Following the Boston Celtics‘ decision to trade Jaylen Brown, expectations have begun to dwindle.
For the first time in more than five years, Boston is coming into the season without championship expectations on its shoulders. However, The Ringer’s Michael Pina believes those low expectations may be a mistake.
During a recent discussion with Bobby Manning on the ‘Celtics Daily Podcast,’ Pina shared the reasons why he believes Boston could still be challenging near the top of the Eastern Conference next season.
“Getting what they got back for it (the Jaylen Brown trade), they’re able to still, realistically, aim for a championship, I think, and play for one,” Pina said. “I think there’s a lot of teams that are going to be shooting for a title this season. At the end of the day, when you look at who has won a title the last few years, so much about it is health in the playoffs.”
On paper, the Celtics will head into the new season with a stronger roster than the one they had during the 25-26 campaign. However, concerns over the availability of Paul George, Mitchell Robinson and even Jayson Tatum are giving fans a genuine reason for caution.
Pina Believes Celtics Got Fair Return For Brown
Elsewhere in the podcast, Pina explained his stance on Boston getting a fair return for Brown. The All-NBA forward was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers earlier this summer. In return, the Celtics received Paul George, two future first-round picks and two future second-round picks.
“Getting two picks, one or maybe both, will be great, and be viewed highly around the league in trade talks, or maybe they end up using one of them, and end up drafting the next cornerstone, who knows,” Pina explained. “But I think getting those two picks and getting a player in Paul George, who I think is, at this point, pretty underrated in what he’s capable of doing, and I think possibly more complementary to the pieces you already have.”
George, 36, has two years remaining on his current contract. The second year is a player option. Boston will likely explore trades involving George next summer, as his expiring deal, when coupled with draft picks, could be enticing for teams with a disgruntled star or exploring their options regarding a roster rebuild.
George Can Help The Celtics
The biggest knock on George is that he’s rarely been healthy in recent years. However, when he’s on the floor, he’s still a highly impactful forward, capable of swinging games for his team.
After returning to the Sixers rotation following his suspension last season, George averaged 21 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.2 steals per game. He shot the rock at a 53.2% clip from two-point range and 41.5% clip from deep.
Boston will undoubtedly hope it gets that version of Paul next season. However, that will likely mean managing his minutes carefully throughout the campaign.
Still, if he can stay healthy and Tatum is at or near his best, there’s no reason to bet against the Celtics before the season has even begun.
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