NBA’s top five in dunks since 2015-16 — a testament to his consistency in getting to the rim.
The asking price, however, would be enormous. If Boston empties its collection of assets, including some combination of key contributors, future draft capital, and young players, would a two- or three-year championship window featuring him and Jayson Tatum even be worth it? Or would the Celtics be better served continuing to build the collective roster while waiting for a cleaner opportunity to emerge for a push?
Those are the questions Stevens and Boston’s front office must answer this offseason.
A trade for Antetokounmpo would easily become the defining move of Stevens’ executive tenure. It would also signal exactly how the organization views its current championship timeline. If Boston pulls the trigger, the expectations would immediately return to championship-or-bust territory.
Other Big Frontcourt Swings
If pursuing Antetokounmpo proves unrealistic, there could still be other high-level frontcourt options worth monitoring. However, this range of expensive, but flawed players is the toughest to sort out.
Fans can likely rule out a Bam Adebayo trade for reasons beyond basketball. His connective offensive game and defensive versatility would fit great in Boston. That said, it is difficult to imagine the Miami Heat moving their franchise centerpiece to one of their greatest rivals. Adebayo’s three-year, $160 million contract extension, which kicks in next season, would only make the financial complications of this deal harder.
Cleveland’s Evan Mobley or Jarrett Allen would make sense as targets if the Cavaliers crash and burn in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Cavs have been on the brink of shaking their roster up for years. A one-sided series loss to the Knicks might be the final straw for them to blow it up, where Boston could slide in.
Detroit’s Jalen Duren is another intriguing option. The 22-year-old is expected to earn All-NBA honors. A month ago, the deal would’ve seemed impossible. But after mightily struggling in the playoffs, perhaps his value plummeted enough that the Celtics could get involved.
Veterans such as Rudy Gobert or Draymond Green would be more polarizing win-now swings. The Celtics may even be able to squeeze extra long-term assets out of a deal for either one of them. However, Gobert’s contract would be a tough number to match, and there are always personality concerns with Green. Either one would unquestionably improve Boston’s defense, but the cost may be too steep. Especially for players in Gobert and Green who have negative reputations with NBA fans, the Celtics trading Jaylen Brown or Derrick White to make the deals work feels unlikely.
More Affordable Frontcourt Help
Boston doesn’t need a blockbuster trade to improve its chances of making another deep playoff run. The core in place was strong enough to win 56 games without Tatum for most of the year. Stevens could help the Celtics get by with a smaller center upgrade and come back for a splash frontcourt upgrade after the rest of the roster shapes out.
Hartenstein stands out as a possibility. Oklahoma City holds a $28.5 million team option on him this offseason. With several Thunder stars approaching massive extensions, there is a strong possibility their front office views Hartenstein’s cost as too steep. If he becomes available, his rebounding, passing, and interior defense would immediately raise Boston’s floor.
Mitchell Robinson, in a similar light, is another logical target because of his physicality, rebounding, and rim protection.
Some old friends of the Celtics could return for another stint. Robert Williams perhaps makes the most sense given the rim pressure he puts on opposing defenses. On the other hand, Al Horford and Kristaps Porziņģis both bring floor-stretching that could balance out Queta’s interior skills. Adding either of the 2024 champions could make for an interesting inside-outside combination with Queta.
Nic Claxton or Day’Ron Sharpe of the Brooklyn Nets are examples of younger, athletic centers who could at least raise Boston’s floor. A move of this caliber is the lowest level of upgrade the Celtics could get away with while still adding to the position room, but not overspending to make it happen.
Stevens will walk a thin line this offseason, needing to improve without mortgaging the entire future of their championship window on next season. For that reason, he and the Celtics are fortunate that there are so many center possibilities this summer.
Conclusion
The NBA is a league defined by matchups.
Nikola Jokić is one of the greatest offensive hubs in basketball history, but the Minnesota Timberwolves built a roster specifically designed to challenge him — and it has worked in two of the past three years.
Boston cannot tailor its entire roster around the possibility of facing Wembanyama in the Finals. Still, the final four remaining teams are making one thing clear: reliable, versatile frontcourt options are essential to succeeding in this era of the NBA.
Leave a comment