Celtics having a quiet summer after last year’s major overhaul

The only two additions to the roster this offseason have been draft pick Robert Williams and Brad Wanamaker, who signed after a career in Europe.

They went through a major overhaul during the summer of 2017 with 11 players exiting a team that had reached the Eastern Conference finals.

 The Celtics had four starters go elsewhere via trade or free agency, and only Al Horford, Jaylen Brown, Terry Rozier and Marcus Smart were retained after the team compiled the conference’s best record in the 2016-17 season.

 One year later, the Celtics have had a relative quiet offseason with only two newcomers – first-round draft pick Robert Williams and free-agent guard Brad Wanamaker – being added to the roster.

 Barring a summer surprise, the Celtics will be reporting for training camp in late summer without any significant moves being made, and the key additions will be Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving as they return from injuries.

 “We’re not looking to make changes other than just small tweaks here and there to our roster,’’ said president of basketball operations Danny Ainge on May 29, the day after the season ended in Game 7 of the conference finals. “We really do like this core group of guys.’’

 After watching the undermanned Celtics take a 3-2 series lead over LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers before losing two straight to fall just short of the NBA Finals, Ainge is confident in what he has.

 The emergence of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, the improvement of Terry Rozier and the return of All-Stars Irving and Hayward make the Celtics the team to beat in the East, so no radical moves were necessary.

 Williams and Wanamker, who figure to have limited roles, are in while free-agents Greg Monroe and Shane Larkin have not been re-signed.

 “There’s a lot of talent on our team,’’ said Ainge, “and I’m excited about our team.’’

 The Celtics brought back their two main free agents, signing Aron Baynes to a two-year, $11 million contract right away and keeping Marcus Smart with a four-year, $52 million deal on Thursday.

 Coach Brad Stevens figures to go with a starting lineup of Hayward, Tatum, Horford, Irving and Brown, which is what he used on opening night last Oct. 17, only to have Hayward suffer a season-ending ankle injury less than six minutes into the game.

 Hayward and Irving, who played only 60 games, figure to start playing basketball again at some point in August, which will give them time to prepare for training camp.

 Irving averaged 24 points for the Celtics before his season ended on March 11 while Hayward scored 20 points per game over his final three seasons with the Utah Jazz before moving to Boston.

 With Tatum and Brown taking major steps forward in their first and second seasons and Horford providing versatility, the Celtics should have a strong offensive starting five.

 The top four reserves look like Smart, Rozier, Marcus Morris, and Baynes with Smart and Baynes providing the defense, Rozier will be looking to build on his strong finish to the 2017-18 season and Morris offering toughness and scoring.

 There will be roles for Daniel Theis, who improved as his rookie season went on before undergoing knee surgery in March, and Semi Ojeleye, who was used as a defender but needs to improve as a long-range shooter.

 Williams, the No. 27 pick in the draft, will be brought along slowly and could be spending time with the Maine Red Claws while Guerschon Yabusele and Wanamaker, who has played in Europe, are on the outside looking in as far as the rotation goes.

 The Celtics will have 14 players with guaranteed contracts after waiving Abdel Nader, who did little during his rookie season. Nader’s contract for the 2018-19 season had to be guaranteed by Aug. 1, but he won’t be returning.

 The Celtics will likely keep that roster spot open for flexibility down the road. The status of Jabari Bird, who was on a two-way contract last season, is undecided.

 The team, which is over the salary cap and into luxury tax territory, could eventually sign a player using the mid-level exception worth $5.7 million.

 Unlike last summer, all has been quiet for the Celtics, who a year ago parted ways with Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder, Tyler Zeller, Kelly Olynyk, Amir Johnson, Jonas Jerebko, Jordan Mickey, Gerald Green, James Young and Demetrius Jackson.

 No major overhaul will be taking place this offseason after the Celtics put together a roster capable of getting through the East, especially with James out of the picture.

 Training camp is roughly nine weeks away, and the Celtics appear to have everything in place, just waiting to see how much progress Irving and Hayward are making in their recovery processes.

 Jim Fenton may be reached at jfenton@enterprisenews.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JFenton_ent.