As soon as Kyrie Irving went down in early March, many questions rose among the NBA and its fans. What would the Celtics do without him? Would they make it past the first round without their star point guard? Out of all the possible scenarios imagined, the reality of what ended up happening exceeded all expectations.

Terry Rozier stepped up in place of Irving, well enough to establish himself as a threat among the league. He started all 19 games in the playoffs for Boston, and averaged 16.5 points per game on a 40.6-34.7-.821 shooting split. Rozier averaged 1.3 steals per game, 5.3 rebounds, and 5.7 assists. “Scary Terry” became a thing in Boston, and the fan-favorite guard should be very proud of his postseason.

Following the Celtics loss to the Cavaliers (again) in the Eastern Conference Finals, it’s safe to say that the franchise should keep Rozier. He’s a restricted free agent next summer, so Boston has him for at least another year. A genius plan for the club is to re-sign him, and let him be their sixth man. It’s pitiful to hear the claims that Boston is better without Kyrie, who is already a 5-time all-star at age 26. They need to keep both pieces, but make sure Rozier gets sufficient minutes.

Marcus Smart is now a restricted free agent, and the best option for Boston is to let him go. If they want to afford Rozier and Kyrie, Smart just doesn’t fit in the picture. He was quoted as saying he’s worth more than the $12-14 million price tag that was recently placed on him with free agency approaching. He failed to make either All-Defensive Team, and his shooting performances have hindered him (Smart shot 33.6% from the field during the 2018 Playoffs).

By all means, Smart is a very impressive basketball player. In terms of the Celtics though, he’s just not a right fit anymore. They’ve got a very bright future, and he shouldn’t be part of it if they want to afford everybody.

This July, Aron Baynes, Greg Monroe, Shane Larkin, Jonathan Gibson, and Jabari Bird are all free agents. Bird and Gibson are both young, valuable pieces that can be seen as blooming role players. Monroe averaged 10.2 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.1 steals in 26 games for Boston this year. Baynes was statistically subpar, averaging 6 points and 5.3 rebounds in 81 regular season games. Monroe is just 27 years old, while Baynes is 31.

Baynes was virtually on the court to get dunked on (as Joel Embiid said on Twitter), and generally lacked a set of offensive skills to make up for his defensive play. Albeit, Baynes sometimes played very well defensively but the general consensus is that he wasn’t too valuable. He needs to be dropped, and Monroe needs to step up in that spot. Monroe has very good post moves, is athletic, and is very strong. He would be worth re-signing.

The summer after the 2018-2019 season is going to prove very important for the Celtics. Kyrie is a free agent in 2019, and General Manager Danny Ainge should be focused on keeping him there. Al Horford has a player option, so Boston should also focus on keeping their main big man happy. Despite being 31 years old, he was an All-Star last season and there’s no reason to think this would change next year. The Celtics need him in every way, for he is their defensive anchor, a veteran leader, and one of the best offensive options on the team.

Marcus Morris shined bright in the playoffs this year, and definitely proved his worth in Boston. He’s a true team player, always willing to stand up for his teammates and fight until the end. The 6’9” power forward is a perfect starter for the team, assuming Horford starts at center. Morris blends perfectly with coach Brad Stevens’ style of play, molding to play whatever role necessary. At just 28 years of age, Morris would be worth keeping.

Young guns Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are both under team options next summer, and the answer to whether or not they should be kept doesn’t even need to be answered. Both have the chance to be perennial All-Stars, and Boston needs to put an emphasis on treasuring the talent they have for as long as possible. Both also need to start in order to develop, but with a coach like Stevens, harvesting their abilities isn’t going to be too much of a problem.

To put it all together, the Boston Celtics need to keep their core together. Just think about it – they came within one game of the NBA Finals against the Cavaliers, and they didn’t even have (arguably) their two best players. Beating LeBron is no easy task, and it is no guarantee they’ll even have to face him in the coming years considering he might not even re-sign with Cleveland. The Celtics should soon have enough talent and experience to take out The King, no matter how astonishingly amazing he plays.

This season should be viewed as a success, and it is quite apparent that the Celtics will be in the Finals soon enough. Whether they can compete with Golden State is another question, but just making it that far is a good thing. Remember, the Warriors current roster is arguably the best basketball team ever. However, age is a thing and when LeBron slows down, the Celtics will still be on the rise. When Tatum and Brown are at their peaks, Kyrie will still be very good and the Warriors will be a team of aging veterans, completely capable of being defeated.

Danny Ainge and Brad Stevens have a very good thing going for them, and it’d be in their best interest to not mess it up. The Celtics have a chance to continue their dynasty, and even if LeBron topples them for the next few years, the greatest player of this generation will retire eventually. Putting that in mind, there is no reason for Boston to switch up their roster.

Paul George has been one of the best players in the NBA ever since his 2012-2013 breakout season with the Indiana Pacers, which came about due to the unfortunate circumstances around Danny Granger’s string of knee and leg injuries. The 6’9” (or 6’10”, according to The Indianapolis Star) small forward has been named an All-Star five times since then, made three All-NBA teams as well as the same amount of All-Defensive teams.

The Oklahoma City Thunder were able to trade for George, who molded quite well with fellow star teammates Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony. OKC was able to get the 4-seed with a 48-34 record, and squared off against rookie stud Donovan Mitchell and the Utah Jazz in the first round.

Their season came to an abrupt, rough ending as Utah took out the Thunder in just 5 games. Most expected the Thunder to at least make 7 tough games out of the series, never mind coming out on top. PG is a free agent, and the rumors have been fluttering for months now. Nobody is really certain of where he’ll end up next year, and if it’s not OKC, there are a handful of perfect fits.

Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers are seemingly the top candidate (besides the Thunder) to land George this summer. In fact, it probably is a perfect match. He grew up in Los Angeles, his parents are Lakers fans (his dad even wore a Lakers cap during the OKC vs. LAL game this season), and they’ve got money to dish out. The franchise has available two max deals to work with, and the array of young talent they have is very promising. George would be a star on a fresh squad, making a load of money, all while mentoring his teammates (who are already pretty good for their ages, and Kyle Kuzma and Lonzo Ball were named to the All-NBA Rookie First and Second teams respectively). There are also rumors of the Lakers landing LeBron, which would be hard for anybody to pass up.

Philadelphia 76ers

The 76ers destroyed their expectations this past season, despite winning just a game against Boston in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The sky’s the limit for Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, who will most likely be announced as the Rookie of the Year in the coming weeks. Philly finished with an astounding 52-30 record just two seasons removed from their infamously terrible 10-72 record, which was good enough for a 3-seed. George would blend perfectly in Philly, and he’d join an impressive core of young guns. Other talent includes 1st-overall draft pick Markelle Fultz,  sharpshooter J.J. Redick, and Dario Šarić. The Sixers have the money for it as well, with about $25 million available in cap space.

San Antonio Spurs

The Spurs finished this year rather roughly by their absurd expectations, not winning 50 games for the first time in 20 seasons. They still made the playoffs amid the Kawhi Leonard drama/injury combination. If Kawhi wants out, then the Spurs would definitely be able to negotiate a sign-and-trade deal with the Thunder. It’s very unlikely that George wouldn’t enjoy his time under Gregg Popovich, arguably the best coach in NBA history. San Antonio has a loyal fan base and an already impressive team that includes some fantastic talent (LaMarcus Aldridge, Dejounte Murray, Danny Green, Rudy Gay, as well as veterans Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker). While they can’t flat-out afford to land PG, it is certainly possible to come to an agreement that’ll put him in a grey and black jersey.