Celtics urged to follow Thunder model with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown

The Boston Celtics will have a few eyes on them this offseason as they look to wash the bad taste out of their mouth from losing in the first round of the playoffs this season. While it doesn’t seem like the Celtics need to make any dire moves, there’s also a chance that they could make a huge move that changes everything.

The latter might not be the best idea, especially when thinking about the future instead of the present. In ESPN’s latest story, written by Vincent Goodwill about team building regarding the final four teams in the playoffs, he takes a dive into how the Oklahoma City Thunder found themselves in the position they’re in now.

Just like the Celtics, the Thunder were upset by the Dallas Mavericks in 2024, and instead of making major changes that offseason, Sam Presti made moves such as acquiring Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein. That’s how Goodwill thinks the Celtics should approach the offseason.

“The Celtics still have Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to build around, but their first-round collapse this postseason reopened familiar conversations about whether the star wing duo should be broken up,” Goodwill wrote. “Perhaps Boston should instead emulate a few of the Thunder’s most recent additions. Like Oklahoma City, the Celtics won a championship after finding the right mix of veterans in Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford. All three left last summer as part of Boston’s cost-cutting moves.”

There’s no need for the Celtics to break up Brown and Tatum, especially since they’ve shown that they can win a championship together. The only thing they need to do is make a few moves here and there to improve their depth, and they’ll be right back at the top of the Eastern Conference next season.