We won’t hear Boston Celtics fans be quiet about wanting to see changes to the roster until either two things happen.
The first would be for the team to tear it up in the next few months until the trade deadline to the point where there doesn’t appear to be any immediate need for a transaction. This would require pretty thorough dominance from the Cs that we have not seen any hints of this season.
The other situation that would need to take place would be a transaction of any kind to shake up the roster.
That is probably the likelier scenario that’d take place. Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens has enough trade ammunition to get a deal done and has the draft capital needed for a salary dump to open up a roster spot for a free agent.
In his Boston Celtics Mailbag over the weekend, Brian Robb addressed a question from a fan looking for potential trade candidates, and this is who the MassLive writer came up with:
"Some kind of reliable 3-point shooter on the wing or at power forward with size (Harrison Barnes, Kyle Anderson) would be on the list. Finding a big is far more easier since that is a far deeper position around the league right now than a shooting wing."
Let’s break down each option, and if it’s feasible for the Celtics to land either one:
Kyle Anderson might not be as gettable as previously believed for Boston Celtics
We’ll start with the target that one would think would require far less trade assets to land, Kyle Anderson. So far in 2021-22, Anderson has played a steady role on a Memphis Grizzlies team that is hanging towards the top of the conference, currently sitting in fourth place in the west currently set for home-court advantage.
Because of where the Grizz are sitting in the standings, it’s far from a guarantee that he could even be had. Anderson has only started twice for Memphis in 2021-22, but he’s played steady second-unit minutes (21.7 MPG) and he’s still shooting at the second-highest frequency of his career.
The Cs might have to explore the other option Robb mentioned instead…
Harrison Barnes may be more gettable for Cs if Sacramento continues their slide
The Sacramento Kings currently sit in 11th in the west, meaning it’d be yet another season of not qualifying for even the NBA Play-in if things continued the way they’re going in 2021-22.
With De’Aaron Fox struggling with his shot and rookie Davion Mitchell experiencing the same, there’s no reason to think that wouldn’t be the case.
Harrison Barnes is having a good season himself, averaging just under 20 points on a 48/40/84 shooting slash, so he might eventually be counteracting what the Kings will be trying to accomplish down the stretch.