Boston Celtics: Who should the Celtics use the rest of the TPE on?

Boston Celtics’ TPE target #3: Justin Holiday

The Pacers are unsure what direction they want to take moving forward. It would be wise to rebuild and sell high on the team’s veterans, but management has said they want to remain competitive. Regardless, if the Pacers make Holiday available, Boston should be at the top of the list of teams looking to trade for him.

His size and length make him an ideal candidate for a three and D bench wing. He shot 38.2% from 3 on 6.3 attempts and averaged 10.5 points per game in 72 games with the Pacers. That’s right, Holiday played every game of the NBA season and started 52 of them. His $6 million contract is perfect for the Celtics.

It fits inside the TPE, is extremely tradable in the future, and expires after the 2022-23 season. The Pacers are unlikely to demand anything drastic, but the C’s should be more than willing to part with one of their future first-round picks for Holiday.

Boston Celtics’ TPE target #4: Kenrich Williams

Boston could use their TPE again if they targeted Williams since he only makes $2 million next season. Don’t let the price tag fool you; Williams would be an excellent fit for the C’s and could contribute off of the bench for them.

At 6’6, 210, and 26 years old, he’s big enough to impact the defensive end and old enough not to be considered an inexperienced bench player. Williams is one of the better passers at the forward position and can hit the outside shot, cashing in on 44.4% of his threes last season. The Thunder won’t ask for anything more than a second-round pick or two, a price the Celtics should have no problem meeting.

Ideal use of the TPE

Given the five options, one would think the perfect use of the TPE would be on Justin Holiday or Delon Wright and Kenrich Williams, but that is not the case. Larry Nance is far away from the best player on this list and would impact the Celtics to the furthest extent.

His defensive versatility and passing would compliment this roster excellently, and he would have no problem playing behind Williams and Horford. At 6’7, he could even play next to one of the two and could function as a small-ball 5.

His dynamic passing and shooting would help maximize Boston’s pick and rolls and would allow more off-ball play from the franchise’s best players. He is the player the C’s need to get their offense and defense back to its standard top-5 form.