Tag: 2022-23 nba season

Would trading for Kevin Durant make the Boston Celtics clear 2023 NBA title favorites?

Perhaps more importantly, what would the future of the team look like beyond next season?

According to multiple accounts, the Boston Celtics are considered 2023 NBA title favorites, but how big is the gap between them and teams like the current defending champs in the Golden State Warriors, the Phoenix Suns, and the Milwaukee Bucks? Recent trade rumors have the Celtics being in talks with the Brooklyn Nets for the 12-time All-Star, two-time NBA champion, and soon-to-be 34-year-old star forward Kevin Durant for one-time All-Star forward Jaylen Brown, who will soon be 26 years old.

In addition to Brown, the Nets are reportedly looking for two more impactful players in any potential trade plus another first-round draft pick on top of the one rumored to have been offered by Boston.

Will the move make the Celtics a clear favorite to win the 2023 NBA Finals, or will it be too big of a loss for Boston to seriously expect to contend for a title? How far will a Kevin Durant trade push the Celtics if it happens?

The hosts of the CLNS Media “Garden Report” podcast debate the above on a recent episode,

Check out the clip embedded above to hear what they have to say.

Follow us on Facebook and check out the Celtics Lab podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

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Where do the Boston Celtics stack up in early power rankings for the 2022-23 NBA season?

You might be surprised that at least one analyst does not believe the Celtics should be at the top despite their big offseason moves.

With the 2021-22 NBA season now very firmly in the rearview mirror with the Golden State Warriors champions and the Boston Celtics runners-up, and the 2022 offseason mostly wrapped up with both of those two teams having reloaded for another go at an NBA title, it is not out of the question that we could see a rematch between these two behemoths.

But other teams have made moves, and there may yet be some serious trades to be made while we wait for the 2022-23 season to arrive — what will the landscape of next season look like once opening day finally arrives this coming fall?

NBC Sports’ Kurt Helin recently put together his best guess at a 2022-23 NBA power ranking, and while Boston may have had itself quite a good offseason so far, they are not atop Helin’s assessment.

Check the video embedded above to hear what the NBC Sports analyst believes ought to be the pecking order at the start of the league’s next season.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire.

Follow us on Facebook and check out the Celtics Lab podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

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Four Boston Celtics make Bill Simmons Summer 2022 ‘NBA Trade Value List’

The list highlights the most valuable contracts in the league for trades.

Each offseason, Ringer head honcho and not-so-secret fan of the Boston Celtics Bill Simmons puts together his estimation of the league’s most valuable players in terms of trades, and after a season that saw the Celtics not only make the Finals but come within two games of winning them, it should probably not surprise one to find Boston is well represented on Simmons’ list of the association’s top trade targets.

Reminding us that the exercise in NOT a player ranking attempt but simply an exercise in sussing out which players are, given a number of contexts, on the league’s most tradeable contracts. “For instance, LeBron came in 35th,” writes Simmons. “That doesn’t mean LeBron is the NBA’s 35th-best player, just that he’s a 37-year-old star on an expiring contract who’s already played more minutes than anyone except Kareem and the Mailman.”

With those caveats out of the way, let’s take a look at where the team’s players registered in the Ringer chief’s estimation.

As word of a higher salary cap circulate, Boston reportedly plans on ‘spending well into the tax’

Boston and the rest of the NBA may have a little more wiggle room as a result of projected cap figures going up — and they reportedly plan to use it.

The NBA may soon see the expected salary cap for the 2022-23 season rise considerably, with ESPN’s Tim Bontemps reporting it will rise from the previous projection of $112 million to $123.6 million. While the actual number is not quite yet set, the rising salary cap will affect teams around the league.

The Boston Celtics will likely see the value of their mini- mid-level exception (MLE) rise to $6.47 million from prior estimates of around $6.39 million. Over the course of a full three-year MLE contract, that would add close to a quarter of a million dollars, making such a contract just a little more attractive to prospective free agents.

Perhaps more interestingly, the news would lift the luxury tax line by about $1.5 million — and this with more news from MassLive’s Brian Robb that the Celtics are willing to make use of it.

Per Robb’s sources, the team “plans on spending well into the tax” — welcome news to fans who have seen other ball clubs clutch the purse strongs when it comes time to contend.

Follow us on Facebook and check out the Celtics Lab podcast here.

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What’s the next step for Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum?

The St. Louis native took major steps forward in 2021-22, but his development as a star is not yet complete.

The Boston Celtics know they have a gem in All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum even with his poor showing on the NBA’s biggest stage, and now that the offseason is in full swing, what he adds to his game becomes the focus for the St. Louis native until the 2022-23 season arrives.

What should be his priority this offseason? Improving his decision-making? Finishing near the cup? Driving to the basket? Polishing his passing game? There are a huge variety of aspects to the Duke product’s game that he could put in work on to elevate his play to the highest levels Tatum is already knocking on the door of.

The hosts of the CLNS Media “Celtics Beat” podcast Evan Valenti and Adam Kaufman are joined by famed Celtics broadcaster Sean Grande for a conversation on what Tatum needs to do to make the leap to one of the league’s undeniable superstars.

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This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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For Celtics’ Aaron Nesmith, this offseason will be a chance to find his shot again

Entering into his third campaign with the team, the Vanderbilt product will need to expand his game if he wants to see the floor.

Boston Celtics second-year wing Aaron Nesmith took some time to find enough playing time to work on his game in the 2021-22 regular season after struggling to find his shot early in the season. His high-energy play and aggressive defense earned him some minutes by the end of the campaign but still couldn’t crack the postseason rotation with his shot absent.

The South Carolina native revealed he plans to work on that intensely this offseason to earn a bigger role with Boston in 2022-23, saying he wants to “become a better overall basketball player and get my shot back to where it needs to be.”

“That’s pretty much the two main things,” he explained. “Get my shot back to where it was last season and before I got here, and just get back to the drawing board.”

“I’m still very confident in my shot,” added Nesmith, who related that the pressure in-game gets to him at times and that he needs to work through that. “I’m a phenomenal shooter, and I know the team knows that.”

Nesmith should get his chance next season to take on a bigger role in the regular season and help save his teammates’ legs for a deep playoff run.

“I definitely could have helped my team if I did shoot the ball the way that I usually do,” related the Vanderbilt product.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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