Boston Celtics: 2 veteran replacements for Vincent Poirier

With the likely reality being the NBA’s salary cap will negatively be impacted by the COVID-19 global pandemic, contending teams like the Boston Celtics will look to add high-impact, low-cost free agents this offseason.

We get it shamrocks fans: 11 weeks without Boston Celtics basketball has been a complete and udder drag. However, it appears that as we trudge forward through this harrowing time in history, the light at the end of the tunnel begins to get brighter and brighter.

In reference to the sports world, it appears we could be seeing live NBA action come mid-July:

If pre-hiatus is any indicator, if this actually turns out to be the case, the Boston Celtics will realistically be in contention to take home the Larry O’Brien trophy by season’s end.

By the time of the season’s halt, the Cs found themselves holding a record of 43-21, good enough for the third seed in the Eastern Conference, the fifth seed in the entire league and, with their victory over the Indiana Pacers on March 10th, attained their sixth straight postseason berth.

Rolling out a lineup consisting of All-Stars Kemba Walker and Jayson Tatum, arguable All-Star snub Jaylen Brown, former All-Star Gordon Hayward and Defensive Player of the Year candidate Marcus Smart, Boston truly found themselves boasting one of the most menacing core-group of ballers the league had to offer.

However, even with these truths, it is not to say the team is a perfect unit by any stretch of the word. From their lackluster center rotation to their very un-impressive rookie class the team finds themselves with many holes on their roster that could use for some patchwork once the offseason comes about.

Perhaps one of the most underwhelming performers from the 2019-20 C’s roster has been first-year center, Vincent Poirier. When initially signed last offseason, many were excited about the idea of adding the Frenchman, as it was believed the 7-0 big had what it took to have his skills translate to the NBA and, thus, help bolster the team’s frontcourt that had just seen much turnover.

However, now 64 games in, it’s apparent that, what with his lack of production (1.9 points & 1.6 rebounds per game), not-so-desirable age for a rookie (26-yeard-old) and lacking effort on the court, Poirier is a commodity that could very likely be given up on this offseason — whenever that is.

The only question is: who might be a solid replacement option?

With this in mind, here are 2 veteran free agents the team could pursue should they move on from Vincent Poirier: