Boston fans spent the past few days talking about Stephen Curry, but Nikola Jokić should be the bigger name on the Celtics’ dream board.
That conversation started because John Karalis of OnSI looked at what a trade for Curry might look like if the Warriors star ever became available for Brad Stevens to chase. Some readers took that to mean Boston had already put an offer on the table for the 38-year-old. That wasn’t the case, and the actual point of the piece got buried once the aggregation machine kicked in.
Curry is still a player Boston should keep an eye on, especially if his future ever stops lining up with Golden State’s direction. But if the Celtics are playing the long game and thinking about the best possible superstar target, Jokić deserves the top spot.
That does not mean Boston is in active talks with Denver. It isn’t.
The Nuggets are not fielding calls from anyone. Still, if Jokić ever did become available, there would be no shortage of teams lining up.
The Celtics should be near the front of that line, with Stevens ready to use every asset at his disposal, including the pieces acquired in the Jaylen Brown deal.
The reason Jokić belongs above Curry is simple: he may be the more realistic star to hit the market, and he would give Boston the better shot at another title run with Jayson Tatum. Curry remains the most famous shooter in league history, and the idea of him in green has obvious appeal. But Jokić is seven years younger, and his durability gives Boston more to project forward with.
Last season was the first time Jokić dealt with an injury of that severity, and even then it came down to a hyperextended knee that cost him a few weeks. He played 65 games, which was a career low, but he still put together a monster season: 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 10.7 assists per game while shooting 56.9% from the field and 38% from three.
His contract situation is part of what keeps this whole discussion alive. Jokić has a $62.8 million player option for the 2027-28 season that he could decline next summer to become an unrestricted free agent. Denver would do everything possible to avoid that outcome, because losing him for nothing would be a nightmare.
He was eligible for an extension last summer but passed because he could get more money this offseason. Now he’s waiting again.
Jokić has said his "idea" is to sign a new deal next offseason and stay with the Nuggets for the rest of his career. He has said before that he wants to retire in Denver, and that stance has become part of the backdrop here.
Curry’s situation is different, but it is moving quickly. He is on an expiring $62.6 million contract and can sign an extension at the end of this month, which could quiet the speculation before it really takes off.
ESPN’s Anthony Slater recently reported that the Warriors are "very open" to having a conversation about signing him to either a one or two-year deal. If Curry turns that down and chooses to see how next season unfolds, the chatter will only grow.
For now, though, neither star has shown any real sign that he wants out. That’s why this remains a dream scenario, not a live one. But if Boston is choosing between the two, Jokić is the one the Celtics should chase.
He is still under contract, still in his prime, and still producing like a force of nature. Even if the odds are tiny - and maybe even that is generous - the door stays open until Jokić closes it himself by signing that extension with Denver. And if that window ever cracks wider, Boston should be ready.
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Jaylen Browns exit looks less like a sudden response to one rough playoff moment and more like the end of a longer evaluation inside Boston. Reports indicate the Celtics had been exploring a move involving Brown well before the summer, which suggests the front office was weighing a major change in advance of any single postseason result. For a team that has spent years trying to balance present contention with future flexibility, that kind of timing says plenty about how serious the conversations were.
The wider market helps explain why the deal took so long to materialize. Around the trade deadline, the Warriors had a chance to get in on Brown but balked at the price, with the cost climbing to roughly four first-round picks and no easy internal agreement on whether he fit their long-term plans. Boston eventually sent Brown to the 76ers for Paul George and draft picks, a move that now feels like part of a much bigger reset than a one-off shakeup. [Read more 🡒]
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The Celtics newest second-round swing has already run into a little summer uncertainty. Dillon Mitchell, Bostons draft pick, is at the center of a developing NCAA rule change that could open the door for him to play a fifth college season instead of moving straight into the NBA, creating an unusual wrinkle for a team that hoped to bring him into the fold and see where he fits.
Mitchell has not signed with Boston yet, and that leaves the door open for a decision that could delay his pro debut without necessarily closing the book on his future with the Celtics. If he does head back to school, Boston would still hold his draft rights, turning the situation into a draft-and-stash style setup while the club waits to see whether he ultimately chooses the college route or begins his NBA career now. [Read more 🡒]
Brad Stevens Keeps Giving The Celtics A Huge Roster Edge
The Mavericks new deal with Naji Marshall is another reminder of how quickly the market can reward a useful wing who has carved out a real NBA role. Marshall has the kind of proven experience that gives a team confidence to commit long term, and his three-year, $52 million extension stands in contrast to the stage Boston is still working through with several of its younger wings.
For the Celtics, the broader point is less about one contract than the advantage created by stockpiling and developing players who can eventually be retained on friendlier terms. Jordan Walsh, Baylor Scheierman, Hugo Gonzalez, and Ron Harper Jr. all fit into that pipeline, giving Boston a chance to keep building depth on manageable money while preserving the flexibility that has become central to Brad Stevens roster approach. [Read more 🡒]