Boston Celtics: 3 former first-round picks Cs should consider trading for

Boston Celtics first-round trade target No. 3) Lauri Markkanen

Last on our list we have Lauri Markkanen who’s arguably the least realistic target out of all players mentioned here today, but perhaps the one who has the most upside.

As recent as earlier this week, Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer reported that the Cs were one of several teams that have shown interest in signing the former seventh overall selection who is currently an unsigned restricted free agent.

In the piece, Fischer went on to state that, due to dwindling cap space across the league, any interested franchise would almost certainly have to acquire the big man by means of a sign-and-trade, with a first-round selection be the desired return for the Chicago Bulls.

Though we at site are not all that interested in seeing more draft capital shipped dealt away this offseason, a guy of Markkanen’s potential could be worth it, in the long run, should the annual salary be right.

Finishing his fourth season in the league, the consensus opinion is that the Finnish-born baller put forth his least impressive campaign since coming in back in 2017. That said, despite not living up to the expectations that come with being such a highly-touted prospect, his counting stats actually were rather solid and, in truth, would be a blessing to have in the frontcourt for the Cs.

In 49 games played, the 24-year-old posted per-game averages of 13.6 points and 5.3 rebounds on 48 percent shooting from the field and 40 percent shooting from deep, both splits being career-bests for the big man.

Now, the complexities with a sign-and-trade are that the contract offer must be for a minimum of three years, which could be a problem for Stevens considering he’s spent a majority of his effort this summer making sure the books will be rather flexible aside from their core players past this season.

However, a player like Markkanen can prove to be a special talent to have, as he’s a 7-footer with a 6-11 wingspan who can space the floor and is just two years removed from his impressive 18.7 point & nine rebound per game season.

In the right situation, and under the right guidance, the fourth-year big could prove to be a great asset either at the four or the five moving forward, while also fitting the timeline in which Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are on.