Boston Celtics: 3 teams the C’s could engage in trade talks

New York Knicks

First up on our list we have a team that we actually talked about yesterday in a piece discussing two players the Boston Celtics could acquire without sacrificing their core. In the article we focused in on their 22 year old center Mitchell Robinson as the hypothetical asset the team could acquire but, in truth, this team is filled with young assets that could be had for relatively cheap and who could benefit from a change of scenery.

Currently on their roster the Knickerbockers have four players that have gone within the first 10 selections of their respective drafts, spanning all the way back to 2017. Of those four, three of them the team would love to have a do-over with.

The idea of adding a player like Robinson should be intriguing for C’s fans. As my co-editor Mark Nilon wrote in yesterday’s piece:

"“With a game reminiscent of a more athletic and allusive Rudy Gobert, Mitchell Robinson would provide an intimidating presence in the front court when on defense, a sensational glass gobbling talent on both ends of the court and a floor running center who can keep up with the likes of Walker, Tatum, Brown, Hayward and Smart on fast breaks."

However, outside of center, the Boston Celtics could use for a serviceable backup point guard as well. Luckily for them, the Knicks have a few.

Dennis Smith Jr is actually a player with a lot of potential, and showcased it when in a good environment and under the guidance of a great coaching staff in Dallas during his first two seasons. However, since coming to the dysfunctional Knicks, his numbers and efficiency have dipped quite a bit — averages just 5.5 points and 2.9 assists per game on 34 percent shooting in 2019-20.

Don’t let these stats fool you, however. At just 22 and with the fact that he showed glimpses of how good he could be before coming to the clueless/ directionless Knicks — averaged 14.5 points, 4.5 assists and 1.1 steals a game while with the Mavericks.

They could also look into how much it would take to bring on the defensive minded, 6-4 guard with a 7-1 wingspan, Frank Ntilikina to help bolster the defensive depth and aid in the team’s second unit distribution skills.

The plus for acquiring both Smith Jr and Ntilikina would be the fact that 1) it likely would cost the team little to nothing for them and 2) if things don’t work out, both their contracts expire at the end of next season — the fact that they’re both still on their rookie contracts is just a bonus.

The Celtics have enough draft capital to acquire the likes of a ready made contributor in the NBA. I think they have enough to entice New York to participate in some sort of trade for one of these aforementioned raw, yet talented, players.