Boston Celtics: B/R has Aron Baynes & Shabazz Napier atop their FA list

Though the Boston Celtics will be strapped for cash this offseason, they’ll be quality landing spots for some underrated free agents.

The Boston Celtics come into this offseason with very little wiggle room in regard to their cap flexibility. Being that they already have numerous big-time contracts on the books for the next several seasons, the idea of shelling out substantial cash to impending free agents this year appears to be somewhat of a farce.

That said, the Cs are still seen as an attractive landing spot for talents willing to sign for the league’s Mid-Level Exception and veteran’s minimum. Because of this, of course media outlets and publications have expressed their thoughts on who might be realistic targets for the franchise this coming free agency period.

Recently, Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale took a stab at it, deeming Phoneix Suns center Aron Baynes, Washington Wizards guard Shabazz Napier, and Boston Celtics restricted free agent Brad Wanamaker as the players that should be atop the front office’s big-board.

His reasoning read as follows:

"Though Boston has plenty of bigs on the docket—Kanter, Theis, Grant Williams, Robert Williams III—the mini MLE figures to net a higher-caliber center than guard. Aron Baynes is on the loftier end of the spectrum but may not be totally out of reach. The Phoenix Suns needn’t spend a boatload to keep him with Deandre Ayton in tow, and it’s tough to pinpoint another team that might offer him the non-taxpayer mid-level exception.Sticking with Brad Wanamaker allows the Celtics to funnel their best free-agent tool toward the center spot. But if they’re looking for someone who provides more shot-making variance, Shabazz Napier looms as a should-be-cheap-enough option."

He would go on to rank both Chris Boucher of the Toronto Raptors and Noah Vonleh of the Denver Nuggets as “less-entrenched fliers” for the Cs to consider.

Truth be told, aside from Baynes and, perhaps, Wanamaker, it is the Houdini’s belief that Boston could have some more appealing targets on their radar such as Serge Ibaka and Danilo Gallinari, with the offer of potentially winning a championship in 2020-21.

Seen by many as a top-5 threat to win the NBA Finals, they should intrigue higher-profile free agents for being ranked so highly as well.