The 2020 offseason could shape the Boston Celtics’ success for the foreseeable future. At the time, it looked like it was a good thing for the organization that Kyrie Irving had left town.
Irving had not elevated the Celtics to the level they had hoped when they acquired him from the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2017. In two seasons with the team, he missed 37 regular-season games. He didn’t even play during the team’s playoff run in 2018 when they lost in the Eastern Conference Finals to the Cavaliers.
Irving was on the court for the playoff run in 2019 when the Milwaukee Bucks handed them a five-game gentlemen’s sweep in the second round.
Many people figured the Celtics would be better off without Irving, as they had more playoff success when players such as Terry Rozier and Marcus Smart having bigger roles.
In 2019, that came to fruition as Irving left in free agency, signing with the Brooklyn Nets. In his place, the Celtics signed Kemba Walker, so it was not a total wash.
Many would argue Kemba Walker was a better fit for the Celtics than the mercurial Irving. One person who did not agree with that was Celtics owner, Wyc Grousbeck, who had hoped Irving would remain in Boston ‘forever’.
Hindsight is 20/20 and it would seem that more people would now agree with Grousbeck. Not so much because they think Irving would help bring the Celtics to the promised land but had he stayed, there wouldn’t be a superteam in their division.
Kyrie Irving’s departure led to the Nets creating a dynamic duo, as they signed Kevin Durant in the same offseason. That duo became one of the greatest offensive trios the league has ever seen as they added James Harden to the mix this season via trade.
While the Nets are riding high, climbing the Eastern Conference standings, the Celtics are dropping like a sinking ship, currently tied for eighth place with the Miami Heat and New York Knicks as Danny Ainge tries to figure out how to stop the leaks.
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Boston has two young All-Stars in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to be happy with, but that is arguably the third-best pairing in their division, as the Philadelphia 76ers have their All-Star duo in Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. The Knicks are improving and the Raptors are forever pesky.
Had Grousbeck gotten his wish, it would be the Celtics that teams are talking about as having one of the best trios in the league. Instead, it is one of their rivals in the Nets garnering headlines and blowing teams out of the gym.
