Boston Celtics: 3 trades to consolidate Cs roster

The NBA offseason is dying down, but the 24/7, 365 days a year news cycle tends to save some surprises for when you least expect it. Surprises have been the theme of the Boston Celtics offseason so far for a few reasons.

Who thought we’d see Al Horford back in Cs green so soon? How about Enes Kanter’s own shocking return after just a season away?

Dennis Schroder signing for $5.9 million was something he certainly didn’t expect (he wanted over $120 million before free agency began) and Boston being the one to sign him didn’t seem particularly possible.

Are the surprises done, though? HH isn’t convinced, especially because it seems that President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens is hell-bent on having the strongest roster from #1-#17 on the depth chart.

Here are 3 trades Stevens can make to further consolidate the roster to keep future roster flexibility:

Why the Boston Celtics do it

Jake Layman is a low-usage role player who had a few stretches of contributing to the Minnesota Timberwolves second unit in 2020-21. Unfortunately, those contributions were largely wasted on a team that had a sub-32% win percentage.

Layman would be another switchable wing in a Cs lineup that is becoming more versatile. Playing in a more talented lineup should improve his shooting splits, which suffered last season.

Why the Minnesota Timberwolves do it

For Minnesota, rolling the dice on Carsen Edwards finding his shot again and Grant Williams doing the necessary dirty work to make Karl-Anthony Towns’ life easier is worth flipping an expiring contract (Layman) for.

The worst-case scenario for Minnesota here is having two 2019 draft picks on their books for small salaries for the next two years. The best case scenario is more favorable than the best case scenario for Layman on the Wolves in 2021-22.