Although the Boston Celtics' roster will certainly look a lot different in the 2019-20 campaign, the Eastern Conference franchise remains on the rise with All-Star point guard Kemba Walker and veteran center Enes Kanter now on board. With this duo joining guard Marcus Smart, swingman Jaylen Brown and forwards Jayson Tatum and Gordon Hayward for the foreseeable future, the Celtics will try to compete alongside the Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers next season.
However, the Celtics still have a few holes to fill. Boston managed to lose several notable players this offseason, including point guard Kyrie Irving, guard Terry Rozier, and big man Al Horford. With Irving teaming up with superstar forward Kevin Durant on the Nets, Rozier replaced Walker with the Charlotte Hornets as Horford joined the rival 76ers.
With that in mind, the Celtics can still add some depth by targeting some low-cost free agents during the latter stages of the offseason.
The Boston Celtics will head into 2019-20 season sporting a young core, though there will be a few veteran players sprinkled throughout the team's eventual roster. However, most of these players remain in their respective primes. The Celtics can still use a strong veteran presence in the locker room who can also play a few minutes most nights.
One player of this nature immediately comes to mind: Longtime NBA shooting guard Vince Carter plans on playing at least another season. While Carter will surely come at an extremely low cost, the 42-year-old two-guard may be the best available option as a leader in a locker room that expects to compete at a high level.
Not only that, but Carter can still provide a few quality minutes per game, which would give the Celtics young guards a chance to slowly ease into the NBA, if needed.
As it stands today, the Boston Celtics have two true centers on the team's roster. Although this position is quickly being phased out of the game, the NBA still calls for players who can defend at the rim and rebound on both ends of the floor. With the Celtics sporting Enes Kanter and Robert Williams III at the five spot, one more center wouldn't hurt.
At 35 years old, longtime NBA center Zaza Pachulia cannot serve as a top-notch big man. However, his championship pedigree from his time as a member of the Golden State Warriors could provide Boston a veteran leader who can add some minutes off the bench in 2019-20.
It is also worth noting that Williams may not be able to handle a role as a true backup to Kanter right off the bat. Pachulia's presence could give the big man some additional time to develop. On the other hand, if Williams can handle such a role to begin the year, Pachulia is an expendable piece that can easily be removed from the picture.
Jerryd Bayless
Because the Boston Celtics were immediately able to replace Kyrie Irving with Kemba Walker, they managed to fill a major void in a major way. In addition, the Celtics brought aboard not one, but two former collegiate standouts to serve as a rookie guard in 2019-20.
With former Purdue Boilermakers guard Carsen Edwards and former Indiana Hoosiers guard Romeo Langford making their way to Boston, the Celtics should be all set at guard. However, it remains to be seen whether both of these players can hold up their end of the bargain to begin the year. Though it is likely that Langford and Edwards will become vital parts of the team's approach sooner rather than later, the Celtics may want to add some insurance atop the 3-point line.
With that in mind, Jerryd Bayless could become an option that wouldn't cost the Celtics much money. He could quickly become an expendable piece of the puzzle. Even if Bayless sticks around for a second, he can add to the team's shooting prowess before ultimately departing to make way for the youngsters.
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