While Boston’s other pro franchises continue to pull up short in star player sweepstakes, the Celtics have come a long way from sending Tom Brady to woo Kevin Durant in the Hamptons in 2016.
Juan Soto is a Met. Calvin Ridley is a Titan. Bo Horvat is an Islander (although the Bruins get points for landing Elias Lindholm instead).
Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis are in the hunt for their second shamrock-sided championship rings.
It wasn’t that long ago that the Celtics’ Big 3 2.0 acquisitions of Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett made headlines not just on the merits of their talent, but the ability of Danny Ainge to attract outside NBA superstars to Boston at all.
Back in 2007, Garnett’s agent told ESPN on the record that a Boston trade wouldn’t happen, and “if a trade were to happen, that's not a destination that we're interested in pursuing.” Now, the Big Ticket is one of the organization’s alumni’s biggest promoters.
The Celtics’ desirability as a destination still comes under scrutiny, especially when Durant is involved. Ainge was never shy about his admiration of the star going back to his Texas Longhorn Days, but Durant continually sidestepped the Celtics, and even laughed with Kyrie Irving on camera about how nobody wanted to play in Boston. Trading or signing Irving is a bit like sending someone an envelope of exploding glitter these days, but in 2022, the franchise was still smarting from Irving’s 180-turn on re-signing after they swung the high-profile Isaiah Thomas trade for him.
Boston is a cold weather city with high taxes and scrutinizing local media. Despite its 18 banners and rabid fanbase, it’s never exactly been Hollywood for hoopers.
But among the four major pro teams in Boston, the Celtics are the team who puts their money where their mouth is when it comes to signing talent over the last few years. That we may be living a short era of such decadence with a franchise sale on the horizon makes it that much more important to recognize in real time.
The Celtics had a top-four team with stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, who they drafted. Brad Stevens acquired Derrick White midseason in 2022, and he’s developed into an All-Star caliber guard. Boston Boomerang Al Horford exceeded expectations in his second stint.
But what put the Celtics over the top in 2024 was Stevens’ ability to swing trades for Holiday and Porzingis and ownership’s open wallet. And there was very little fanfare around either player’s potential pending availability. The Celtics rank third in the league in salary cap spending this season (it will skyrocket once Tatum’s Super Max contract kicks in), and Porzingis walks around TD Garden like an extra from ‘Smile’ after games.
For fans’ sakes, let’s hope the landscape elsewhere in Boston sports changes. Get the Sox a few high-profile arms and get Drake Maye a bona fide X receiver (again, the Bruins have little to boast about, but they did get Lindholm).
In the meantime, enjoy the one team who avoid the “interest kings” label.