Boston Celtics: 3 former All-Star centers Cs could pursue

The center position is probably the biggest hole for the Boston Celtics. That’s nothing against Daniel Theis, Robert Williams III, or Tristan Thompson however. The group as a whole is good and they each have their role that they excel in. In my mind though, they are all solid bench players, they shouldn’t be starting.

Daniel Theis is a serviceable center for the Celtics, he’s a good 3-point shooter and has decent playmaking ability as a big. He’s just not a starting quality center. Keep Theis on the team as one of the bench centers because he’s still a great player and fits the system to a tee.

Robert Williams III is an interesting situation. I was personally very high on him and was absolutely ecstatic when he fell to the Celtics. At only 23 years old, Williams is a very good bench center and could very easily be a starter. I think that, with his untapped potential still there, he could still end up being a very good player in the NBA.

Then…there’s Tristan Thompson. I thought the Thompson signing was certainly an interesting move. He’s an incredible offensive rebounder, and from what we saw in 2019, not a terrible 3-point shooter. I just don’t think the team improved by trying to replace Enes Kanter with just a worse version of the Turkish center. Kanter is a better offensive rebounder and a better presence off the bench. If I had to choose a center to get rid of, it would definitely be Thompson.

The way that this Celtics team is built, they need a center that isn’t just good, they’re great. They need a dominant presence down low, they need another option for the offense to flow through, they need a defensive anchor, they need something other than Daniel Theis.

Obviously, the center position isn’t the only one that needs to change at the deadline, cough cough Kemba Walker, but it’s a start. Getting a player that can be considered a “specialist” whether that be defensive, rebounding, or shooting would be huge for the Celtics and could help them get out of this season slump.

Which centers might be available at the trade deadline? Let’s look at three semi-realistic trade options for the Boston Celtics.