NBA Trade Rumors: Who’ll be the Core Players for Boston Celtics’ Superteam?

Jun 20, 2017 09:55 AM EDT

NBA history will show superteams, built around on one or two superstar players, win championships. It was the case with the Los Angeles Lakers and the Chicago Bulls when the term used was dynasty, when Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan were the dominant names. And it appears to be where the Boston Celtics are headed to, visibly inspired by the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Becoming a superteam, actually, is no stranger to the Green Team. The club has amassed a total of 17 NBA titles on the account of two dynasty periods - the Bill Russell era and the Larry Bird era. So it's unsurprising for Celtics president Danny Ainge to relive a period that he was part of. Ainge was the other sniping ace when Bird was unstoppable with his treys. The Bird superteam won three championships and Ainge was part of that history.

He's now on a mission to bring back those old glory days and the obvious course of action is rebuilding. The first move for Ainge is to take advantage of the NBA 2017 draft, and already analysts are calling him a genius when he decided to pass up on Washington star Markelle Fultz. Fultz was touted as No. 1 pick and he will be, but by the Philadelphia 76ers.

Ainge thought it wise to swap Fultz for the Sixers' No. 3 pick and has expressed confidence Boston is making the right moves so far. According to ESPN, the Celtics have no regrets that Fultz will no longer come to Boston. Ainge said acquiring No. 3 from Philadelphia points to a "very good value," for the team's aspiration.

"We're getting the player we want ... We think there's a really good chance the player we'll take at [No.] 3 is the same player we would have taken at [No.] 1. So this was a great opportunity to acquire an impactful asset," Boston's chief for basketball operations was reported by ESPN as saying.

And it sure looks like the Celtics are betting big on the likelihood that Josh Jackson or Jayson Tatum will be available for the picking come round three of the draft. Acquiring any of the two is a solid sign the team is in the process of rebuilding, and the chance is the end-goal for Ainge is to preside over the creation of a superteam.

In a report, Bleacher Report said taking advantage of the draft in only the start for the Celtics. The next move is to tempt away Jimmy Butler from the Chicago Bulls. Butler is seen to bring with him both star power and the ability to win games, not to mention that he is at his prime, the report added.

The goal really for the Celtics is to match the juggernaut that the Warriors and the Cavs are and having superstar and capable players on their roster will be a good start. "This could be a chance for the Celtics to build their own superteam, the only kind of team capable of beating the Cavaliers or Golden State Warriors in a seven-game series," Bleacher Report said.

If indeed Butler will soon join the Green Team, there is no doubt big names to become free agents this summer of 2017 will take a second hard look on the Boston Celtics, the report added. This is especially true for NBA stars still on the quest for that elusive NBA ring.