Boston Celtics: 3 free agent targets who can be spark plugs off the bench

The Boston Celtics are a team looking to make some sizeable shakeups after enduring such a disappointing 2020-21 campaign.

Just three weeks since the official kick-off to their offseason, the Cs have already taken part in a few noteworthy makeovers, the first of which being Brad Stevens taking over for Danny Ainge as President of Basketball Operations and the most recent being the trade that shipped Kemba Walker to the OKC Thunder in exchange for a package centered around Al Horford.

Now, as we venture further on into the summer months many should expect even more alterations to the team’s overall makeup to take place, for, now that they’ve cleared up extra cap space by means of last week’s blockbuster, they could look to sign some solid players during August’s free agency period.

Though it’s more than likely that they still won’t be able to sign any top-tier talents to insert into their starting lineup from day one — yes, they cleared cap space but they still aren’t flush with cash –, there are plenty of available impactful role players who could prove to be of great service to the Boston Celtics and, frankly, who should be high on their radar.

While there are several areas within the rotation that Stevens and co. should look to bolster, we at HH believe that finding a reliable sixth-man could be one of the more vital roles worth filling this offseason.

Having a high-end sixth-man on a roster could prove to be integral for a team achieving great success and, looking at the landscape of the league from this current campaign, many of the top teams from the regular-season standings had quality options serving as one of the first options off the pine (ex. Jordan Clarkson (UTA), Derrick Rose (NYK), Tim Hardaway Jr. (DAL), etc.).

This coming free agency period, there are several players who served such roles for their respective ball clubs this year, and the Houdini believes 3, in specific, should strongly be considered as targets for the Boston Celtics:

Boston Celtics sixth-man option No. 1) Josh Hart

First up on the docket we have a player, just within the last few weeks, Bleacher Report discussed as being a free agent the Boston Celtics ‘need to chase’ this offseason.

Through 47 games played with the New Orleans Pelicans this past season, the fourth-year wing posted solid all-around averages of 9.2 points, eight boards, 2.3 assists, and just shy of a steal on 44 percent shooting from the floor.

A two-way talent with a non-stop motor and a 6-5 frame, Hart has proven capable of being a solid 3-and-D contributor (shoots 35 percent from deep for his career) while also showing comfortability when putting the ball on the hardwood and driving the lane.

Still just 26-years-old, a player like Josh Hart would be a solid addition to Boston’s rotation come next season at a price likely to be no more expensive than the MLE.