Boston Celtics: 3 deals Cs should pursue using their $17M TPE

Boston Celtics trade No. 3) Cs bring on a new potential foundation piece

Though this trade sees a few more moving pieces than what was proposed in the previous two slides today, the acquisition of Christian Wood also brings about far more upside than the others, which is something that we believe is worth the somewhat pricey package.

A player that was viewed as a realistic option for the Boston Celtics to sign last offseason — and one we absolutely wanted to see a pursuit for –, Wood ultimately inked a three-year, $41-million deal with the Houston Rockets where, through 41 games played, he played well beyond this price range.

A breakout season whilst serving in a full-time starter’s role for the first time in his career, the 25-year-old posted stellar per-game averages of 21 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game on 51 percent shooting from the floor and 37 percent shooting from deep.

Now, with this level of production, coupled with the arguable steal of a contract he’s attached to, many may be wondering why the Rockets would consider moving on from such a talent.

Perhaps the simplest answer is, he may just be too good to allow them to achieve their desires to properly tank for the next few years as they look to rebuild in a post James Harden era.

Instead, what they may wish to do is continue stockpiling draft assets and young pieces they can develop over time so they can keep their eyes on the prize of building for a better tomorrow.

Sending over a top-5 protected future first-rounder and a second is already an intriguing prospect to consider, but the icing on the cake here is the acquisition of second-year wing, Aaron Nesmith who, though had somewhat of an inconsistent rookie campaign, showcased some serious promise both during his time at Vanderbilt as well as during the latter stages of 2020-21.

During his final year at the collegiate level, Nesmith went on to establish himself as arguably the best shooter in his draft class, boasting averages of 23 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.4 steals, and just under a block per game while shooting 51 percent from the field and a whopping 52 percent from deep.

Though his overall rookie season stats may not blow anyone away (4.7 points on 37 percent shooting from deep), when he finally started seeing consistent minutes in the rotation towards the end of the year, we as fans and, frankly the organization, started to see why Nesmith was such a highly-regarded talent coming into the league (9.7 points and 4.9 rebounds on 53.6 percent shooting from the floor and 45 percent shooting from deep during final nine games of season).

Partnering him with their two other young franchise building blocks in Kevin Porter Jr. and recent No. 2 overall pick, Jalen Green, could give the Rockets an unbelievably promising future, especially on the offensive side of the ball, while also allowing them to continue to tank.

As for the Boston Celtics, they get a legitimate third scoring option to serve at either the four or, preferably the five, whilst running alongside Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

His floor spacing abilities would be an absolute luxury to have while his rim-protecting abilities and rather low-cost contract would be of unbelievable benefit for this shamrocks squad moving forward.