Boston Celtics: 3 big man buyout candidates Cs must consider pursuing
By Mark Nilon
The Boston Celtics are a team in relative disarray.
Despite their plus-.500 record, this shamrocks squad has looked nothing like the team that took the Miami Heat to six games in the 2020 Eastern Conference Finals and, as we’ve known for quite some time now, they’ll likely need to make some moves in order to have a shot at recapturing such success.
Though the magnitude of said moves ranges from big to small — depending on whom you ask –, ultimately a consensus belief is that changes must be made to this roster sometime in the near future.
Often throughout this season, we here at the Houdini have gone about discussing ordeals such as trades that could hypothetically take place to bring on that much-needed talent addition to help spark something new and positive within this Cs team.
That said, there are many who are under the impression that Danny Ainge and co. will once again stick to their guns this trade season and ultimately forfeit their chances at any blockbuster transactions.
Should this become a reality, and the team’s front office stays quiet by the time the trade deadline rolls around — something they often tend to do in such dealings –, it would likely shift Boston’s attention more towards the buyout market.
There are a few buyout candidates the Boston Celtics should consider pursuing
Like the expectations of this year’s trade market, it isn’t likely that we’ll be finding too many top-tier names being bought out any time soon.
However, to say there aren’t any rumored candidates for such an ouster that could be of some benefit to this Boston Celtics team would be an absolute farce.
Today, we take a look at 3 centers — arguably the biggest position of need for Beantown — that could both realistically be bought out by their respective teams and who could be of serious service to the Celtics:
Boston Celtics buyout target No. 1) JaVale McGee
We understand that in the past when we’ve discussed the idea of the Boston Celtics pursuing the likes of JaVale McGee, fans have not always been the most receptive to the concept. With the fact that the roster already has a few big men in tow who provide similar attributes to what the athletic 7-footer provides, we get your reasoning.
However, should the front office believe that these aforementioned players are not the answers down low — we all know they’re not –, they could feasibly look to trade some of them for other rotation players to better fill out the roster such as a wing which, in turn, would work in favor of the concept of bringing on the 33-year-old.
A 3x NBA Champion, most recently with the Los Angeles Lakers, McGee would bring extensive postseason experience, hustle, and incredible defensive tenacity to this Cs team that is struggling to find their identity as a legitimate contender.
On the season, the 13-year veteran is posting averages of 7.5 points, five rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game on 49 percent shooting from the floor in just 15 minutes of action.
Again, though best served as a target for the franchise if they opt to unload some of their current options they tend to roll out at the pivot — Daniel Theis is a name that’s been discussed by the media –, JaVale McGee is still a player worth keeping an eye on moving forward.