Boston Celtics: “Pass or Pursue” on 3 recently proposed trade targets
By Mark Nilon
The Boston Celtics have a tough road ahead of them if they wish to find themselves once again embarking on a deep postseason run.
With the fact that there is now a trio of star-studded big-3s in the Eastern Conference in the Philadelphia 76ers, Milwaukee Bucks, and Brooklyn Nets, the shamrocks will likely want to bolster their roster a bit more in an effort to combat the firepower these aforementioned teams possess.
Sure the Cs have their own combination of stars in Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Kemba Walker (albeit, he has looked like a shell of himself to start the season), the Swiss Army man in Marcus Smart, and one of the best coaches in Brad Stevens, but the team could still use for some added talent to better fill out the rotation.
One way this can be accomplished is via the trading route, where Danny Ainge and co. have the luxury of a $28.5 million Traded Player Exception at their disposal.
There are quite a few trade targets the Boston Celtics should consider pursuing.
With this, the Boston Celtics have the opportunity to bring on numerous individuals that could find themselves becoming available between now and the league’s March 25th trade deadline.
Recently, Bleacher Report went about listing 3 players each team in the NBA should consider trading for, and, for the Celtics, they listed a few intriguing talents.
Because of this, it sparked the desire for us at the Houdini to push out yet another installment of our favorite series we call “Pass or Pursue”, where we discuss whether or not the Celtics should sit out on talks for a specific player or if they should actively try to acquire them.
So, without further adieu, let’s get started:
Boston Celtics trade target No. 1) Kyle Anderson
Recently, reports came out that the Boston Celtics will be looking to bring on “shooters with size” between now and the trade deadline, and many believe that bulking up the team’s wing depth could wind up being prioritized.
On paper, Kyle Anderson fills both of these wants.
Listed at 6-9 with a 7-2 wingspan, the seventh-year forward finds himself posting career highs all across the board in 2020-21. Through 21 games played, Anderson is averaging 13 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.8 assists on 45 percent shooting from the field and 36 percent shooting from deep.
With his size and skillset, Anderson has the capability of playing either wing positions and his defensive prowess is an added bonus.
That said, the problem we have with the idea of bringing him on is the fact that there is too small of a sample size for this level of success.
This is the first time in his career that he’s scoring in double digits, is grabbing over six boards, and is just the second time in which he’s shooting at above a 35 percent clip from deep.
All in all, if you can land him without using the team’s TPE we say go for it, as there are better options out there they can use their available $28.5 million in cap flexibility on.