The NBA’s trade season in full swing, and the Boston Celtics have a plethora of valuable assets at their disposal. Today, we discuss who the team could potentially acquire using their bevy of future draft picks.
For the better part of the past decade, the Boston Celtics have found themselves with a ridiculous amount of draft capital. Since the 2014 blockbuster deal that sent Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to Brooklyn, the C’s have acquired 17 different draft picks, nine of which wound up being first-round selections.
With them, the team has managed to draft two potential franchise-cornerstones in Jaylen Brown (2016) and Jayson Tatum (2017) and have constantly remained at the forefront of potential trade destinations for the league’s top-available talents.
Deals for Kevin Love, Paul George and Anthony Davis were all, at one point, seen as realistic possibilities for the shamrocks over the years. However, due to Danny Ainge‘s apparent insistence of building through the draft, they never came into fruition.
Only once during this span has the franchise included one of their acquired draft picks in a deal — the Nets’ 2018 pick was added to the Cleveland Cavaliers deal that brought Kyrie Irving to Boston.
To be honest, it is quite admirable that Ainge decided to actually use a majority of the capital acquired rather than packaging them in deals to bring on big name/ seasoned talents in attempts to “win now.” However, being that the team currently seems to have the right pieces in place to both be in contention this season, as well as for many other years down the road, perhaps now is the time the team should seriously consider using some of their remaining draft assets to acquire suitable additions.
Having said that, here are three players the Celtics should target using their draft picks as collateral.
Robert Covington
Recently, reports surfaced that the Boston Celtics could be interested in acquiring a wing before the league’s trade deadline. While we here at the Houdini don’t necessarily believe this is a position that needs to be bolstered — as they already have Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Gordon Hayward and, yes, even Marcus Smart –, if this is truly the route the team wishes to take, Robert Covington would be an ideal target.
Through seven seasons, Covington has established himself as one of the best 3-and-D roll players the league has to offer. For his career, the small forward holds averages of 12.7 points, 1.7 steals and just under a block per game on 36% shooting from the field. He is a hustler on both ends of the floor and has been bestowed honors such as the NBA All-Defensive First Team in 2018.
Playing on an underwhelming Minnesota Timberwolves team, the 29-year-old could soon find him in the midst of a “fire-sale” and, with a friendly salary of $11 million, it wouldn’t take much to make the numbers work in a deal.
He would instantly become the C’s main scoring option off the pine, and would be a great defensive presence alongside Smart in the unit as well. Robert Covington is a solid player who could certainly be acquired with one of the Boston Celtics’ 2020 draft picks, along with players to make the money work.
Davis Bertans
We’ve been preaching it for quite some time Celtics fans. You knew it was coming!
Davis Bertans has been linked to the Boston Celtics for a little over a month now and, as the days go by, it begins to make more and more sense for the team to add Washington’s sharpshooter.
At 27-years-old, the 6-10 stretch big is having himself the best season of his career on a lowly 12-24 Wizards team. Through 28 games Bertans is averaging 15.4 points and 4.9 boards per game on 45% shooting from the field and 43% shooting from deep. He currently ranks 12th in the association in 3-point percentage and is fifth amongst power forwards.
The Boston Celtics as a whole rank 21st in the NBA in team 3-point percentage at 35% while their bench unit ranks second to last with a lowly percentage of 28%. Adding Bertans would not only help improve the team’s bench shooting stats but the stats of their entire team from downtown.
He would be a fantastic addition in the front court, as he would stretch the floor better than any big the team currently rosters (Daniel Theis shoots a mere 26% from deep). It would open up driving lanes for Kemba Walker and co. and would allow for more kick-out opportunities.
In a league predicated on long-range shooting, Davis Bertans is seen as quite a hot commodity. For a team like the Celtics, he would be a great addition!
Mitchell Robinson
Last but not least we have the athletic shot swatting, rim-rocking big man Mitchell Robinson. Toiling away on the lowly New York Knicks, the second year center out of Western Kentucky — though he never actually played there, but still was listed as his college on draft night — Robinson and his talents are certainly being waisted in Manhattan.
Through 33 games, the 21-year-old is averaging 10.2 points, seven boards and 1.8 blocks per game on 71% shooting from the field. To many, he is seen as one of the most promising young assets the Knicks currently have on their roster… and, yet, he has only started seven games for them this season.
What Robinson brings to the table is a bit different than what Davis Bertans, or anyone else currently at center for the Boston Celtics, has to offer but would certainly be a valuable commodity for the team nonetheless.
Can he stretch the floor? Not exactly. But his screen-and-roll play is phenomenal, and he would certainly enjoy catching lobs from the likes of Walker, Smart and Hayward. Defensively, he would be welcomed in with open arms, as he holds a defensive box +/- of 4.4, a block-percentage of 9.2 and a rebounding-percentage of 16.1% for his career.
Rumor has it that the New York Knicks view him as “untouchable.” However, the Knickerbockers truly have no idea what they’re doing. If the young center becomes disgruntled with the franchise before the trade deadline — not too outlandish of a possibility –, the front office could soften up on their reluctance to part ways with the talented, albeit limited center.
It may take both the Bucks and Grizzlies pick — and, of course, players to make the numbers work — to spark an intrigue from Scott Perry and Steve Mills, but with the way their roster is currently constructed, frankly no one other than RJ Barrett should be see as untouchable.
A long shot? Perhaps. But still, nothing is impossible — especially when multiple first round picks are offered for a former second-rounder.