This loss by the Boston Celtics will inevitably lead to some tough conversations.

Most importantly, those talks will take place within the walls of the organization itself, as the 2-seed Celtics sit and wonder what went wrong after losing in the Eastern Conference Finals to the 8-seed Miami Heat in Game 7, on their home floor, by 19 points. There’s simply no doubt that going from an NBA Finals berth to this kind of crushing defeat is a step backward for a team with so much promise.

The problem, now, is that they may have only one year left to figure it out with their current core led by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. It could be decision time with Brown sooner than you think, as he enters the final year of his contract in 2023-24.

And that’s why questions will arise of whether big decisions need to be made with this Celtics team. This summer, not next.

• 

  Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

• Now that Brown was named to the All-NBA Team, he is eligible for a “supermax” deal of five years and $295 million. So, it’s soon going to be time for Celtics President of Basketball Ops Brad Stevens to decide whether he wants to make that kind of investment with Brown, in particular.

  Stevens isn’t likely to fall victim to recency bias with Brown, but signing him to nearly $300 million doesn’t sound like something anyone will want to consider in the immediate aftermath of the Eastern Conference Finals. Brown averaged an underwhelming 19 points over the seven-game series, while shooting 38.6 percent from the field – and an abysmal 16.3 percent from three-point range (7-for-43).

  That doesn’t necessarily mean the Celtics should move on from Brown now. But if Stevens were to decide they want to go in a different direction with all that money, and continue to be a top NBA title contender, then the move would be to trade Brown this off-season.

  That’s why the easiest move would be to simply sign Brown to the supermax if he wants it here, then if he ultimately wants out, they’ll have more time to figure that out. But the time to decide on Brown’s future is now.

• 

  Adam Glanzman/Getty Images

• As for the rest of the key pieces of the Celtics’ roster, Tatum is still signed for two more seasons with a player option for 2025-26. But he is also supermax-eligible in the summer of 2024, so he’s in line to get a big raise before he even needs to consider that option year.

  Tatum will face questions about his ability to truly be a No. 1 star on a championship-winning team until he actually wins. But at the end of the day, the Celtics don’t have much choice but to build around him, and if anyone moves, it won’t be him. Perhaps the only real change that needs to take place is for Tatum to take on even more of an alpha, leadership role, and simply go to another level on the court.

  But if Stevens decides that this core isn’t the right mix to win it all, knowing him, he will want to swing a big, DNA-changing trade. That would involve Brown or Marcus Smart, and Malcolm Brogdon, Derrick White, Robert Williams III, and Al Horford shouldn’t be considered untouchable, either. All of these aforementioned players should be considered candidates for upgrades, or just something different.

• READ MORE:

  — Celtics’ bid for history falls short
  — C’s can’t stop Heat’s Caleb Martin
  — Celtics on early-season turmoil

• Through all this, perhaps the big change doesn’t need to come on the roster, but the coaching staff. Joe Mazzulla proved to be decidedly in over his head at 34 years old and trying to navigate a relatively young team through the NBA Playoffs against vastly more experienced coaches.

  This will put Stevens in a tough spot. Mazzulla may not carry enough fault for this loss to truly deserve a firing, because he was thrust into an almost impossible spot to begin with. But the Celtics will certainly want to add a veteran or three to the staff, definitely if Mazzulla stays in the head position.

  Wherever the big change(s) comes for the Celtics, it likely needs to come now. Well, June, July. But it’s imminent. Even if it’s just one change. Unless Stevens wants to just run it back with what they have.

  

  Ian Maule/Getty Images

• In the hours right after such a stinging loss – and considering the team’s championship aspirations and opportunity against a lower seed at home, a big-time disappointment – it’s hard to believe anyone would want to change nothing.

  There will no doubt be calls to Blow It Up™. Break up “The Jays.” Fire this one, trade that one. That’ll get out of hand. But the time to wonder about it, and for the team to decide what to do, is sooner rather than later.

  That might only mean one big move, whether it’s a player or a coach. But it’s impossible to imagine this Celtics team won’t return next season with something significantly different.

• Click here for complete Boston Celtics coverage at 985TheSportsHub.com.

  Matt Dolloff is a writer and podcaster for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Yell at him on Twitter @mattdolloff and follow him on Instagram @realmattdolloff. Check out all of Matt’s content here.

Sign me up for the 98.5 The Sports Hub email newsletter!

Get the latest Boston sports news and analysis, plus exclusive on-demand content and special giveaways from Boston's Home for Sports, 98.5 The Sports Hub.

First Name *

Last Name

Email *

Subscribe

By clicking "Subscribe" I agree to the website's terms of Service and Privacy Policy. I understand I can unsubscribe at any time.