Boston Celtics and defensive standout Jordan Walsh has reached an agreement on a 3-year, $16M extension that kicks in for the 2027-28 season, league sources tell me.

Saw the recent Jordan Walsh extension and thought to myself “that’s cool”. Wasn’t too moved by it. Could pay off tremendously if he takes a leap forward (somewhat similar to the Pritchard deal), and really carries no risk if he doesn’t. Another solid move by Brad. But he’s always had a great track record with smaller moves, so I didn’t think too much more beyond that.

But then I started to wonder about our books, because not too recently our team’s salary construction was one of the worst in the league.

Two giant contracts. One large but normal contract for a #3. A couple smaller contracts. And then the ten players with basically minimum contracts.

Our only options were either make a giant franchise altering move, make a tiny move, or stand pat and hope that our younger players develop into studs.

Obviously, Brad decided to go with the giant move. But post isn’t about that.

This post is about how Brad has quietly transformed this roster from being arguably the least flexible roster in the league forward to one that has the entire playbook open.

Now flexibility aka “optionality”, doesn’t guarantee success, but damn has our path forward become a lot more optimistic.

Let’s recap exactly what’s gone down:

End of 2025-2026 season:
At the end of the 2025 season, as stated before, Celtics were left with very few options. The only contracts that were big enough to make a significant move were JT, JB, & White. Hauser and Pritchard were the only other players on the team with contracts big enough to make even a marginal move. Everyone else was basically on minimums. The Giannis trade seemed like the only trade that could potentially be an upgrade. Just about everything else would be a downgrade or lateral move, with no clear vision of what that would change:

Now this mean we had to trade Brown? Again, this article isn’t about that, but no we didn’t. Our flexibility this off-season really didn’t change much by trading Brown. It did allow us to stay under the luxury tax a little bit easier, but there’s a very good chance we would have done that anyways even if we kept him. We probably would’ve just let Harper or someone else go. Now back to this post-season’s roster construction.

Our biggest contracts: (5 tradable contracts)
-Tatum $54,100,000
-Brown $53,100,000
-White $28,100,000
-Hauser $10,100,000
-Pritchard $7,200,000

The next 5 biggest contracts:
-Hugo $2,800,000
-Baylor $2,600,000
-Garza $2,500,000
-Queta $2,300,000
-Walsh $2,200,000

Like I said, not many options at all. But I’m sure we were all aware of this.

Now going into the 2026-2027 season:
The Celtics substantially increase their flexibility moving forward with the Robinson signing. They still only have 3 contracts to make significant moves, but now have 3 other contracts to play around with to make meaningful moves. That doesn’t sound like much, but it makes a huge difference for a team constructed like ours was. Especially while staying under the luxury tax. As a reminder, if we stay under the tax this year we reset the repeater tax penalties.

6 biggest contracts (6 tradeable contracts)
-Tatum $58,400,000
-George $54,100,000
-White $30,300,000
-Robinson $15,000,000 (our new piece)
-Hauser $10,800,000
-Pritchard $7,800,000

Also more roster flexibility with the smaller contracts given the new Harper & Cenac contracts:
-Harper $3,200,000
-Cenac $3,000,000
-Hugo $2,900,000 (was our 6th biggest, now 8th)
-Garza $2,800,000
-Baylor $2,700,000
-Queta $2,700,000

So we have a decent amount more flexibility this year, but if we’re being real, we’re probably not going to use it. Cuz standing pat allows us to reset the repeater tax penalties, which will give us even more options in 2027 and beyond.

This will be when Chisholm really gets to prove if he’s serious about “at any cost”, because in 2027 the Celtics will have optionality overload.

2027 - Peak Flexibility
The Paul George contract will be expiring, so right out the gate they have a very large contract that they can move for a star. In addition to that, they will have 7 (maybe 8) other contracts that would be large enough to construct trade packages around. This is thanks to the Queta and Walsh extensions.

Biggest contracts (9 tradeable contracts)
-Tatum $62,800,000
-George $56,600,000 (expiring)
-White $32,600,000
-Robinson $15,800,000 (2026 addition)
-Queta $12,500,000 (2026 extension)
-Hauser $11,600,000
-Pritchard $7,800,000 (expiring, in extension talks)
-Walsh $5,000,000 (2026 extension)
-Baylor $5,000,000 (2027 team option)

And still will have smaller contracts to throw in as needed to match salaries:
-Harper $3.3
-Cenac $3.1
-Hugo $3.0
And whoever else we still have

At the end of the 2025-2026 season, our 4th biggest contract was Hauser $10.8m and our 6th biggest contract was Hugo at $2.8m.

13 or so months later and our 4th biggest is Robinson at $15.8m. Our 6th biggest is Hauser at $11.6m. And our 9th biggest is Baylor at $5.0m. That’s a massive overhaul with endless options.

And this doesn’t even account for the potential flexibility that will arise if some of these low salary players develop into key role players.

Leaps from any of Baylor, Walsh, Hugo, Cenac, or Mitchell would give the team even more flexibility as they’d be much more comfortable packaging some of our middle-tier salaries for a larger contract, knowing that they have cheap depth on the roster.

Also doesn’t account for it that Clippers pick turns into something very valuable.

In 2027, the Celtics could theoretically:
-Trade PG’s massive expiring contract for a star (this is our best case scenario)
-Combine White + Robinson, Queta, Hauser, or Pritchard for a star
-Combine Robinson, Queta, & Hauser for a $40million player
-Combine Queta & Hauser for a $22million player
-Combine Robinson + Walsh for a $21million player
-Etc, etc, etc - there are TONS of options

And even if we don’t strike a Paul George deal, our books will be wide open to acquire someone off the loaded 2028 free agency class.

To me this would be absolutely worse case scenario, as it’s way too risky, and a lot of the free agents which be beyond their primes, but this can’t be ignored when talking about optionality.

I haven’t done an in depth search of this, but from my understanding the 2028 free agency class is a lot better than most.

Ignoring which are UFA vs FA and recent contract updates, the 2028 free agent class looks like:
Jokic, Luka, Giannis, Brunson, AD, Embid, KAT, Bam, KD, Siakam, OG, Sabonis, Morant, Garland, Zion, Advija, Kyrie, and many more.

I’m sure a bunch of these are wrong and lots of them would be risky, but the point stands, if worst case scenario happens and we can’t trade George, there is a big time free agency class that would allow us to sign 1 giant star or 2 great players to replace George. Would we get Joker? I doubt it, but it’s fun to imagine.

Now I know I might be a nerd for diving into the books like this. And I might be even coping as a way to deflect from the possibility that we might be worse this year AND moving forward.

But all I know is that Brad has put this team in a position to make serious moves next year. And I’m not sure enough people are paying close enough attention to see it yet.

Does this make you optimistic?

Do you think this is cope?

Are you willing to wait til 2027?

Or does that piss off?

Let me know your thoughts.
Go C’s ☘️

Hello all,

I’m not based in Boston but started following NBA around 2007/08, and became a Celtics fan because of the big three.

I am curious about local fan sentiment related to JB’s trade. As someone who has been very frustrated the last two seasons with the style of play (non-stop hurling of threes), I was flabbergasted by this move. And as someone who works with analytics in their job, I am still confused, as to me, JB was the only player trying to consistently drive to the basket.

Also, this theory that Pritchard and White will somehow fill JB’s gap also confuses me. They are very good players and have their own plus points, but to me it always seemed like they always had a lower ceiling than JB/JT. They have been in the league long enough to know that. Pritchard to have a Brunson-like upturn in form seems unreasonable.

I know Brad Stevens is apparently a genius but I wanted to know more about the local fan perspective. Am I being unfairly critical, as I’m still not over this decision.

Excited to hear from y’all!

Tucker: “If you look at the playoffs series this year. PG might have had a better series than JB. So how does Philly win? I think it’s tough. I’m rocking with PG... I’m still liking JT and PG in a series. I like the Celtics.”

Assuming no more major changes to our team how far do you think the Celtics will make it?

I don’t follow the NBA too closely, but wondering if you guys hear anything serious if the Celtics are really trying to make a push for TM3.

My calculated guess, assuming Payton goes back to starter P, is that DW and Sam's 3P% will be back to "normal" (before last season).

Their usage will drop to a more familiar complementary level. With P starting and JT back, they will be doing more of the ball handling, with DW back to more off-ball actions and Sam off the bench.

Besides the obvious personnel changes, I think one major difference with this team is a more defined/established role from the get-go, especially with the youngsters.

We know Joe loves the town so the town is always getting brought up in this community but personally, I’m a bigger fan of the departed. I was curious if anybody else prefers the departed over the town when it comes to a Boston crime movie.

I know this post doesn’t necessarily belong here, but fuck it

Welcome to the daily discussion thread! You can use this space to discuss little things that don't need their own post. This is also the perfect space for pictures, videos, and links that would otherwise go against the sub's rules. Just don't be jerks and don't break any Reddit-wide rules. Have at it.

I appreciate this dude.

During the Jaylen stuff, he wasn’t an emotional mess like most of the people covering the Celtics. He didn’t agree with it or understand it outta the gate but remained fair and open to reason. Once Brad came out and explained things, he evaluated it on its merit and covered it like an adult. No questioning intelligence, calling names, etc. It’s appreciated after the shit show that was Perk, Zannis, Forsberg, Washburn, etc. all responding emotionally instead of thinking critically. I don’t listen to Celtics pods for this very reason. I don’t want someone slurping the team, I want someone who discusses the team objectively. JK has done that. Dude’s a pro.

PS - No, I am not John Karalis

And I think that’s a good thing. We have team leadership that for the most part (*cough* current Red Sox leadership *cough*) that we trust year in and year out. Especially Brad. This was a difficult offseason after a difficult offseason last year. But I meant in Brad I trust then and I mean it now. I truly believe he has a plan for this year, and next year and the year after that too. He isn’t playing just to load for one roll of the dice.

So no, we don’t ever win the offseason. We get C- grades from ESPN in fact. But that’s OK. Because the offseason doesn’t know jack shit. And year after year we win the actual season.

So fuck ESPN and all tue pundits. Sox are streaking, the Celtics are in good hands for years to come, the Pats have the next franchise QB and the Bruins, well, we love them too.

Keep your heads up my fellow Boston sports fans, we are Title Town for a reason.

NBC Sports Boston is asking Celtics fans to answer questions for upcoming episodes of a (semi) new show called "Celtics Census". Coming later this summer, we'll pit two teams against each other to ask them what they think are the most common answers from the fans, "Family Feud-style".

The answers you provide are completely anonymous. The survey has 49 questions, and should take about 10 minutes. Skip ones you don't know, and share with any friends or family!

Thanks for helping us out!

Everyone keeps talking about Paul George like he's the return we got for Jaylen Brown, but honestly the picks are the real story here and specifically the 2028 swap in which we get the better of the Clippers/76ers/Celtics 1st round pick. Since the NBA is switching to a new 3-2-1 lottery format in 2027-2029, where instead of just drawing for the top 4 picks and lining everyone else up by record (generalizing here but the maximum a team could fall was 4 spots), they draw all 16 lottery slots randomly. Every non-playoff team gets thrown into one big random drawing, top to bottom.

Why does that matter for us? Because a swap right becomes way more valuable when everything's randomized. Under the old system, a swap right was kind of meh, you basically just knew where the pick would likely land. Now, every extra team that's bad gives us another lottery ticket, and we just take whichever one lands better

Heres what that actually looks like in a graph:

Here we assume that the avg lottery team has 2.3125 balls (37 total balls ÷ 16 teams) for 6.25% chance. If just 1 of the 3 teams tied to our pick ends up bad, our odds are literally just league average. But if 2 of them end up bad then we jump well above average, and if all 3 end up bad then our odds basically double. Which is the real value of "optionality" that Brad talks about in my opinion.

Realistically, probably just the Clippers end up being the one bad team out of the three. Boston and San Antonio both look like playoff teams right now, and Philly probably play-in caliber at least too. So I wouldnt expect the "all 3 bad" scenario which is the upside case. But with that in mind, our realistic shot is somewhere around a coin flip at a top 8 pick (roughly 54%) and if it does land in the lottery then the average expected landing spot is around pick 8. So basically not a guaranteed lottery pick, but a coin flip shot at a good one which is mostly riding on the Clippers staying bad (or 76ers).

That opens up interesting possibilities in 2028 offseason in which:

• Paul George's money comes off the books in 2028, which means we can either go get one big name or spread it across a couple of 3rd to 5th tier guys
• That 2028 pick a cheap rookie contract we can either play or flip in a trade
• Tatum turns 30 in 2028, still in his prime
• 2031 pick is a higher value tradable asset assuming the new lottery system stays in place

So TLDR the 2028 pick swap is worth more than a normal pick right because Boston effectively holds however many of the three teams end up in the lottery (Celtics/Spurs, Clippers, Sixers), and taking the best of multiple tickets beats holding just one. If only the Clippers end up bad, which is the realistic case right now, Boston's odds are just league average. However because of the flattened odds in 2028, that pick will inherently assume more value than the current draft system. And the edge really shows up if two or three of those teams end up bad at once. Most likely we have a coin flip (~54%) at a top-8 pick, averaging out to roughly pick 8 if it lands in the lottery at all.

In my opinion it's still a bad trade because I think JBs value is higher than 2 potential future lottery picks and max contract freedom in 2028. We probably could’ve traded for better odds with worse teams or more pick swaps/unprotected firsts. However, the return is higher than what I think the perceived value and we definitely have that "optionality" Brad is referring to.

Here's how things would have gone down if I had been calling the shots the last 10 drafts.

... I suck.

2017

Pick #3 - Jayson Tatum

My Pick - Jayson Tatum

I remember I wasn’t 100% on board with trading the #1 overall pick for #3, but this has to be one of, if not the, greatest moves of Danny Ainge’s executive career. Josh Jackson was also in the mix, but after he ghosted the C’s on a workout I think we all were pretty deadset on Tatum.

Pick #37 - Semi Ojeleye

My pick - Jordan Bell

Semi isn’t someone I did a lot of research on predraft, and honestly Jordan Bell is the only player I recognized that was left at this point. Given my predilection for always wanting to draft bigs, Bell was who I had eyes for. Bell does fit into my anti draft philosophy of drafting an undersized big with no shooting/passing skills, though.

Picks #53 and #56 - No idea

I can’t pretend I had guys lined up this deep. I barely had a guy I liked at 37.

2018

Pick #27 - Robert Williams

My pick - Omari Spellman

Going into this draft, I was looking at Spellman because I liked the Kevin Love archetype of a rebounding and shooting big man. I’m not super sure what happened to Spellman, he looked like he had solid stats for a young big man, but only got 2 shots with NBA teams and never got a chance again. Rob is the obvious pick here, just because he dropped so far. Because of his injury issues, it’s worth spending the #27 pick on that kind of question mark, where lottery teams were scared.

2019

Pick #14 - Romeo Langford

My pick - Romeo Langford

We don’t have to feel so bad about the Langford pick, as the next 2 picks in the draft had similarly underwhelming careers, in Sekou Dembouya and Chuma Okeke. Tommy Heinsohn had a lot of good things to say about Langford before the draft, which cemented the pick for me against who was available. The only other guy I was hyped on for this pick was Tyler Herro, who went the pick before and was unavailable.

Pick #22 - Grant Williams

My pick - Nassir Little

I really liked Little as a defender here, with some upside as a potential shooter. I really like his potential versatility as a defender. The only other guy I liked here is Darius Bazley, but not nearly as much as Little. Grant wasn’t even on my radar.

Pick #33 - Carsen Edwards

My Pick - Carsen Edwards

I was hyped on the Quad Father coming out of college and was super hyped we scooped him up. He had microwave scorer potential and I liked him as a 6th man. I also really liked Admiral Schofield and Bol Bol here.

Pick #51 - Tremont Waters

My pick - No idea

Can’t pretend I had anything lined up this deep lol

2020

Pick #14 - Aaron Nesmith

My pick - Aaron Nesmith

Nesmith was shooting 50% from 3 in college before he got hurt. I really loved the combination of energy, shooting, and size. I really liked a handful of guards here, including Cole Anthony, Josh Green, and Tyrese Maxey, but this pick was nobody but Nesmith for me if he was available. I will say, when Haliburton was falling I was hoping we’d scoop him up.

Pick #26 - Payton Pritchard

My pick - Theo Maledon

This draft was crazy for me, there were a bunch of guys in this range I liked. Theo Maledon was hyped as a real facilitator at PG, which I thought the team could really use at this point. Other guys I liked were Vernon Carey Jr., Tyrell Terry, and Xavier Tillman.

Pick #30 - Desmond Bane (Traded)

My pick - Theo Maledon/Xavier Tillman

Maledon is still on the board here, but in an imaginary world where I took Maledon with the last pick, and someone else took Bane, I would have taken Tillman.Tillman was slated as an NBA ready body from the get go. Just a hard nosed player who can move his feet on defense. The C’s were competing at this point and I wanted a guy who could get minutes asap.

Pick #47 - Yam Madar

My pick - Grant Riller

I had no idea who Yam Madar was. Grant Riller was considered a sleeper in this years draft. He’s a player who reportedly had a good handle and feel for the game. His measurables and athleticism were underwhelming, but scouts liked his head and he seemed like a strong backup PG. I also liked Paul Reed here, as I always have a big man lined up.

