The Boston Celtics have had a lot of success in recent years, yet they still have no championship to show for it. They've made the postseason nine straight times and had great opportunities to win their 18th title over the last two seasons.

In the 2022 NBA Finals, the C's fell just short against the Golden State Warriors, as they squandered a 2-1 series lead before losing in six games. During the 2022-23 campaign, Boston once again had a shot at a title as the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. However, disappointment followed when the Celtics failed to overcome a 3-0 series deficit in the Eastern Conference Finals versus the Miami Heat.

While it's clear that the championship window is open in Beantown, the Celtics must get over the hump. In a recent interview with The Boston Globe, Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck revealed that something had to change for the C's to finally achieve their ultimate goal.

“The general tone was, how do we take this energy we’re feeling right now that was built up over having two good seasons but then didn’t get all the way,” Grousbeck said. “If we’d all agreed we should keep things the same, that would have been fine. But the idea of bringing in another talented big popped up early in the conversation, and we ended up executing on that idea.”

That “talented big” was star center Kristaps Porzingis, as Boston made a move for the former Washington Wizard before NBA free agency began. In order to acquire the 2018 All-Star, the front office had to make the tough decision of trading point guard Marcus Smart, who was previously the longest-tenured player on the roster, to the Memphis Grizzlies.

Interestingly enough, Grousbeck's comments shed some light on how close the C's were to staying put. If another star couldn't have been brought in, Smart would've stayed, and the team would look very similar to what it did a season ago. Instead, the Celtics traded Smart with veterans Danilo Gallinari and Mike Muscala, leaving Grant Williams with no suitable role on the team anymore.

The move for Porzingis started a domino effect, but as Grousbeck said, previous Celtics teams failed to go all the way. This shakeup is a big risk for the Green Team as Porzingis has had major health issues throughout his career. If the three-headed monster of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Porzingis is able to raise a banner, though, the loss of Smart and others won't be in vain.