At the moment, the Boston Celtics are one of the hottest teams in the NBA as they find themselves as winners of four straight and have pulled away victorious in five of their last six.
That said, while it appears as though they’re heading in the right direction after having endured quite a lackluster start to the year, Brad Stevens and co. should still be considering the idea of making moves in an effort to try and fix some of the various glaring issues found within the rotation.
Looking across the league’s landscape, it’s apparent that there are quite a number of routes in which the front office could take to try and address said problems, and perhaps the most popular and frequently broached method is by means of trade.
Over the past several months, we here at HH have discussed a bevy of players that could, and often should be viewed as potential trade options that could help elevate Boston’s production from being good to great and, recently, the folks at Bleacher Report jumped into the conversation themselves by rattling off 3 talents they believe should be on the team’s radar.
With this piece, 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 trade target No. 1) Kyle Anderson
A regular when it comes to players attached to the Boston Celtics as a potential trade target, Kyle Anderson once again finds himself linked to the franchise in B/R’s latest piece.
An eight-year veteran who is currently on the fourth and final year of his deal with the Memphis Grizzlies, for a while now the forward has been viewed by many as a sensible option for the shamrocks due to his complementary playstyle coupled with the fact that his $9.9 million salary fits into the C’s Evan Fournier TPE.
Per 75 possessions this season, Anderson finds himself posting 13.6 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 4.1 assists on 44 percent shooting from the floor and a highly efficient 40 percent shooting from deep.
This, along with his well documented defensive prowess (career defensive box plus-minus rating of 2.4) makes him a sound two-way presence, which is something that writer, Zach Buckley, believes would be a great addition to this shamrocks squad:
"Kyle Anderson, who was reportedly available this offseason, per Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor, could perk up Boston’s playmaking and perimeter defense. If his early success from distance holds up, he would offer relief on that front, too."
Frankly, we couldn’t agree with Buckley’s logic more, for bringing on the likes of Kyle Anderson would give the team’s rotation a much-needed presence who can knock down open shots and set up others for cleaner looks for a bucket while also having the capability to more than hold his own on the less glamorous side of the ball.