Boston Celtics: 3 offseason free agent targets Cs should pursue
The NBA’s annual contract swap meet–the NBA trade deadline–has come and gone, this year at the end of March as March Madness’ Sweet 16 was about to begin. After falling behind in the season’s first half, the Boston Celtics had to act to save a sinking ship.
They did, acquiring three shooters, two of whom have already debuted. The third, Evan Fournier, is questionable (as of Monday morning) to play due to a recent run-in with the NBA health and safety protocols.
Boston has the opportunity to right the wrongs of the campaign’s first act by integrating the new talent and delivering on Danny Ainge’s dealings.
What was the endgame, though?
If a championship was the goal with these moves…well, I’m not sure many people would consider Fournier, Moritz Wagner, and Luke Kornet as the haul that would constitute an all-in play.
If making the postseason is simply the goal, that’s all well and good. Well, good, and an indicator that the team is nowhere near good enough to contend, and thus in need of more changes in the offseason. Their playoff finish could determine the severity of said changes.
If things go south, the team could look to move the contracts of Kemba Walker, Marcus Smart, and Tristan Thompson to sign an impact-free agent. Otherwise, a strong postseason finish could have the team hunting the fringes for an MLE addition.
In any case, these 3 free agents figure to be on the C’s radar this summer in the offseason:
Boston Celtics offseason free-agent target #1: John Collins
One headline name that was tied to the Boston Celtics at the trade deadline was the Atlanta Hawks’ John Collins. A consistent double-double threat, Collins could add yet another 20-point-per-game scorer to the Cs lineup while fitting in seamlessly next to Jayson Tatum at the forward spot.
Atlanta likely would have entertained offers had the team not embarked on a stretch that put them in the hunt for home-field advantage in the first round of the postseason. If they flame out in the first round and prove to be nowhere close to capable of going deep in the postseason, perhaps Danny Ainge should try and reignite talks to swap Collins and Marcus Smart + picks and young talent.