Boston Celtics: How the Cs can take advantage of the Grizzlies firesale

The Boston Celtics have had an excellent offseason given the parameters they were operating between.

Acquiring a former Sixth Man of the Year runner-up in Dennis Schroder, bringing back Al Horford for veteran support in the frontcourt, and obtaining Josh Richardson for nothing more than Moses Brown and a TPE to give Boston more size and another connector in the backcourt is a great haul.

Brad Stevens and the C’s new-look front office have outdone themselves in their first summer on the job.

However, they may not be able to hang up their hats just yet. The Memphis Grizzlies have reportedly made two critical pieces of their roster available to the open market, and the Boston Celtics should consider pouncing.

As Memphis is looking to capitalize on their veteran assets to speed up their rebuild, Dillion Brooks and Kyle Anderson have been put on the trade block. It is a smart move from their front office and one the shamrocks should jump on before their rivals do.

Now, of course we don’t view the two Memphis veterans as being on the same level as, say, Pascal Siakam and Kyle Lowry, but one of the two could help catapult the Boston Celtics into contention.

Beginning with Dillion Brooks, a Marcus Smart disciple, the wing has spent the last four years in Memphis, finishing off his supposedly final season with a career-high in points, assists, and steals. His accomplishments speak to his playstyle, specializing in ancillary scoring, playmaking, and hard-nosed defense.

Although adding another streaky shooter to the team’s already streaky backcourt doesn’t sound like an attractive scenario, rest assured Brooks provides more benefits that outweigh his shooting woes.

He ranked second on the Grizzlies in drives per game at 7.8, proving he can provide solid rim pressure off the Jays’ kick-outs. When he’s not looking to score off of drives, he’s a willing passer out of them, passing out of 39 percent of his drives to find shooters or cutters.

Brooks can influence ball movement and paint pressure while providing high-level defensive activity to kick start transition scoring opportunities where the Jays thrive.

He’s making a measly $23.6 million over the next two seasons, an easy value to match with all the C’s TPEs, and gives them a tradable asset heading into next summer.

Kyle Anderson, the more likely target of the two, is a power forward who’s coming off a career year with the Grizzlies, and therefore Memphis is looking to sell high on him.

The 27-year-old stands at 6-9, 230lb with a 7-3 wingspan. As Anderson mopes around the court, he’s able to see over the defense and make decisions on the move.

He’s slow-footed, but his leisurely pace works to his advantage given his high-level vision. A skill set the Celtics could use. Anderson’s unique ability to drive close-outs as both a scoring threat and passing threat poses excellent value to a team like the Celtics, who are looking to contend.

With two elite scoring wings, the Cs need a connector like Anderson to string together plays.

The Boston Celtics need better power forward depth, and the Grizzlies could use some of the C’s draft capital to hasten their rebuild.

The deal is a win-win for both sides.