Chris Mannix feels Dennis Schroder will have a major impact on the Celtics this season and thinks he wind up being the starting point guard
Brad Stevens isn't exactly easing into his job as new Boston Celtics president of basketball operations.
The Celtics shipped off Kris Dunn, Carsen Edwards and a 2026 second-round pick in exchange for Juancho Hernangomez Friday, easing a glut on the depth chart at reserve point guard and taking a flier on a former 6-foot-9 first-round draft choice.
The move comes a few weeks after landing free agent point guard Dennis Schroder on a one-year, $5.9 million contract.
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Add in Al Horford, Enes Kanter and Bruno Fernando while subtracting Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier, and the Celtics' supporting cast for Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown will look a whole lot different in 2021-22.
Forsberg: Celtics tidy up roster by adding Hernangomez via trade
Boston may not be done dealing, either. Before we get into what could come next, let's lay out the team's potential starting lineup and current depth chart.
Celtics' projected starting lineup
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| PG | Marcus Smart |
| SG | Dennis Schroder |
| SF | Jaylen Brown |
| PF | Jayson Tatum |
| C | Robert Williams |
If the Celtics want a bigger lineup, they could insert Horford or Kanter at power forward and bring Schroder off the bench. Schroder comes to Boston with "no expectation" of a starting role, per CelticsBlog's Keith Smith, and could shine on the second unit like he did in Oklahoma City, where he finished second in NBA Sixth Man of the Year voting in 2020.
Why Smart over Schroder at point guard? Ime Udoka suggested last month that's the role Smart desires, and the new Celtics head coach seems to be on board with that plan.
Udoka has plenty of options in the backcourt, though. Let's check out Boston's current depth chart.
Celtics current depth chart (16 players)
| PG | Marcus Smart, Dennis Schroder, Payton Pritchard |
| SG | Josh Richardson, Romeo Langford |
| SF | Jaylen Brown, Aaron Nesmith, Grant Williams, Sam Hauser* |
| PF | Jayson Tatum, Al Horford, Jabari Parker, Juancho Hernangomez |
| C | Robert Williams, Enes Kanter, Bruno Fernando |
*Two-way deal
A three-man point guard rotation of Smart, Schroder and Pritchard -- with the flexibility to play Smart and Schroder in the same lineups -- seems like the natural outcome, with Richardson and Langford as shooting guards off the bench.
Mannix: Why Schroder deal could be an offseason-saving move for C's
In the frontcourt, Stevens could free up salary by parting with Parker and his non-guaranteed contract.
Roster moves are coming either way, as the Celtics can only carry 15 players on their in-season roster. But this group may only require some minor tinkering, as Stevens has managed to surround Tatum and Brown with solid talent while avoiding the "hard cap" and maintaining financial flexibility entering the 2022 offseason.