The Eastern Conference just got a little tighter, and the Celtics are feeling it.
Klay Thompson is on the move after the Dallas Mavericks announced Friday that they reached a buyout agreement with the four-time NBA champion. Once he clears waivers, Thompson will be free to sign anywhere, but ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that he is expected to join the Miami Heat and team up with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo.
For Boston, that adds another dangerous name to a conference already starting to look crowded at the top.
Miami had already been shaping up as a team to watch. Antetokounmpo gives them a force unlike anyone else, while Adebayo remains one of the league’s elite centers and a regular presence in the Defensive Player of the Year conversation.
Add Andrew Wiggins and Davion Mitchell, and the Heat should have enough on the defensive end to be a problem. The bigger question has been whether the offense can keep pace.
That’s where Thompson matters.
The Heat’s most obvious weakness is steady 3-point shooting, and Thompson doesn’t erase that issue by himself. But even at 36, he still changes how defenses have to play.
Last season, he mostly came off the bench, logged a career-low 21.7 minutes per game, and still put up 11.7 points per night while shooting 38.3 percent from beyond the arc. He’s still the kind of shooter defenses can’t ignore, and his movement shooting keeps everyone honest.
Miami doesn’t need him to be a centerpiece. It needs him to make life easier for the players who already demand constant attention. When Thompson is spacing the floor, it gets harder for teams to crowd the paint and load up on Antetokounmpo and Adebayo.
And that’s the part Boston has to notice.
The East is starting to feel like a nine-team fight for six guaranteed playoff spots. Unless another team jumps into the mix, only six of the Celtics, Heat, Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors, Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers and Indiana Pacers will avoid the Play-In Tournament. The rest will be stuck in it, and at least one of those teams won’t make the playoffs at all.
Boston can’t afford to drift in that kind of traffic.
There was already going to be some adjustment time with Jayson Tatum coming back from his Achilles injury and Joe Mazzulla integrating Paul George into the offense. Now, with Miami getting stronger, the Celtics’ cushion gets even thinner. They need to find their rhythm quickly.
In Other News...
Payton Pritchards Jaylen Brown Reaction Says A Lot About Bostons Next Step
Payton Pritchard did not spend much time dwelling on Jaylen Browns move to Philadelphia, at least not publicly. Speaking after the trade, the Celtics guard framed it the way players often do when the business side of the league lands hardest: as part of the job, and as another chance to absorb what a teammate like Brown taught him along the way. Pritchard also said the teams group chat has not turned into a postmortem on the deal, which is usually a sign that the roster is already shifting its attention to the next phase.
That next phase arrives quickly, with Boston set to open preseason against the Cavaliers on Oct. 8 before hosting the 76ers two days later. Pritchards focus on his own game fits the moment, because the Celtics are about to find out what their new shape looks like in real time, and one of the first chances to measure it will come against Brown in a Philadelphia uniform. The early days of camp and preseason tend to reveal what a team is ready to say out loud and what it is still sorting through quietly. [Read more 🡒]
Payton Pritchards Celtics Reaction Says Plenty About Bostons New Reality
Chris Cenacs arrival at No. 27 gave the Celtics another young piece to think about, and his college coach, Kelvin Sampson, made the fit sound pretty straightforward. Boston also has a lot more going on around the edges of the roster, with owner Bill Chisholm saying there are no immediate plans for a new arena and veteran point guard Mike Conley already sounding energized about landing in the mix.
Still, the clearest window into where things stand may have come from Payton Pritchard, whose reaction to Jaylen Browns move to Philadelphia said plenty about how different this version of the Celtics feels. Between a fresh draft pick, a veteran addition, and the franchises long-term building questions, Boston is entering a stretch where almost every comment seems to hint at a bigger reset still taking shape. [Read more 🡒]
Payton Pritchard Could Gain Something Huge From Mike Conley
Payton Pritchard has already grown into an important part of Bostons rotation, but the Celtics summer moves suggest there is still room for him to sharpen the finer points of running an offense. After trading Jaylen Brown, the front office went into the offseason looking to build a better support system around Jayson Tatum and Paul George, and the addition of Mike Conley Jr. fits neatly into that plan. Conley brings the kind of veteran steadiness and point guard know-how that can help a player like Pritchard keep expanding his game.
For Boston, this is about more than just filling out the depth chart. Conley is expected to provide leadership and mentorship to younger players, and Pritchard stands out as one of the clearest beneficiaries because of how much he can still absorb about the position. The Celtics do not need him to become a different player, but if Conley can help him see the floor a little better and manage the offense with more control, that is the sort of quiet upgrade that can matter once the games get tight. [Read more 🡒]