A popular pastime here at the Houdini recently has been filling the hole at center that the Boston Celtics currently posses. Today, we deep-dive into a couple of different options Danny Ainge could explore in a trade without having to sacrifice any core players.
Aside from mid-February to the beginning of June the NBA trade season is a 24/7 cycle. The Boston Celtics were not strangers to the trade market to the trade market this past offseason. However, no major impact players were brought in.
Aron Baynes was the most significant pieces traded away. With Al Horford also leaving the team via free agency, the Celtics now lack any strong two-way presence at their center position.
Enes Kanter may be a double-double shoe-in on a nightly basis, but has been the butt of jokes by his peers for his defensive deficiencies often throughout his career. Behind him, there is not one single established name on the Boston Celtics’ depth chart.
Robert Williams could be seen as a ‘Most Improved Player’ candidate this season, but at this point it is no more than a hypothetical scenario until he logs his first minutes of the upcoming campaign. Daniel Theis is nice, but his best case scenario is likely that of a situational stretch-five when Brad Stevens opts for more of a small-ball lineup. His career 3-point shooting percentages hover around 40%, but his lack of physicality gives him a modest ceiling.
Vincent Porier looks the part of a legitimate NBA big-man, but the EuroLeague import has yet to body up with a hulking giant like Joel Embiid or Nikola Jokic. It remains to be seen how the frenchman can hold up in the world’s most competitive basketball league.
With all of these unknown commodities at the center position, sometime this season the Boston Celtics may find themselves playing the role of “buyers” in regard to the five spot. While acquiring the likes of an Andre Drummond or a Steven Adams may force Danny Ainge‘s hand in giving up a “kings ransom”, there are a treasure trove of cost efficient bigs that he could potentially explore acquiring.
Here are 3 big-men the Boston Celtics could trade for without sacrificing their core of Kemba Walker, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Gordon Hayward and Marcus Smart.