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Celtics notebook: Thoughts on Boston’s talent drain, Damian Lillard rumors

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Celtics notebook: Thoughts on Boston’s talent drain, Damian Lillard rumors


Buon giorno, Herald readers. I’m back from my two-week Italian honeymoon and have some thoughts on the moves the Celtics made (and didn’t make) while I was away:

— Brad Stevens said in his recent news conference at the Auerbach Center that the word “rebuild” is “not going to be part of the lexicon in (that) building” this season. Fair enough.

But however you want to phrase it, there’s no denying that Boston’s current roster is the weakest the franchise has fielded in years.

Consider this: If you include Jayson Tatum, who’s out indefinitely as he recovers from his ruptured Achilles, the Celtics have lost four starting-caliber players from their 2024-25 squad (Tatum, Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford, plus an ideal backup in Luke Kornet) and added just one: guard Anfernee Simons, whom they acquired from Portland in the Holiday trade (and still could offload in a subsequent deal for further luxury tax savings).

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Outside of Simons, Boston has added a decent journeyman rotation player (Georges Niang), plucked two guys from the very end of Minnesota’s bench (Luka Garza and Josh Minott), used its first-round draft pick an intriguing but raw prospect who probably won’t be ready for a substantial role as a 19-year-old rookie (Hugo Gonzalez) and signed two second-round picks to two-way contracts (Amari Williams and Max Shulga).

The Celtics boasted the best roster in basketball during their run to the 2024 NBA championship, and that same group won 61 games this past season despite having its full starting lineup available just 24 times. Thanks to the dynasty-killing buzzsaw that is the NBA’s second apron, that enviable depth now is gone.

— No Celtics position has been hit harder this summer than center.

Boston traded Porzingis — an understandable and expected move given his hefty salary and durability concerns — and then failed in their stated goal to re-sign his top two understudies. Stevens said on draft night that the team hoped to retain Horford and Kornet, but it whiffed on both. Kornet landed a long-awaited payday in free agency (four years, $41 million from San Antonio), and though Horford remained unsigned as of Sunday, Stevens later admitted the 39-year-old locker room leader was “unlikely” to return.

What’s left? Three veterans who were not everyday rotation players this season (Neemias Queta, Xavier Tillman and newcomer Garza) and second-round rookie Williams. That might be the weakest collection of big men in the NBA.

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Queta, who projects as the top option at this early stage, made 62 appearances and six starts in his first season as a full-time NBA player, but the 26-year-old was a distant fourth on the depth chart behind Porzingis, Horford and Kornet by the end of 2024. Garza, also 26, played sparingly in a crowded Timberwolves frontcourt during his three seasons in Minnesota, averaging just 6.3 minutes per game over 92 outings. The two combined to play just 32 minutes this postseason, all in garbage time.

Tillman does have a fair bit of NBA starting experience (60 in his five-year career), but he was nowhere near head coach Joe Mazzulla’s rotation this season, exiled to the end of the bench due largely to his woeful 3-point shooting (15.6%). Also, unlike the 7-foot Queta and 6-foot-10 Garza, the 6-7 Tillman is more of a four than a traditional center.

Williams has some enticing traits, namely his length and passing ability. But as the 46th overall pick, odds are he’ll spend more time in Maine than in Boston this season.

“We’ll have to do that by committee,” Stevens told reporters on June 8. “That will not be the group that people will single out, based on paper, on what they’ve done with their careers thus far, as our strongest position, but it’s up to them to prove it otherwise.”

The reaction to Boston’s first Summer League game on Friday underscored the lack of proven talent in this group. After former Spurs reserve Charles Bassey, added to the C’s summer squad days earlier, had 14 points and 11 rebounds and was a plus-20 in 18 minutes against Memphis, speculation quickly began over whether there could be a spot for him on the big club.

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Boston, MA

Saturday storm will bring bursts of rain, strong winds, and… snow?

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Saturday storm will bring bursts of rain, strong winds, and… snow?


Surprise: Another weekend and there’s more rain on the way. It’s bad enough we’ve had to post a First Alert.

For now, we’ll watch as clouds thicken today. We’ll squeeze out some drops later this afternoon and evening.

A weather maker is winding up in Canada, wrapping in cold air. All of that is going to dive down to New England.

We’re in the thick of it tomorrow. Rain will be coming at us in bursts with some dry time in between. Winds will likely push past 50 mph in Boston.

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Those winds will eat away at temperatures; with wind chills barely above freezing. And no – not just in the morning – but the afternoon, too!

It’s so cold there’s the threat of snow as that rain bumps into colder air over the Berkshires, Worcester Hills and southern New Hampshire right up to Mount Washington.

The snow isn’t going to pile up but just know there could be some flakes flying over our highest hills.  

The blue on our Futurecast map marks the spots where snow could mix with rain.

Rain spins out by Saturday evening but not before dumping about half an inch over Boston.

We’ll try to salvage the rest of the weekend with temperatures in the upper 60s by Sunday. Still, there’s the threat of bits and pieces of rain.

