Boston Celtics: “Pass or Pursue” on 2 recently proposed offseason trades

Boston Celtics trade No. 2) Cs get an upgrade at center

For the past several years, perhaps the biggest weakness for the Boston Celtics has resided within their frontcourt rotation, specifically down at the pivot.

Because of this, we at HH have discussed many different options via free agency and the trade route for Ainge and co. to consider pursuing in an effort to improve the team’s overall center depth.

To continue this train of thought that the Cs should look into upgrading their five spot, Swartz believes that the best trade the Celtics could actually make this offseason involves the team going after a potential upgrade at the position in nine-year veteran, Jonas Valanciunas.

Believing the Lithuanian-born baller to be the “perfect fit” for Boston in the starting lineup, the article goes on to praise Valanciunas for his 2020-21 production:

"He’s one of the NBA’s best rebounders and a tough defender who can also space the floor. Additionally, he’s coming off a career year (17.1 points, 12.5 rebounds, 0.9 blocks, 59.2 percent shooting) and only recently turned 29."

Now, while the concept of adding a legitimate 7-footer who can protect the paint, space the floor, and gobble up boards seems to be a no-brainer idea, one could certainly make the argument that what Swartz is proposing the Boston Celtics give up is a bit much.

Giving up on Aaron Nesmith after just one season is already a hard decision to make, especially considering how well he played down the stretch of the regular season when given a bigger role — averaged 9.7 points and 4.9 rebounds on 54 percent shooting from the floor and 45 percent shooting from deep in 21.6 minutes through the final 10 games.

On top of this, Swartz is also suggesting the idea of tossing in their upcoming first-round pick?

Like we said in the previous slide involving Thompson — who, as you can see, is a part of this deal as well –, we’re not completely opposed to the idea of trading any of these assets this summer.

However, when they’re all packaged together and the lone return asset is Jonas Valanciunas, who could easily walk in the summer of 2022 when his contract expires, thus potentially making him a simple rental, it makes us hesitant of such a move.

Perhaps throwing in Romeo Langford instead of Nesmith or switching out the 2021 first for a future protected pick may move the needle a bit more for us but, as things currently stand, we believe there will likely be better offers for the Boston Celtics to seek out.

Verdict: Pass