3 reasons why the Cleveland Cavaliers have a good shot to win the East next year
By Chad Porto
The Boston Celtics may look wildly different following a disappointing finish
The Boston Celtics finished second in the NBA’s Eastern Conference and was six games up on the Cleveland Cavaliers in the standings. They’re the most complete team on this list and the most likely of all three to still be able to challenge or surpass the Cleveland Cavaliers in the standings next year.
With Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, they have an incredible one-two combo that is hard to stop but their collective inconsistencies as an NBA star duo and rumored growing resentment from Brown against Tatum have made a trade for the Celtics more likely than ever before. Does that mean the Celtics are for sure trading Brown?
No, it just means they’re more likely today to trade him than say four years ago. Even if they don’t trade Brown, they have some huge money tied up in a guy like Marcus Smart, who is earning just under $20 million per year and is maybe worth half of that. And closing in at 30 years old, it’s hard to say that Smart is going to be worth his contract much longer.
He is a bad shooter and a limited offensive player. Not only do you have to worry about Smart and his limited offense, but Al Horford is getting too old to be relied upon as heavily as the Celtics are. The Celtics may try to reload their roster this offseason, trade or not for Brown included, and if they don’t, they’ll probably get lapped by the Cavs.