Boston Celtics: 3 former C’s the team should pursue this offseason

Jae Crowder, F

Next up, we have a man who, during his short stint with the Boston Celtics, managed to embody everything that it meant to bleed green. From his scrappy defensive chops to his willingness to dive on the hardwood and scrounge for loose balls, Jae Crowder proved that he’s willing to put it all on the line in an effort to bring his team to victory.

Acquired in the 2014 deal that sent Rajon Rondo to the Dallas Mavericks, Crowder was seen by many as somewhat of a salary-matching piece, heading to Massachusetts with the likes of Brandan Wright and Jameer Nelson. However, of all the names that ended up on the Celtics, Crowder not only lasted past eight games, but became a mainstay in the team’s rotation.

Through three seasons with the franchise, the small forward put up averages of 12.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game on 44 percent shooting from the floor and 35 percent shooting from 3.

By 2016-17, he had become one of the team’s main contributors, averaging the fourth most points per game (13.9) and the third best box plus/ minus on the team who registered over 1,000 minutes played.

Then, after that year’s postseason that saw the team go all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals, Crowder was packaged into a deal that saw Kyrie Irving come to Boston. Just as quickly as he made his way into the hearts of the Celtics fanbase, Danny Ainge managed to abruptly bring his tenure to an end.

However, with his impending free agency, there’s a chance we could see the C’s bring back the soon to be 30 year old to where so many of us believe he belongs.

He, alongside Marcus Smart, would instill fear and an unmatched intensity to the team’s second unit, and would also be able to give their starting wings much needed rest that, at this moment, they can’t afford to receive.

Crowder should never have been shipped off in the first place. This would be an opportunity for the C’s front office to right this decision that proved to be ever so wrong.

And, speaking of righting a wrong…