NBA Season Preview 2017-18: 20 things to watch this NBA season

OAKLAND, CA - JUNE 12: Kevin Durant #35 of the Golden State Warriors shoots a foul shot against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game Five of the 2017 NBA Finals on June 12, 2017 at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Bruce Yeung/NBAE via Getty Images) /

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BOSTON, MA – SEPTEMBER 1: Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward get introduced as Boston Celtics on September 1, 2017 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) /

20. Boston’s new Big Three

Boston Celtics general manager Danny Ainge had himself one hell of a summer.

When Ainge traded the No. 1 pick to the Philadelphia 76ers to move down two spots and pick up a future first-rounder, most Celtics fans were out for blood. Two weeks later, Ainge quelled that fury by landing the biggest fish on the free-agent market, Gordon Hayward.

He wasn’t done there, though. A month after Kyrie Irving requested a trade from the Cleveland Cavaliers, Ainge obliged him by shipping Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and the Brooklyn Nets’ unprotected 2018 first-round pick to Cleveland for the three-time All-Star. Suddenly, a summer that began with Thomas and Al Horford looking for a third member of a Big Three ended with Irving, Hayward and Horford giving the Celtics just that.

Boston now enters the 2017-18 campaign with no shortage of fascinating subplots. How will Hayward fare under his former college coach, Brad Stevens? Will Irving regret requesting a trade away from LeBron James and the Cavaliers, or will he churn out an MVP-caliber season in Beantown? With Crowder gone, are recent No. 3 picks Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown ready for prime-time? Can anyone on this team rebound at an above-average rate?

It may take time for these new-look Celtics to coalesce, but when they do, expect them to be right in the mix with Cleveland for the No. 1 seed out East.

Next: 19. Hell hath no fury like a scorned King James