Boston Celtics: 2 FA big men Cs should pursue for veteran’s minimum

Left just short of contention at the conclusion of the 2019-20 campaign, the Boston Celtics find themselves in a similar position to last year. Could they once again consider these 2 veteran centers?

Somehow, an entire 2019-20 season spanning a calendar year has come and gone, and yet the Boston Celtics could still use another veteran big man on the roster. It was evident in the offseason when was forced to dig deep into their rotation and relied on rookie Grant Williams at the center spot for extended stretches.

Williams has proven more than capable of banging in the paint with much larger bigs at just six-foot-five, but ultimately relying on him to give you anything more than 2-3 minutes per contest as the 5 is a questionable strategy at best and a high-risk strategy at worst.

Robert Williams is starting to seem more than up to the task of playing in big spots opposite the likes of Bam Adebayo, Serge Ibaka, and Marc Gasol–as he showed in the 2020 postseason, emanating from the Lake Buena Vista bubble on Walt Disney World’s Wide World of Sports complex. That said, his injury woes are well documented…he missed 43 games last season and sat out 50 games in his 2018-19 rookie year.

Enes Kanter seems likely to test the free-agent market, and if the current rumors hold, Vincent Poirier looks poised to be dealt in what could be his final season in the NBA unless he undergoes a sophomore year transformation into an impact player.

Behind Daniel Theis, there is room for a sure thing. Luckily, there will be plenty of veterans to be had for a minimum salary…which is all the Boston Celtics possess beyond the mid-level exception.

Interestingly enough, the Houdini had these two free-agent center targets in mind last year as well. Given the team’s similar roster needs, here’s why we still believe they should be on the C’s radar: