Boston Celtics: 2 realistic trades Cs could make before preseason ends
By Mark Nilon
Boston Celtics land a legitimate starting power forward
The Boston Celtics may have seriously improved their big man depth this offseason with the re-acquisitions of Al Horford (trade) and Enes Kanter (free agency) along with the long-term extension of Robert Williams III, but they still find one area down low that still could use for some fine-tunning.
That position: power forward.
Over the past couple of seasons, the Cs have rolled out a starting rotation reliant on Jayson Tatum, a natural three, playing the four.
Though he has proven to be rather successful whilst serving in this role — 2x All-Star appearances while boasting averages of 24.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.3 steals, and just under a block per game — Boston should look to do everything in their power to thrust their building block back to his preferred position.
With this in mind, a trade for San Antonio Spurs veteran, Thaddeus Young, could be the perfect move for this team to make.
Dealt from the Chicago Bulls this summer in the sign-and-trade that sent DeMar DeRozan to the Windy City, Young ironically finds himself as the old man down in San Antonio as they find themselves embarking on a franchise rebuild.
Because of this, Gregg Popovic and co. could be interested in looking to offload the 33-year-old in exchange for assets that would better fit the team’s current timeline such as players still on their rookie contracts and draft capital.
The proposed deal seen above could be one in which the Spurs could find themselves being interested in if ever offered, for they’d be bringing on a future lottery-protected first-round pick while simultaneously replacing Young on the roster with a 22-year-old floor-spacing forward who, according to numerous publications, is coming into the year with a slimmer physique, improved athleticism, and a solid amount of buzz.
On the flip side, the Boston Celtics see themselves finally landing a legitimate starting power forward to add to the rotation, which is something they haven’t had since the days of Marcus Morris back in 2018-19.
The 15-year veteran is a player in which we’ve been discussing as an ideal TPE target for this franchise for quite some time now.
This deal would finally turn this hypothetical into a reality.
He’s a multi-faceted talent that could help come in and properly facilitate within an offense (averaged 6.4 assists per 75 possessions last season), defend multiple positions, and dependably get buckets (shoots at an average of just over 50 percent for his career).
Last season, the big man proved to still have plenty left in the tank to offer a team, as he posted per-game averages of 12.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.1 steals on 56 percent shooting from the field.
Not only would the acquisition of Thaddeus Young bring Boston a quality talent with ample experience in this league, but he’d also help the team move Tatum back to his preferred position which, in turn, is bound to make everyone apart of the organization happy.
A lineup of Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Thaddeus Young, and Al Horford (our preferred choice as the starter) would be an unbelievably versatile starting five that has the potential to be a massive threat on both ends of the court.