By the way, this isn’t any weekend, it’s the last weekend of spring. Meteorological summer starts on June 1.

The first day of summer remains drab and dreary with more rain chances and temperatures in the low 60 on Monday.

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Boston, MA

House GOP demands ‘sanctuary city’ info from Boston law enforcement

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House GOP demands ‘sanctuary city’ info from Boston law enforcement


Federal immigration demands are once again centered on Massachusetts.

The House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday sent three letters to Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox, Suffolk County Sheriff Steven Tompkins and Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden demanding, among other things, information on how many ICE detainers BPD has received and declined to honor from 2022 to 2026 and any communication between the three departments related to immigration.

House Judiciary Chairman Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said in a statement that “releasing repeat criminals back to the streets solely because of their immigration status is crazy, and that’s exactly what Boston is doing.”

But Democrats push back on that framing.

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“You’re familiar with Jim Jordan and his antics,” said Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey. “This is more circus, it’s more theater and it’s not making our community safe.”

A spokesperson for the City of Boston wrote, “the city has provided this information many times…” going on to say “…these policies are part of keeping Boston the safest major city in America.”

The letters call for the documents to be sent to the House Judiciary Committee by June 10th at 5:00 pm. District Attorney Hayden’s office told NBC 10 they are reviewing the letter, neither Commissioner Cox or Sheriff Tompkins responded to requests for comment.



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A look inside Joan Bennett Kennedy’s Back Bay condo, listed for $2.6m

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A look inside Joan Bennett Kennedy’s Back Bay condo, listed for .6m


On the Market

Ted Kennedy Jr. speaks on the importance of his late mother’s Boston home, now for sale.

250 Beacon St. #10 is on the market for $2.59 million. Surette Media Group

At first glance, Joan Bennett Kennedy’s Back Bay home may not appear all that unusual, but the endless stories held within its walls illustrate how a sacred space became one woman’s shelter from the storm.

After divorcing Ted Kennedy in 1982, Bennett Kennedy returned to Boston and moved into 250 Beacon St. #10, and remained there for more than four decades until her death at age 89 in October. Now, her three-bedroom, three-bathroom home, which measures 2,075 square feet, is on the market at $2.59 million.

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“Her home really played an important part in the transformation of her life,” her son, Ted Kennedy Jr., told the Globe. “She was a newly divorced woman coming back, trying to reestablish her roots in Boston, and she had her music, which was part of her unique identity, apart from being married to my father. She was seeking to reinvent herself and live on her own terms.”

A hallway inside the 2,075-square-foot condo. – Surette Media Group

It was there at 250 Beacon where Bennett Kennedy restarted her life. She earned a master’s degree in music education at 44, and became a staple on the Boston classical music scene, thanks to her lifelong dedication to the piano. But it was also where she faced significant struggles, ranging from depression to alcoholism. She didn’t hide her battles at a time when they weren’t commonly discussed.

“She paved the way for many other women who were suffering in silence,” said Kennedy Jr. “The Boston community just took her in and provided her with friendship and support.”

The circa-1925 building features an elegant lobby that leads to the elevators. Inside the fifth-floor unit, a foyer flows into a hallway and into the spacious living room, where hardwood floors run throughout and a wood-burning fireplace sits under a unique carved mantel surrounded by marble. But it’s the windows that capture the eyes, with views of the treetops and the Charles River in the distance.

Large windows bring in natural light and look out to the city. – Surette Media Group
Joan Bennett Kennedy was an avid pianist. – Surette Media Group
The living room fireplace has a marble surround. – Surette Media Group

“She would sit at her piano in the condo every afternoon for hours,” said Kennedy, who noted that the home later served as the spot where his mother penned “The Joy of Classical Music,” a guide for introducing classical music to families. Prominent musical figures, including John Williams, Seiji Ozawa, and Arthur Fiedler, were frequent guests.

The open floor plan continues in the dining area and library, filled with built-in bookcases and oversized windows.

The space has built-in storage and shelving throughout. – Surette Media Group

The living room fireplace is two-sided; on its opposite side is the primary bedroom suite, with built-in bookshelves and a massive bay window with beautiful views. The primary suite features an en-suite bathroom with a pink vanity.

The primary bathroom with its pink vanity. – Surette Media Group

“These front rooms, all three of them, the amount of glass and the size of these windows are just magnificent,” said Linda Barrett of Douglas Elliman, who has the listing and knew Kennedy for years. “Being on the fifth floor, she sat right at the tree line, looking at the Charles River.”

A second of three full bathrooms has elegant marble tiles and a step-in shower. Across the hallway are two closets for storage and the galley kitchen with green/blue cabinetry and stainless steel appliances.

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The kitchen is galley style. – Surette Media Group
One of three bedrooms. – Surette Media Group

There are three bedrooms, one with teal carpeting and ample built-in storage.

The home has central air, and the building has a live-in superintendent. The fee is $1,725.39 per month. The piano is not included as part of the sale.


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Megan Johnson

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Megan Johnson is a Boston-based writer and reporter whose work appears in People, Architectural Digest, The Boston Globe, and more.





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