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ADAM HIMMELSBACH

So what do the Celtics do with this roster?

Barry Chin/globe staff

WALTHAM — Less than 24 hours after their season came to a humbling end in the Eastern Conference finals, the Celtics filed into their training facility Friday to complete exit interviews and say their goodbyes for the summer.

Now the team enters what figures to be another frenetic and hope-filled offseason as it attempts to take the next step in what has been a rapid ascension.

“We definitely need more; it was obvious,” point guard Isaiah Thomas said. “But shoot, the No. 1 seed and getting to the Eastern Conference finals, like, we had a pretty good year. But to take that next step, which is the Finals, and to do whatever we can to beat Cleveland, we definitely need more.”

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The Celtics hold the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, which takes place in less than a month. If they keep the selection, they would likely use it on Washington point guard Markelle Fultz. Throughout this rebuilding process, they have put a great emphasis on maintaining roster flexibility, and with a few minor moves, they would be able to offer a maximum contract to a free agent, perhaps Jazz forward Gordon Hayward.

But this 53-win season also made it clear that there already are plenty of capable pieces on this roster, and most of them are under contract for next year.

Thomas and Avery Bradley will be entering the final year of their contracts, and both will be in line for massive raises soon. Thomas, who missed the final three games of the conference finals with a torn labrum in his hip, said Friday he is still mulling whether to undergo offseason surgery.

The Celtics could try to extend Thomas’s deal this summer, but if he believes he deserves a maximum contract, it could be in his best financial interest to wait until next season, because he may be less likely to receive a max contract later in his career.

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“Whatever happens this summer with contracts, it happens,” Thomas said. “If not, then we’ll wait until next summer and then we’ll see where we go.”

Al Horford will be in the second season of his four-year, $113 million maximum contract. This season he averaged 14 points, 6.8 rebounds, and a career-high 5 assists per game. His improved jump shot was on full display during the playoffs, when he made 51.9 percent of his 3-pointers.

“I felt I made a lot of strides this season,” Horford said, “but I can be even better.”

Al Horford.Jim Davis/globe staff/Globe Staff

Jae Crowder will be in the third year of a team-friendly five-year, $35 million contract. His situation would become complicated if the Celtics are able to sign Hayward.

Marcus Smart is under contract for next season and could be in line for an extension prior to the Oct. 31 deadline. Jaylen Brown will be entering the second year of his rookie deal, and expectations will be high. The forward showed flashes of uncanny athleticism this season, as well as a consistent work ethic.

“I’ve been learning all year,” Brown said. “I had ups, I had downs, I had opportunities, I had mistakes. I’ve been learning and growing and improving all year and I’m going to continue to grow and improve and prove people wrong.”

Terry Rozier, who showed promise as a backup point guard, is slated to be back in the $2 million third year of his rookie contract.

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Kelly Olynyk will be a restricted free agent this summer. Olynyk showed flashes of his potential, the high point being his 26-point eruption in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. In today’s NBA, 7-footers who can hit 3-pointers are hot commodities, so Olynyk could receive a deal worth about $12 million a year. As he is a restricted free agent, the Celtics will have the right to match whatever offer Olynyk receives from another team.

“Unbelievable place to be, and I would love to be back,” Olynyk said. “I don’t know. You control what you can control. I don’t know if I will [be back] or not, but if I had the opportunity, I would love to.”

Kelly Olynyk. barry chin/globe staff/Globe Staff

Amir Johnson, Jonas Jerebko, Gerald Green, and James Young are all unrestricted free agents. Although Johnson sometimes appeared much older than 30 as he moved up and down the court, he actually led the Celtics in games played (80) and had the highest net rating on the team at 8.0.

Still, his role was limited considerably in the playoffs, when his playing time dipped from 20.1 minutes per game to 10.1.

After being used sparingly in the first two rounds of the playoffs, Jerebko took on a larger role and showed his worth in the conference finals against Cleveland. Over the last four games, he was 9 for 14 from the field and averaged 3.5 rebounds per contest. He is a good fit for the modern NBA: a 6-9 forward who is capable of guarding multiple positions and stretching the floor with his 3-point shooting.

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Green, who signed a one-year deal last summer for the veteran’s minimum, struggled with his shot at the start of the year as he recovered from a hip flexor injury, but the veteran became a key locker room presence and mentor on this young team.

With the Celtics facing an 0-2 deficit in the first round of the playoffs against the eighth-seeded Bulls, he was inserted into the starting lineup and provided an unlikely lift, averaging 11 points per game as the Celtics rolled off four wins in a row.

“Of course I want to come back,” Green said. “Why wouldn’t I? I don’t like starting something I can’t finish.”

Gerald Green.jim davis/globe staff

Young, meanwhile, never lived up to his potential after being taken with the 17th pick of the 2014 draft. In October the Celtics declined to exercise Young’s fourth-year option, and he went on to play in just 29 games. He will almost certainly not be re-signed.

Tyler Zeller has a nonguaranteed deal that would pay him $8 million next season. Also, Jordan Mickey’s $1.5 million salary is nonguaranteed and Demetrius Jackson’s $1.4 million salary is partially guaranteed.

Zeller has had a limited role the past two seasons and the Celtics will need that $8 million in salary-cap room to try to lure a top free agent. It would be quite surprising if he returns.

The Celtics were hoping that Mickey would develop into a dependable rebounder and shot-blocker off the bench, but he averaged just 1.5 points and 1.4 rebounds in 25 games. Jackson spent most of the season with the Maine Red Claws and, depending on the roster crunch, could get one more opportunity to prove himself.

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The Celtics also have several young players who could be in position to get their chance.

Ante Zizic, the 23rd overall pick of last June’s draft, had a successful season playing for a Turkish club in the high-level Euroleague. The Celtics have said that they plan to sign the 6-11 center this summer, and the hope is that he will provide some rebounding off the bench.

Guerschon Yabusele, the 16th pick last year, spent this season with the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association before finishing his year with the Maine Red Claws. Yabusele recently underwent surgery to remove bone spurs from his ankle and is expected to miss summer league.

Yabusele’s fate for next season could rest on how successful the Celtics are in free agency, or if they complete a big trade in which they give up more players than they get in return. Otherwise, there is a chance he could spend another year overseas.

Abdel Nader, the 58th overall pick last June, shined in summer league play and then was named the D-League’s Rookie of the Year with the Red Claws. He is eager for an opportunity to make the roster.

The Celtics also hold the 37th, 53rd, and 56th overall picks in next month’s draft.


Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at adam.himmelsbach @globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @adamhimmelsbach.