The Boston Celtics have largely run the Eastern Conference this decade.

They’ve won 50-plus games in five straight seasons, made the 2022 NBA Finals and then won the title in 2024, the franchise’s first in 16 years to cap off a rebuild that didn’t stay down for very long.

But the way this offseason has played out makes it seem that the Celtics may no longer be the bosses of the East.

The New York Knicks ended a 53-year championship drought by bringing home their own title.

The Miami Heat, who have been wandering in the wilderness that is being a consistent play-in tournament competitor, beat out the Celtics for superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo in his exit from Milwaukee.

Because Boston reportedly dangled Jaylen Brown — fresh off a sixth-place finish in NBA MVP voting — as a trade chip to try and land the Greek Freak, it seems to have effectively ended Brown’s desire to stay with Boston.

And so, the Celtics wound up bolstering another contending Eastern Conference team, the Philadelphia 76ers, by sending them Brown in exchange for aging star Paul George and two first-round picks, neither of which they’ll be able to use until 2028.

Need I remind you all that Brown — not Jayson Tatum, who Boston chose over him — was the Celtics’ NBA Finals MVP in 2024. With Tatum sidelined for much of last season after tearing his Achilles during the 2025 playoffs, Brown had the best season of his career, averaging 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game, all career bests.

But even though this core had already won a title and Brown remains firmly in his prime at 29 years old, the Celtics elected to move him.

In return, the Celtics got a nine-time All-Star in George, albeit seemingly far removed from that form. Now 36, George played no more than 41 games in each of his two seasons with the Sixers. He’s played more than 56 games once in the last seven seasons, battling a rash of injuries.

He’s no longer the six-time All-NBA player he once was.

To supplement their roster, the Celtics signed former Knicks backup center Mitchell Robinson to a three-year, $47 million deal, veteran guard Mike Conley to a one-year deal and Ron Harper Jr. to a three-year deal.

They also signed center Neemias Queta to a four-year, $56 million extension after he averaged 10.2 points and 8.4 rebounds last season, his first as a starter.

All of these moves should help the Celtics to varying degrees. They’re not going to suddenly stop being a perennial playoff team.

But that’s not the standard for a franchise that has 18 NBA title banners hanging in its arena’s rafters. And it feels weird coming off a season where they overachieved in the regular season compared to somewhat lower expectations, which they largely did because of Brown.

The Celtics are betting on their development, that guys like Payton Pritchard, Derrick White and Queta take the next step.

It’s worked for them before. But it’s a bold choice which could age poorly, considering they had a pretty good thing going.

LeBron James remained a free agent on the Fourth of July, surely realizing that no document should upstage the Declaration of Independence with a quarter-millennium extravaganza swirling.

Of course, a national holiday didn’t stop Kevin Durant from bolting the Thunder for the Warriors on July 4, 2016, but that’s a different story – much like LBJ’s final foray into free agency.

James’ agent, Rich Paul, made it clear that his client seeks “happiness” above all in a 24th NBA season. His legacy cemented, his championships secured, LBJ wants to ride toward the sunset with a smile.

Yes, that noble journey recently adopted a game-show motif, but we’re told James’ heart is in the right place.

Paul handicapped numerous possible LeBron landing spots while appearing on a hands-on episode of his “Game Over” podcast with Max Kellerman that was released Friday.

A whiteboard here, a pointer there, speculation everywhere.

Ostensibly, the entire Association would have interest in James, who declined the player option on his final season with the Los Angeles Lakers. The league’s all-time leading scorer might not get to the basket with the same tenacity or show the stamina that has defined him for much of his career, but he still is a force at 41.

Paul said that James’ options abound largely because the New York Knicks won the Larry O’Brien trophy last month, ending a championship drought that preceded America’s bicentennial.

LBJ assuredly would be taking his talents to New York Harbor were another franchise entering the 2026-27 season as reigning champs.

“It’s difficult, because the last thing you want to do is mess up something like that,” Paul said. “The Knicks have a good thing going. If the Knicks hadn’t won, this wouldn’t even [be a question]. There would be no board. He’d be going to the Knicks.”

It would be quite the challenge for James to keep a smile, though if he couldn’t help the Knicks to a repeat, Paul explained.

“LeBron’s always judged different,” Paul said. “That’s a very fragile thing, and he’s been a part of championship teams.”

Yup, with Miami, Cleveland and the Lakers. As Paul explored the possibility of a return to the first two of those locales, he suggested that familiarity with front offices is a mark for both sides.

It may boil down to personnel, however, and Paul noted that one “negative” concerning the Cavaliers is the absence of Darius Garland. The agent told listeners that James “loves Garland like he loves” Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey.

Naturally, there’s a lot for Paul to like about touting the chances of two of his clients playing together. But as the almighty whiteboard indicated, Philly does boast a deep core that includes newly-acquired Jaylen Brown alongside Joel Embiid, V.J. Edgecombe and Maxey.

The board also listed four core members of the Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Cavaliers and Heat.

“LeBron” was written at its center.

“Every day things change,” Paul told ESPN. “This is the first time that LeBron James is making a decision pressure-free. He’s won already. He’s made good on his promise – he won in L.A. This is strictly for his happiness. What does happiness entail? It’s a number of things. It’s a bucket of happiness. It’s basketball, it’s living, it’s camaraderie, it’s competition. It’s everything.”

It’s ongoing, too, and figures to stay that way with training camps still more than two months away.

Would the hype be anything less for an all-time signature player?