Boston Celtics: 2 ideal offseason trade targets

In what could be a very busy trade market, the Boston Celtics have the capability to make waves. The Houdini breaks down who they should target.

This offseason figures to be a busy one no matter what. No team seems content with their draft position in what is being called a weak draft and teams like the Boston Celtics have a surplus of picks and a shortage of roster spots.

Player movement seems inevitable. Even if there were more cap certainty, a weak free-agent class this year and a stacked 2021 free agent group meant that teams were always going to take a more nuanced approach to team-building this offseason.

Flexibility is the name of the game, and certain teams are at different points in the cap hoarding rat race. The Celtics are somewhat fortunate to have their situation sorted. They signed their stars when they inked Kemba Walker to a max contract and extended Jaylen Brown for $$115 million.

Jayson Tatum is due for his extension imminently, and Marcus Smart is the next to have his deal extended. Noticeably, Gordon Hayward’s next contract has been absent in the conversation about Boston’s future.

It’s not by accident. While we believe Hayward can contribute to a winning culture in Beantown, the question will always surround what else $34 million could be spent on. In both of the following scenarios, we are looking at the best returns possible in a potential deal for the absent C’s forward.

Here are two of the Houdini’s ideal targets:

Buddy Hield, SG

A deal with the Sacramento Kings involving sharp-shooter Buddy Hield would need to scratch a few itches for Sac-town. Namely, the Kings would need to rid themselves of the long-term burden of Hield’s deal, but also receive draft compensation for the lack of a return outside of a contract-year Hayward.

If the Kings deemed it a risk worth the reward of losing a valuable commodity like Hield, the C’s have a spot on their bench for the 2016 lottery pick. While Sacramento has relegated him to the bench to his dismay, a similar role for a contender would be much easier to accept.

Rudy Gobert, C

Unfortunately for Rudy Gobert, the market has all but dried up for a player of his talents. Andre Drummond will cling to his $28 million player option for 2020-21 because of the lack of a market for traditional centers in the modern era.

He still was a key member of a Utah Jazz team that history will view as unfortunate losers of three straight playoff games in the bubble. If rumors of a reported rift between he and Donovan Mitchell are true, the Jazz could be looking for a trading partner very soon…especially considering Gobert’s impending super-max that no one wants to pay.

Choosing not to give the French center a super-max seems like a decision Danny Ainge is comfortable living with. If Utah wants a reunion with Hayward, a deal for Gobert could raise the C’s championship ceiling considerably given the potential defensive viability of a quartet of Gobert-Marcus Smart-Jaylen Brown-Jayson Tatum.