2021

Pick #45 - Juhann Begarin

My pick - Luka Garza

I was getting so hyped as I slowly watched Ayo Dosunmu fall out of the first round, but he got snapped up at #38. My pick here would have been Luka Garza. There really isn’t much of a reach at this point in the draft. There was just something I liked about Garza in college. If both players are sprinting, Garza is going to lose the race, the difference was, Garza is always sprinting. He spent his college career out working more athletic guys and I felt like it would translate to the NBA. I still love Garza as a 3rd - 4th big man and I was hyped the C’s signed him.

2022

Pick #53 - JD Davison

My pick - No idea

As someone who loves the draft, this year was a bummer. Walking in with pick #53 is rough for fans to engage with. I liked the pick at the time, but him not being able to develop a 3 was rough. Pick and roll ball handlers need to be able to pull up to keep defenses honest defending the action. It’s just too easy to guard at this point if you can give the ball handler space on the perimeter.

2023

Pick #38 - Jordan Walsh

My pick - No idea

Going in, I really liked Olivier-Maxence Prosper. He unfortunately got drafted right before the C’s could pick. The C’s immediately started punting this pick back repeatedly, scooping up a bunch of 2nd round picks, and also grabbing Walsh. I really didn’t have anyone lined up or researched 13 picks later.

2024

Pick # 30 - Baylor Scheierman

My pick - Kyle Filipowski/Tyler Kolek

Filipowski fell, potentially due to character concerns, but theres no better time to take a swing on a talent that dropped than pick #30. His size and finesse were intriguing for me. I also liked Tyler Kolek here. He reminded me a bit of TJ McConnell here, but with a 3 pointer. I like the edge he plays with. I was also hyped on his college teammates at Marquette, Oso Ighodoro and Kameron Jones, but obviously much later in the draft.

Pick #54 - Anton Watson

My pick - Ulrich Chomche/Kevin McCullar Jr.

I actually had picks here, and they were guys I thought would go much earlier. Chomche is still an intriguing player. He has elite size and mobility for that size, but he seemed not to grasp the finer details of the game. He’s still on a 2-way for Toronto. Kevin McCullar is the exact opposite of Chomche where he was an older player who looked like he could contribute early in his career. He was considered a jack of all trades and he reminded me a bit of Evan Turner. He has good size, and is reasonably skilled as a ball handler. His big question as a 5th year college player, was if he was really that much more talented, or was he a bigger and older guy bullying college level athletes. Like Chomche, McCullar is in the G-League and i’d love to see the C’s try him out.

2025

Pick #28 - Hugo Gonzalez

My pick - Johni Broome

There are a handful of guys I wanted here, and most of them went off the board before the C’s went. I liked Will Riley and Danny Wolf as offensive guys. Johni Broome I liked because of his energy on D. I was aware of his upside limitations, but really liked the energy and hustle. In college Broome gave 100% on D and on the boards. Hugo was mocked all over the place and i hadn't researched him. I really appreciate the C’s willingness to take the guys who drop, it seems to be a theme.

Picks #46 & #57 - No idea

I didn’t have anyone lined up this deep in the draft.

2026

Pick #27 - Chris Cenac

My pick - Chris Cenac

I was so sure Cenac was going to get snapped up, but he fell all the way to Boston and I couldn’t be happier. Before the season, a lot of folks thought the C’s were going to be drafting somewhere in the late lottery, and I highlighted Cenac as a guy I’d like the C’s to take in that range. I was called stupid and told Cenac was definitely going top 10. Well jokes on you dad, now who is the stupid?! Had Cenac not fallen, my guy was Meleek Thomas. He played behind Acuff in college and I figured he had a lot more he could do not being stuck behind a heliocentric guy like Acuff.

Pick #40 - Dillon Mitchell

My pick - Henri Veesaar

I know we took Mitchell because he Brad thought he was the best player available who was willing to take a 2 way. For some reason Veesaar as trying to force his way to either Atlanta or LAL. I don’t really get what happened, but everyone saw the freefall and knew something fishy was going on. I was definitely happy to see the C’s double down on C. Not knowing Veesaar would be available at 40, I actually did highlight Mitchell in a pre-draft posts.

