With the March 25th Trade Deadline rapidly approaching, fans and media alike are trying to get some sort of idea about what course of action the Boston Celtics plan on taking.
For some, the idea is rather simple — pursue a big man like Myles Turner or Nikola Vucevic.
For others, perhaps a smaller move (both literally and figuratively) is more viewed as the correct answer.
Of all the trade options tossed out recently, however, it seems as though the most popular talent that has been brought up in the rumor circuit is Sacramento Kings forward, Harrison Barnes.
Viewed by many as the ‘ideal’ target for the shamrocks, the 6-8 forward is finding himself boasting a 37 percent 3-point shooting clip, thus fitting the bill in regard to Danny Ainge’s want for “shooters with size.”
His 16.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game would also be viewed as a blessing for this team either at the four in the starting lineup or off the bench to add much-needed depth to their wing rotation.
All things considered, the acquisition of Barnes would make a ton of sense for the Cs, but that doesn’t mean it’s bound to happen. In fact, according to The Athletic’s Jared Weiss, he’d be surprised if such a move was made at the deadline.
Jared Weiss would be ‘surprised’ if the Boston Celtics landed Harrison Barnes
Earlier this week, when guest appearing on the Ringer’s Group Chat Podcast, Weiss took part in the portion of the show that discussed the C’s current situation with their illustrious $28.5 million TPE they received from the Gordon Hayward sign-and-trade to Charlotte.
The concept of a “will they, won’t they” situation in regard to using said luxury at the deadline came up, and the Athletic’s Boston Celtics Staff Writer seems to be under the impression that Ainge and co. are, once again, looking to wait for a ‘big splash’ move come the offseason:
"“From everything that I’ve been told, it seems like they’re convinced that there’s players they can trade for this offseason that they can’t trade for now, and it’s not just Bradley Beal.”"
Because of these supposed rumblings, Weiss went on to suggest that he would be quite shocked if a smaller deal like the proposed ones for Barnes actually went down during this year’s campaign:
"“I would be really surprised if they made the Harrison Barnes deal, which is pretty much sitting there for them”, Weiss said. “If they want to do it, they can throw in Nesmith, a first rounder, maybe another first rounder. They can get that done pretty easily.”“If they do it, it’s a safe play and it gets you someone that isn’t as good as Gordon Hayward but is still pretty solid and is in his prime and is on a good deal and he fits the exact position that they are looking to fill, so that wouldn’t be the end of the world. It would just be really disappointing if, after all this potential, you end up with the safe play.”"
Following up on these comments by Weiss, podcast host Jonathan Tjarks took it a step further with the narrative that they’d be surprised if Barnes landed in Boston, suggesting that, if he’s Sacramento’s General Manager, he simply wouldn’t be interested in what the Cs would propose in a hypothetical trade package:
"“If I’m the Kings, I don’t really want what the Celtics have to offer. He’s on a good contract, he’s still pretty young, like, why do I want Romeo Langford and Aaron Nesmith and, like, a late first-round pick for a 28-year-old wing who can defend two positions…?”"
Though the narrative for weeks now has been that the Boston Celtics must pursue Harrison Barnes at this year’s deadline, Jared Weiss is under the impression that such a move would be a disappointment.
What say you, Cs fans?!