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Boston Celtics: 4 much-needed veterans Cs should still pursue

By Mark Nilon

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JANUARY 09: Paul Millsap #4 of the Denver Nuggets reacts to a call during the first quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center on January 09, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JANUARY 09: Paul Millsap #4 of the Denver Nuggets reacts to a call during the first quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center on January 09, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images) /
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Boston Celtics (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
Boston Celtics (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images) /

The Boston Celtics have made a plethora of high-impact moves thus far into the 2021 NBA offseason which, in turn, should help raise their stock and level of play during this upcoming season.

That said, despite their active summer filled with transactions, the team’s roster is still void of several aspects that are typically required for a franchise looking to legitimately contend.

Perhaps Boston’s biggest rotational flaw is its lack of veteran leadership/ experience, specifically when it comes to their bench unit.

As things currently stand, the shamrocks are most likely looking at a second-team squad mainly consisting of players still attached to their rookie-scale contract.

Though they may have the potential to be an impactful bunch, by no means should the front office be thrilled with the idea of guys like Payton Pritchard, Aaron Nesmith, and Romeo Langford serving as some of their top options off the bench.

Though the high-profile players from this year’s free agency class may already be gone, the Boston Celtics should absolutely still be scouring the open market for some much-needed veteran presences to help round out their youthful secondary rotation.

As for who, in specific, Brad Stevens and co. should be targeting, the Houdini has 4 names, in specific, that we believe could be of service for the Cs in 2021-22:

(**Article scheduled Monday at 6 PM (EST)**)

Veteran target for the Boston Celtics No. 1)  James Ennis

First up on the docket we have the soon-to-be eighth-year pro, James Ennis who could come in and provide solid minutes serving as two-way backup wing within the rotation.

Though perhaps best known for his defensive versatility/ abilities, the 31-year-old is coming off of a 2020-21 campaign where he shot at a 47 percent clip from the field and a 43 percent clip on his 3-point attempts to go along with 8.4 points, four boards, and 1.5 assists in 41 games.

Over the past three seasons, Ennis has managed to show improvements within the long-range game as well, knocking down an solid 36 percent of said shots.

While he may not be that household name type of signing Boston Celtics fans may be longing for, at this point in free agency there aren’t any of such players left and, even if they were, the team’s payroll wouldn’t allow such a transaction to take place anyway.

James Ennis could be a good pick-up for the team on a minimum contract to come log minutes off the bench.