Boston Celtics: 4 buyout candidates Cs should consider pursuing

Like is the case every season, there are quite a few players that could find themselves bought out at some point and the Boston Celtics might be interested in a few of them.

After a reletively disappointing initial start to the season, the Boston Celtics find themselves atop the standings out east with a record of 7-3 and are currently in the midst of a four-game winning streak.

Due in large part to the tremendous performances by the team’s young studs in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, they’ve managed to find themselves boasting the second-best winning percentage in the entire league (.700) without their All-NBA point guard Kemba Walker, who has been sidelined to start the year as he continues to rehab from his knee ailments.

Despite all this early success, however, Boston still finds themselves behind several teams in the title odds rankings, the majority of whom hold significantly more star power, including the newly formulated big-3 in Brooklyn of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden.

Danny Ainge could wind up trying to bolster their roster in several different ways to slide them up a few pegs, including trades for some potentially available studs.

However, perhaps an easier way to go about improving their overall roster could be by scouring the buyout market.

Should they go this route, there are 4 specific players the Houdini believes should be firmly on the C’s radar:

Boston Celtics buyout target No. 1) Robin Lopez

Last season, we were big on the idea of the Boston Celtics pursuing veteran big man Robin Lopez on a cost-efficient deal, citing their lacking front court talent and underwhelming center rotation as our main reason.

Fast forward well over a year later and we find these problems still remain within the team’s rotation. With RoLo finding himself on the close to imploding Washington Wizards, he could soon find himself part with the franchise via trade or, more realistically, via buyout.

Logging career highs in field goal percentage (62%) and defensive rebounding percentage (16.6%) the 32-year-old Lopez could prove to be a servicable presence downlow for Boston, serving as an efficient seven-footer who can, set screens, swat shots, and nab second chance opportunities.

He may not have the highest-ceiling, but if consistency is what Danny Ainge wants to add to the center slot, you could certainly do a lot worse than bringing on an established veteran like Robin Lopez.

Boston Celtics buyout target No. 2) Trevor Ariza

Next, we see the veteran wing Trevor Ariza as a prime buyout candidate for the Boston Celtics to consider.

While he is currently under contract with the OKC Thunder after being traded this offseason by the Portland Trail Blazers/ Houston Rockets/ Detroit Pistons (it was a busy offseason for Ariza), he has yet to report to the team due to “personal reasons.”

When he was initially acquired, the idea was that Oklahoma City would try to build up his stock and flip him for a higher value than what he was attained for — a la Chris Paul. However, with his lack of attendance, his value remains essentially the same and, arguably, is getting lower by the day.

Because of this, we could realistically see Sam Presti simply cut ties with the 35-year-old via a buyout, thus thrusting him into the open market. Should this happen, the Cs should be very interested in signing him to a minimum deal.

A highly-efficient 3-and-D wing with championship experience, Ariza saw himself post averages of 11 points and 1.6 steals per game with Portland last season on 49 percent shooting from the floor and 40 percent shooting from deep.

Though the Boston Celtics are talented, they are quite a young roster with reletively minimal postseason experience — the most seasoned postseason performer is currently Tristan Thompson.

From a leadership and skill set standpoint, Ariza would be a fantastic low-cost addition to this championship-aspiring roster.

Boston Celtics buyout target No. 3) Aron Baynes

A player close to Celtics fans’ hearts, Aron Baynes is having a rough go at things in Toronto after nabbing himself a two-year, $14 million contract this offseason after having a career year with the Phoenix Suns in 2019-20.

Averaging 11.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, and half a block per game on 48 percent shooting from the floor and 35 percent shooting from deep, the 34-year-old was seen as a sound big-bodied replacement for Marc Gasol at the pivot for this still high-aspiring Raptors squad.

However, through 10 games, Baynes has only seen action on seven separate occasions, with most recently seeing a DNP as a result of a coach’s decision.

On the surface, the center’s underwhelming averages of 5.3 points and 5.7 rebounds per game on 38 percent shooting from the field may make you question why he finds himself on this list at all. However, keep in mind that Toronto as a whole is struggling mightily to start the season and Baynes’ talents are best served with maintaining a lead or staying in a close game rather than when playing catch-up.

Familiarity with Brad Stevens’ system coupled with the team’s need for added talent up front make Aron Baynes an optimal buyout target should he be cut loose by the Raptors.

Boston Celtics target No. 4) DeMarcus Cousins

After the James Harden trade to the Nets, many are stating that it’s only a matter of time before we see the Houston Rockets making more moves that help either better their chances at nabbing draft assets for the future (they hold very few of their draft rights over the next several seasons) or clearing roster space to bring on players who can help them stay more competitive in the now (with their lack of draft picks, they can’t go the “tank” route like normal teams typically do).

With this, there are a few contracts that seem to be realistically buyoutable (is that even a word?), and DeMarcus Cousins certainly falls into this category.

Signing a one-year, $1.6 million contract with the franchise this offseason, cutting ties with the deal would not hold too many negative ramifications for the ballclub.

Add in the fact that Christian Wood is in the midst of a breakout campaign and plays the same position and the team could now easily find themselves with the task of wondering if they should take Boogie’s contract off the books and use his roster spot to bring on another player who better fills out the rotation.

Should this happen, the Boston Celtics should strongly consider bringing him on board and, in turn, trade away, say, Daniel Theis to help better fill out their roster in other areas.

Sure, his 2020-21 averages of 5.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game are not the most attractive, but when converting them into per-36 minutes, you see them skyrocket to 16.6 points, 15.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 3.8 blocks per game.

While these types of arguments involving such conversions typically rely on hypotheticals, we’ve actually seen Boogie perform at even greater heights during his impressive career, and is a mere three years removed from averaging 25.2 points, 12.9 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.6 blocks per game on 47 percent shooting from the floor and 35 percent shooting from deep.

Yes, Cousins sustained a few serious injuries since then, including both a torn Achilles and ACL but, frankly, at a minimum deal, getting someone who at worst can bring you averages of a double-double and serve as a competent floor-spacing big is easily a move worth considering.