The Boston Celtics will be primed to strike in the trade market once the 2019-20 season NBA concludes. Who might they target from the Eastern Conference’s Southeast division?
Part of the fun of being a Boston Celtics fan is knowing that the general manager continuously puts the team in a position to acquire a player that fills a position of need. Throughout the past decade, whether the C’s were in first place or rebuilding, they have been in a position of power in negotiations.
Right now, the team is in a position of both ascension and contention. Gordon Hayward and Kemba Walker were always likely to keep this team in the playoff conversation, but Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum taking the next steps towards stardom–with Tatum even taking the step into it–has made them a dark horse contender in the Eastern Conference.
Depending on the results of the league’s return to the Orlando (or rather Lake Buena Vista) bubble in Walt Disney World, Boston may not need to make a move. Of course, really the only result that would lead to that would be title #18.
If things sputter under these unique circumstances, Danny Ainge could have himself a busy offseason. Anything short of the conference finals would force the front office to work the phone lines if patience isn’t seen as the best way forward.
In the latter case, we’re putting our general managers’ hats on (as we so often love to do) and giving you the top target on every team in the Southeast division: