The Celtics took a big step forward in their offseason reshuffle on Friday afternoon after officially distributing Kemba Walker and two future draft picks to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Al Horford, Moses Brown and a second-round pick.

However, the roster shuffle (two big players entering with a point guard on the gate) has created a bit of a glut on Boston’s roster at the moment.

Here’s a look at the 13 players currently signed to Boston for next season.

Guards: Smart, Pritchard, Edwards

Wings: Tatum, J. Brown, Langford, Nesmith, Parker,

Large: Horford, Thompson, R. Williams, G. Williams, M. Brown

Boston could certainly bolster their backcourt by retaining unrestricted free agent Evan Fournier with the extra pay flexibility they created by cutting their touchdown salary from Walker to Horford (around $ 9 million). However, bringing him back with this group is probably not a significant change in bringing this group back to competition in a busy Eastern Conference.

Brad Stevens has always had a preference for versatile wings and big shots, so carrying four true crosses on the roster with Grant Williams as another stretch option doesn’t seem like an ideal roster build for the new president of basketball operations. . That’s before I even mention two-way player Tacko Fall, who will be a restricted free agent. Fall probably saw his chances of being held down a lot with the added depth.

So what avenues could Brad Stevens and his front office explore to address the potential deadlock in the frontcourt? Finding a taker for Tristan Thompson and his $ 9.7 million contract expiring next season will be on the table if Boston can find a competitor in the market for his services. Finding a good match in the contracts would be key for Boston to strike a deal as they likely want to maintain long-term flexibility for the summer of 2022, when an avenue could be sought to open up significant space under the ceiling to build around. by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

Selling Rob Williams before he potentially has a costly new contract after next season is another option. However, the team remains very high on their long-term potential according to league sources, so this path seems unlikely unless overpaid by another team.

With Grant Williams holding minimal business value at the moment and still costing just $ 2.6 million in salary next year, his place looks secure for now. Moses Brown’s contract isn’t guaranteed either, but he showed enough of it at Oklahoma City last year to likely earn a 15-man spot at least to provide good depth in the middle.

The Celtics still have the mid-level taxpayer exception ($ 5.9 million) to help bolster the backcourt in addition to a potential re-signing from Fournier, but balancing the team’s budget between the roster numbers to be a major target this offseason. There won’t be enough minutes to keep Horford / Thompson / R. Williams is happy to assume that the three are going to be played mostly in the center. Double rosters weren’t perfect last season, so it’s hard to imagine them being used extensively with any of the duos in this group again.

Boston has the option of keeping all three to protect against health and sustainability issues with Horford and R. Williams, but having over $ 40 million locked up in centers is not a great strategy to consolidate d team when none of those players are the best talent. The Celtics could use a little more shot creation and backcourt depth with Walker on the gate and they suddenly have excess frontcourt talent to help resolve that area. There’s plenty of time this offseason for more roster shuffling, but it’s a safe bet there will be more dominoes to drop in Boston’s frontcourt in the future.