2015 Boston Celtics

Written by Paul Banks of the Washington Times, David Kay and Peter Christian of the The Sports Bank. Send Paul an e-mail here: paulb05 AT hotmail DOT com.
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Boston Celtics (Last Year: 40-42)

2015-16 Projected Depth Chart:

C: Tyler Zeller/Kelly Olynyk/Vitor Faverani

PF: Jared Sullinger

SF: Evan Turner/*Jae Crowder/*Luigi Datome/Gerald Wallace

SG: Avery Bradley/James Young

PG: Marcus Smart/Isaiah Thomas/Phil Pressey

NBA Free Agents:

PF-Brandon Bass (UFA)

PF-Jonas Jerebko (UFA)

*SF-Jae Crowder (RFA)

*SF-Luigi Datome (RFA)

2015-16 Team Salary: Approximately $40.6 million

NBA Offseason Team Needs:

1. Go Big in Free Agency?: Minus Gerald Wallace, the Celtics have rid themselves of any bad contracts on their roster. Management has done a nice job drafting the past couple of years and bringing in some affordable veterans, so it might be time to make a major move in free agency. Boston could have more than $20 million available to spend this summer and could take a stab at landing a marquee player who can help take the franchise to the next level. The Celtics don’t need to spend carelessly, and it might be hard to convince a big man to come to Beantown, but expect Danny Ainge to leave no stone unturned.

2. Small Forward: The acquisition of Jae Crowder provided the Celtics with a needed boost at small forward, and he played extremely well down the stretch. That type of play should earn the restricted free agent a nice pay raise this offseason, and if the price is right, Boston should bring him back. If Crowder heads elsewhere, this becomes a pressing need since Gerald Wallace is worthless and Evan Turner only has 1 year left on his contract. Picking 16th in the 2015 NBA Draft, the Celtics could target a small forward as an insurance policy.

3. Power Forward: Brandon Bass ended up taking the starting job from Jared Sullinger, but Bass is a free agent. If it doesn’t break the bank, Boston should look to re-sign Bass, but if he goes elsewhere, the Celtics need to find a replacement. This could be one of the areas where the team pursues a big name.