Boston Celtics: 2 depth-bolstering offseason trades

If the talent of the Boston Celtics starters shine through this postseason but the team falls short of the Eastern Conference Finals, perhaps a trade to bolster depth should be considered.

Danny Ainge is and has been an opportunistic general manager for the Boston Celtics franchise since 2003. Throughout the years he has positioned the team to acquire top-line talent through trades and through free agency.

The current C’s are a rare combination of blockbuster free agency signings, shrewd draft day trades and actually hitting on lottery picks. Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum are the latter scenario. Tatum also represents the draft day trade quota.

Kemba Walker and Gordon Hayward are the former, both signing max deals after spending years on middling perennial playoff low seeds. The five mentioned players and Daniel Theis represent the team’s current core.

While few six-man units possess the overall ability of this Celtics group, many teams have second unit bench mobs that can turn the tide in games. Momentum shifters are few and far between on the Boston bench right now.

Due to the top-heavy nature of the Boston Celtics roster, dealing one big deal at the top of the books can result in acquiring several smaller deals to fill out the bench. It could be a strategy Ainge considers depending on the results in Walt Disney World this summer.

If the C’s do decide to go that route, it will have been because of a failure for the bench to provide any sort of lift on a disappointingly short playoff run. Here are two trades Boston can consider to bolster their depth: