Boston Celtics: “Pass or Pursue” on 5 recently listed $9.7M TPE targets
By Mark Nilon
Similar to how they did last year, the Boston Celtics head into this season soundly in possession of quite a lucrative Traded Player Exception worth up to $17 million dollars thanks to the sign-and-trade that sent Evan Fournier to the New York Knicks.
However, despite the fact that this luxury has taken all of the spotlight, the Cs also find themselves with several other, more petite exceptions that they received via their wheeling and dealing ways over the summer.
Outside of the one they nabbed in the Fournier deal, the second most valuable TPE in their possession is the $9.7 million one they landed in the Tristan Thompson deal that took place earlier last month.
Recently, the folks at Celtics Wire went about and made up a list of 5 players they believe could be considered with this aforementioned exception and, as a result, it inspired us at the Houdini to push out yet another installment of our favorite series we call “Pass or Pursue”, where we discuss whether or not the Boston Celtics should sit out on going after a specific player or if they should actively try to acquire them.
So, without further adieu, let’s get started:
Boston Celtics TPE target No. 1) JaMychal Green
First up on the docket we find a player at a real position of need for the Boston Celtics in veteran power forward, JaMychal Green.
Currently heading into the first year of his new two-year deal he penned with the Denver Nuggets this offseason, the 31-year-old finds himself coming off of a sound campaign in 2020-21 where he posted 8.1 points and 4.8 rebounds on 46 percent shooting from the floor and 40 percent shooting from deep.
A trusty stretch-four (career 38 percent shooter from deep), Green’s specific playstyle could benefit the C’s rotation quite nicely in a highly used reserve role to have come in and replace Jayson Tatum (the team’s likely starting four) from time to time.
In fact, with the team’s apparent desire to shift Tatum back up to the three, the hypothetical acquisition of Green could wind up helping Boston find a potential low-cost replacement at power forward for their All-Star.
However they would choose to use him, having JaMychal Green in tow could be a rather solid move from both a depth and play-style perspective and, if they can land him for, say, a second-round pick, the Celtics should strongly consider striking on such a deal.