We don’t know if Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens has an off switch for tinkering his roster.
All we have seen so far from the new front office executive is sizable trades, bargain free-agent signings, and contract extensions for his core pieces.
So with training camp underway and the NBA preseason set to kick off on Monday against the Orlando Magic, Hardwood Houdini finds itself once again asking: does Stevens have one more ace up his sleeve?
Well, if he does, Clutchpoints sees Marvin Bagley and D’Angelo Russell as two stars the Cs front office could pursue during the preseason:
"The Celtics really need help in the frontcourt. Enter Mavin Bagley who hasn’t had much success with the Sacramento Kings. Bagley was selected second in the 2018 NBA Draft, but his career has not gone well since. Right now, he has one year left on his deal and if Bagley wants a ton of money next summer, getting out of Sacramento is the way to go. With that in mind, teams like the Celtics have their chance at snagging him.D’Angelo Russell would be the perfect third-star for this Celtics team as well. The still-young point guard is kind of stuck in a poor situation with a Minnesota Timberwolves team without immediate chances of a playoff run. If he was to join the Celtics, he would unlock his full potential and finally play on a team ready to contend."
Let’s address each player separately. Because it is most certainly either/or.
Marvin Bagley’s shooting is something that was supposed to allow him to play power forward effectively at the pro level, but his career 31% 3-point conversion rate has dulled the shine for the Duke product during his time in Sacramento.
Maybe the Kings are the problem. Harrison Barnes belongs at the 4 at this point in his career, and Richaun Holmes has played himself into grabbing the bag this past offseason. Bagley’s fit is certainly questionable in California’s capital city.
Depending on what it takes to land the former #2 pick, a dice roll could be worth it with a year and a half left on his rookie scale deal.
As for D’Angelo Russell, his contract means the Boston Celtics would have to hope to find a third team for Al Horford–unless Minnesota wants to see what he and Karl-Anthony Towns could do in the frontcourt–or parting with guys like Josh Richardson, Robert Williams, or Marcus Smart would have to be on the table.
Stevens would have to be pretty sold on Russell regaining his Brooklyn Nets form to justify such a deal in that scenario.