Celtics

After underachieving in the 2018-2019 season, Boston was confronted by the free agent departures of Kyrie Irving and Al Horford.

In June of 2019, the Celtics‘ assiduously assembled roster appeared to be falling apart by the day.

Kyrie Irving, the supremely talented centerpiece of then-president of basketball operations Danny Ainge’s rebuilding effort, was poised to reverse course of his earlier promise to sign a long-term contract and leave Boston as a free agent.

Even more of a surprise was the news that Al Horford, the biggest free agent signing in team history (and stalwart front-court contributor) was declining his $30.1 million option and intended to head elsewhere.

That, coupled with the disappointment of trade target Anthony Davis ending up with the rival Lakers instead of with the Celtics, amounted to something of a disaster.

“The NBA offseason hasn’t even begun in earnest yet, and already the Celtics feel like one of the biggest losers,” wrote Boston Globe columnist Christopher Gasper.

It wasn’t hyperbole. Boston began the previous season as clear favorites to win the Eastern Conference and announce themselves as fully back among the top teams in the league following a sustained rebuild in the post-Paul Pierce/Kevin Garnett era.

The reality had fallen far short of expectations. While the Celtics still amassed a respectable 49-33 record, it was good enough for just fourth in the East. And in the playoffs, Boston failed to even reach the Eastern Conference Finals, losing 4-1 to the Bucks a round earlier.

Looking to move beyond the disappointment, Ainge had hoped to add Davis to a roster that also included Irving. Yet within a few weeks, Irving was in Brooklyn (having signed with the Nets), Davis was in Los Angeles (having been officially acquired by the Lakers), and Horford signed in Philadelphia with the Eastern Conference rival 76ers.

Boston’s remaining group retained plenty of ability, but contained an equal amount of unknowns at its core. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, the Celtics’ No. 3 overall picks in back-to-back drafts, were still developing. The duo had flashed potential during the unexpectedly deep playoff run in 2018 when both Irving and Gordon Hayward were injured, but Brown and Tatum were yet to prove that they could elevate Boston to a championship level as the centerpieces of the roster.

Flashing forward to 2024, with Irving set to meet his old team in the Celtics-Mavericks NBA Finals matchup, it can be easy to forget how difficult Boston’s circumstances were just five years ago.

Surviving the departure of Irving (and Horford) in the landscape of the star-dependent NBA was no small feat. Numerous other teams in the league’s history have fallen completely out of contention after sustaining the loss of comparable talents.

The Celtics even managed a better regular season winning percentage the following season (albeit one that was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic), and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals before falling to the Heat in six games.

In retrospect, the main saviors of Boston in the wake of Irving’s departure were the young stars waiting in the wings. Both Brown and Tatum began their true ascensions up the NBA’s hierarchy in the 2019-2020 season, and have essentially progressed in each year since. Other than Horford (reacquired in 2021), they are the only remaining members of the much-hyped 2018-2019 roster.

Partial credit belongs to Ainge. Though his gamble in acquiring Irving didn’t pan out – and, in fact, left Boston with no compensation when the mercurial guard bolted for Brooklyn — he also avoided the temptation of dealing either Brown or Tatum in various reported trade rumors (having of course originally drafted them as well).

In large part, it was also Brad Stevens who ultimately steered Boston back into its current form as Eastern Conference powerhouse.

Assuming the role of president of basketball operations following Ainge’s decision to step down in June of 2021, the ex-head coach has by now dispelled the early notions that he would be limited by lack of executive experience.

In Feb. 2022, Stevens acquired Derrick White from the Spurs for Romeo Langford, Josh Richardson, and two first-round picks. Though he was less heralded at the time, White has become instrumental in so much of what the Celtics have done.

After coming up short against the Heat a year ago, Stevens — with some prodding from Celtics co-owner Wyc Grousbeck — pulled the trigger on an even more bold deal to trade Marcus Smart, ending up with Kristaps Porzingis. And just days after Jrue Holiday was sent to Portland as part of the Bucks’ acquisition of Damian Lillard, Stevens pounced again, bringing in the highly respected veteran guard with another aggressive move (sending Malcolm Brogdon, Robert Williams and two first-rounders in exchange).

The result is the Celtics have been almost completely reshaped since the Irving era ended with a thud. Boston has built around Brown and Tatum, with Stevens (unlike Ainge) more willing to trade assets and draft picks in order to build a deep and talented roster around his young superstars.

Five years removed from an offseason debacle, it’s possibly fitting that just at the moment when Irving has arguably started to truly fulfill his own potential in Dallas, the Celtics appear to have finally reached the level that many predicted would happen with him in 2019.