With the NBA offseason currently underway, every team across the league is making moves in order to get past the Boston Celtics. After all, the Celtics managed to make it all the way to the 2024 NBA Finals. Led by stretches of elite play from Jaylen Brown, the Celtics defeated Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks to finally win an NBA championship.
It is a well-known fact that any team that makes the postseason consistently considers any outcome short of winning a title as a failure. Since the Celtics are in the Eastern Conference, teams from that region have been making upgrades to get better than Boston. With that being said, let us take a closer look at 2 such teams that have made moves in order to establish themselves as title contenders.
The Philadelphia 76ers added Paul George to defeat the Boston Celtics
One team that has been making it consistently to the playoffs but unable to get past the second round would be the Philadelphia 76ers. This season, they were eliminated in the first round. While injuries certainly play a role in deciding how far the team can go, there is no denying that they made a major upgrade by adding Paul George to their roster.
The New York Knicks traded for Mikal Bridges to become title contenders
The very same team that defeated the 76ers this season ended up losing in the next round. Although injuries greatly hampered their potential, the New York Knicks were unable to make it past the second round of the playoffs. The team decided to make a few upgrades to their roster and added Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets.
With players such as Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Josh Hart on their roster, it is clear that the Knicks are looking to load up in the wing position in order to stop Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Since Jalen Brunson is only going to get better for the next few years, there is no denying that the New York Knicks have what it takes to potentially eliminate the Boston Celtics.There are several other teams such as the Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat who have already proven that they can defeat the Boston Celtics. However, they have made no significant upgrades to their rosters after falling short in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. As things stand, the 76ers and Knicks have emerged as contenders in the East.