Boston Celtics: 3 Utah Jazz players Cs could pursue this offseason
By Chris Conte
Should the Boston Celtics trade for Joe Ingles or Bojan Bogdanovic?
The Boston Celtics would be excellent suitors for both Ingles and Bogdanovic. They could use their shooting, ancillary creation, passing, and positive defense next to their two stars. Both are veterans with a lot of playoff experience and have a history playing off of other stars. On paper, either one of them is a perfect fit for the Boston Celtics.
However, there are some outside factors to consider. As it pertains to Bojan Bogdanovic, he is well outside Boston’s price range. The sixth year swingman is set to make $39 million over the next two seasons, and the only contract the Celtics have that can match that is Al Horford’s.
In theory, Stevens could package Marcus Smart and Tristan Thompson for Bogdanovic but considering Smart is better and more valuable to the Boston Celtics than Bogdanovic, the deal is far from worth it for Brad Stevens. Instead, the Cs should look at other players on Utah’s roster.
Ingles would be perfect for the Boston Celtics in every way imaginable. He is an excellent bench scorer, has ideal vision and ball skills, is a positive defender, and would provide the Celtics with the toughness and leadership they need.
On top of his on-court abilities, Joe Ingles expires after this season, giving the Celtics the financial flexibility they covet. His $14 million price tag would be easy to match, and despite his on-court value demanding the caliber of player like Smart, the Celtics would not have to give the Jazz anything close to that since he is expiring.
If the Jazz are willing to flip Ingles for some of the Boston Celtics young assets to attach them to Bogdanovic to get a more capable perimeter defender, Brad Stevens should give the Jazz a call.