It’s no secret that the Boston Celtics may head into the 2019-20 NBA season looking vastly different than they have over the past few years. While most of their young pieces are under contract, some key veterans such as Kyrie Irving and Al Horford will have the opportunity to test free agency if they wish.
With Horford already turning down his player option and Irving linked to numerous teams including the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets, it’s looking more and more like Boston will be missing two of its leaders next season. In fact, Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck hinted at both Irving and Horford leaving this summer. When asked by NBC Sports Boston about the state of his team, Grousbeck said they hope to build around a core consisting of Gordon Hayward, Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.
Wyc asked on @NBCSBoston to characterize state of team: “Building or re-tooling, we’re starting with a core of Marcus Smart, Gordon Hayward, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum. Start with that and add in the rest of the roster, not to slight anybody, and then restricted rights on Terry."
— Chris Forsberg (@ChrisForsberg_) June 21, 2019
Obviously, there are two glaring ommissions from the list when discussing his team’s core: Kyrie Irving and Al Horford. Instead, it seems like Wyc Grousbeck and the Celtics are preparing for life after Irving and Horford, and are focused on developing the young players they currently have in place. It’s also noteworthy that he mentioned Terry Rozier as part of the team’s future, as he is also a restricted free agent this summer and has not hesitated to voice his displeasure with the team.
Though it may not have been on purpose to leave out Horford and Irving, this does show the public that Boston is not expecting either of them to return. In just two short years, the Boston Celtics went from bonafide championship contenders to a team rebuilding around a couple of young wings and a still recovering veteran in Gordon Hayward. This summer will be instrumental to the Celtics’ future, and it’s looking more and more like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are set to lead Boston’s next era.