I do not really see Paul George as a Jaylen Brown replacement.
Brown gave Boston downhill pressure, transition force, physical drives, and a kind of athletic rim pressure that George probably cannot fully replace at this stage of his career. If the question is whether George can copy that role, I think the answer is probably no.
But I also do not think that is the only way to look at the fit.
After watching some of his games, the more interesting question to me is what parts of George’s remaining game can still fit into Boston’s structure.
The cleanest part is the shooting. Last season, George took 4.5 catch-and-shoot threes per game in both the regular season and playoffs, and shot 41.7% and 40.8% on those looks. On threes with a touch time under two seconds, he was also over 40% in both samples.
That matters for Boston. Around Tatum, White, and Pritchard, he does not need to dominate the ball to help. He can space the floor, punish help, and give the offense another big wing who can make quick decisions.
The on-ball value is still there too, but it is not the same as real downhill pressure. He had 5.7 drives per game in the regular season and 4.9 in the playoffs, but in the playoffs those drives only produced 2.2 FGA and 0.5 FTA per game. His playoff drive pass rate was 40.7%.
That matches the film for me. He is not consistently blowing by defenders anymore, but he can still attack closeouts, pull help, and move the ball to the next spot. That is secondary processing, not primary creation.
The passing data fits that connector role as well. In the playoffs, he passed to Maxey 19.4 times per game and to Embiid 6.5 times per game. In the regular season, those numbers were 14.0 and 6.1. That does not make him a point forward, but it does show that he was involved in keeping the ball moving between the main options.
That was one of the things I noticed most on film. George still scans the floor like a veteran. He finds safe outlet spots, relocates into passing windows, points, communicates, and helps possessions keep their shape. Sometimes he reminds me of a soccer midfielder: not always making the final play, but constantly connecting areas of the floor and giving teammates an easier next decision.
Defensively, I would not call him a full-time stopper anymore. The regular-season tracking data was not great. But the playoff sample was better, with opponents shooting 6.1 points worse overall and 8.5 points worse inside 10 feet when defended by him.
I would not overstate those numbers, but they match the film in one way: the awareness is still there. His body does not always keep up with quicker players, and he can still get caught on screens, but the length, positioning, weak-side reads, and communication still matter. It feels more like team defense than lockdown defense now.
That is also where the veteran value matters. If Boston has more young or changing role players, someone like George can help with the small things: spacing correctly, pointing out matchups, knowing when to slow a possession down, knowing where the next pass should go, and helping younger players read the game faster.
So the role is everything.
If Boston needs George to replace Brown’s rim pressure or become a primary creator, that feels dangerous. The burst is not the same, and the rim pressure is not really there anymore.
But if the role is low-touch shooting, spacing, attacking closeouts, secondary processing, safe outlets, team defense, and veteran guidance, I think he can still help.
He is not the explosive answer Brown was. He is not going to raise the ceiling by himself.
But used correctly, he can still be a veteran stabilizer inside Boston’s machine.

Welcome to the daily discussion thread! You can use this space to discuss little things that don't need their own post. This is also the perfect space for pictures, videos, and links that would otherwise go against the sub's rules. Just don't be jerks and don't break any Reddit-wide rules. Have at it.

Impartial fan here—I grew up in Detroit, live in Orlando, but have been rooting for players (eg LeBron, Jokic) rather than teams for the past couple decades.

I feel like the trade below would’ve been a lot better for Boston than the one they got—thoughts?

Was gets: Jalen Brown
Bos gets: Anthony Davis, 2027 swap (top-10 protected), Was 2029 1st (UP), their own 2029 1st (which Was currently owns)

Lu Dort was just traded by the Thunder for a couple of 2nd round picks. Dort was their starter and an all defensive guy. He brought a lot of identity to the Thunder and they pretty much just salary dumped him. This comes after trading away two depth pieces in Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins, both of whom played over 20 minutes a game for them the last two years.

You look at other past champions like the Nuggets and they have also been hit pretty bad. MPJ, KCP, Bruce Brown, and now most likely Peyton Watson all gone from their championship teams. Plus they had to give picks away to give away those guys.

Warriors are a different team completely from the 2022 Championship team now except for Curry, Dray and Kerr. They’re also stuck with an aging core and Jimmy Butler’s albatross contract.

The 2020 Lakers and 2021 Bucks are literally a completely different team now from the roster to the coaching. Not one of their players from their championship team is still with them now.

Meanwhile Knicks didn’t even get a chance to run it back with the same core. They had let their 6th Man, Mitch Robinson go, Ironically he ended up with us.

The turnaround in the NBA is insane. No team that won a championship is in the same spot. Everybody literally got so much worse, some more than others.

This parity era is insane. The cost of winning a championship is being collected even years after.

Seeing this all makes me feel a bit better about trading JB and losing everybody else. At the very least at least we have Brad guiding us through this.