Boston Celtics: 3 remaining positions of need and FAs that could fill them
To say this offseason has been a shocker would actually be doing a disservice to the past several offseasons worth of transactions for the Boston Celtics.
Sure, seeing Brad Stevens get promoted to President of Basketball Operations was easily the most unpredictable and unforeseen happening of the entire summer so far–and perhaps the last decade in Beantown–but remember that the Cs starting lineup has seen one major addition every offseason since 2016, with the lone exception being 2018, although even then they returned Kyrie Irving from a season-ending injury.
All of this said, seeing Stevens return two former Cs centers in Al Horford (via the Kemba Walker trade) and Enes Kanter (via a vet’s minimum deal) to the big man depth was not something many could have foreseen this offseason. Seeing Stevens pull off deals for both Josh Richardson and Kris Dunn was not the predicted outcome for the backcourt either.
These transactions most certainly move the needle forward, but the Cs are still a team with faults. But at least they are correctable.
And so here are 3 free agents that could fill these positions of need:
Boston Celtics need #1: Sharpshooting floor general
Free-agent to fill the need: Reggie Jackson
Now, some of you may be thinking that the Cs already have a sharp-shooter at the 1 on their roster. You’d be wrong for thinking it could be Marcus Smart that fits that description, but at least there’s a case to be made for Payton Pritchard.
A point guard by trade (and because he stands under six-foot-two), Pritchard was more than a viable option at the 1 in 2020-21. He shot over 40% from the 3-point line and limited his turnovers to under one per game.
That said, he doesn’t fit the mold of a traditional floor general given his meager assist totals (under two per game). We’ll put a modest floor of five assists per game over a full season to have someone qualify for that distinction.
In surveying the market, Reggie Jackson most certainly fits the bill. Jackson was a better distributor back in his days in the Motor City, averaging as many as six per game back in 2015-16.
But now, he has advanced his shooting elite levels, averaging 43% on 3-pointers in over four attempts per contest. Given his postseason level of performance for a Los Angeles Clippers squad that came two games shy of a Western Conference championship, he could end up being a somewhat lateral move from having Kemba Walker in the spot.
The hope is that Jackson will take less now on a short-term deal to have a chance to earn more next summer, considering Stevens’ desire to hoard 2022 cap space.