Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens set out to steal the “trader” moniker Danny Ainge acquired.
Ainge was busy, but Stevens’ work never seems done in comparison. There was always a big move that Ainge seemed unwilling to make, and at this point, I truly wonder whether Brad would have the same hesitation if put in the scenarios his predecessor was.
Stevens, of course, hasn’t had a move backfire yet. He is still just a roster architect, not an executive who can be judged just yet by how the roster he built has fared.
But until there are games, it seems like Stevens is going to position himself to improve the talent on the team’s depth chart.
Armed with a $17 million dollar traded player exception from sending Evan Fournier to the New York Knicks, the trade market is the ideal place for Stevens to pull off his next surprise blockbuster.
To go alongside that, here are 3 ideal targets the Boston Celtics could pursue with the Fournier TPE:
Brad Stevens gets Kentavious Caldwell-Pope back in a starting role
In Los Angeles, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was a championship caliber role player alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis. With the Washington Wizards, KCP seems destined for a low play-in seed and an early postseason exit.
Caldwell-Pope deserves more, and he could potentially get that in Boston. With two starting spots up in the air, his shooting and big-game experience could push him above the likes of Josh Richardson, Aaron Nesmith, Dennis Schroder, and Romeo Langford into the starting lineup alongside Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and whoever ends up at the 5.