Boston Celtics: 2 P.J. Tucker trade packages Cs could offer

With James Harden gone, the Houston Rockets are moving in a new direction. That hasn’t necessarily meant that the team is rebuilding–quite the opposite actually, with Houston having won six games in a row–but Tucker was a piece who originally signed on the dotted line in Houston to play alongside Chris Paul and Harden. With all of that said, where do the Boston Celtics come into play?

Well, with the team needing a traditional power forward after miscasting Daniel Theis at the 4 to start the season, the price for Tucker (a potential glove fit in Boston) has been revealed:

"“The word on the street that I heard that has been floated [for his value]: they either want a first-round pick or three seconds, which I’ve never heard that arithmetic done. Three seconds … There are fifteen teams that are somewhat impacted from trading firsts and eight who can’t really trade any, sort of narrows the market. Most of the competitors, most of the teams who are playoff teams this year, are encumbered from trading their pick.”"

While Danny Ainge has only given up a first-round pick in recent years to acquire Kyrie Irving–one of the league’s premier superstars–perhaps he realizes the weight of the current moment.

The Philadelphia 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets are the top dogs in the east, but both have their flaws to be exploited. Brooklyn has the #28th-ranked defense, and while the Sixers rank in the top 10 in points allowed, their perimeter defense can be exploited, ranking in the middle of the pack in both 3-pointers allowed and opponents’ 3-point percentage (12th, 15th respectively).

*Stats provided by lineups.com.

Tucker should be prioritized as a target over someone like J.J. Redick, and the Houdini put together the following packages to get a deal done for Tucker: