Boston Celtics: 5 moves to improve each position in the starting lineup

Best way Boston Celtics can improve at center: Use TPE on Christian Wood

As we made clear in the previous slide, we absolutely believe that Thaddeus Young should be an option for the Boston Celtics when it comes to using their recently acquired $17 million TPE this season.

However, above him — and, frankly, everyone else that has been listed as a target — is a player that we have been tremendously high on since last season in Houston center, Christian Wood.

Signing a three-year, $41-million deal with the Rockets last offseason, the fifth-year pro went on to prove to the masses something that we’ve been clamoring about for well over a year now — the big man is a really really good player.

Posting 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, Wood has undoubtedly surpassed his average salary of $13.6 million and, interestingly enough, may even wind up being viewed as too good for Houston to have while attempting to properly tank.

That’s where the Cs come in.

Should the Rockets ultimately view him as more of a deterrent in their quest to build through the draft and, in turn, place the center on the trading block, the Boston Celtics should absolutely pounce at the opportunity to nab him, and we’ve even gone about and concocted a trade package we believe would be worth offering in order to make this hypothetical a reality.

Still just 25-years-old, the big man would be viewed as a foundational piece and as a long-term third option to have run alongside the likes of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown for years to come.

Not only would bringing on a guy like Christian Wood easily help improve their center rotation for next season, but also for the years to come.