As the season keeps moving along, the losses keep piling on for the likes of the Boston Celtics.
Now 39 games into 2021-22 the shamrocks find themselves three games below .500 at 18-21 and, as a result, are slotted in the 11th seed out in the Eastern Conference standings.
For the second straight season, things have certainly not been easy for the shamrocks and, should they not act soon, they could wind up enduring an even worse fate than the one they experienced in 2020-21.
Unfortunately, however, due to the fact that they have a minimal amount of intriguing young prospects at the moment and are not flush with any truly valuable draft capital (they can’t even trade their 2022 pick due to the offseason Kemba Walker deal), it’ll be quite the challenge for the Celtics to strike on a deal that will be viewed as instantaneously beneficial for the ball club.
Because of this, it is more than likely that, should Brad Stevens and co. opt to look towards the trade market (they really need to) they’ll need to take some risks, and perhaps one of said risks could come in the form of dealing for undesirable players or, in other words, talents attached to “bad contracts.”
Should they go down this path and pursue talents signed to such deals, we at HH believe there are 3, in particular, they may wish to consider:
Boston Celtics trade target No. 1) Buddy Hield (3-years, $61.6 million)
A player quite often found linked to the Boston Celtics as a hopeful trade target, veteran guard Buddy Hield is an intriguing option for the franchise to consider despite his lofty salary.
Currently in his sixth season in the association, the 29-year-old once again finds himself having an impressive campaign whilst predominantly coming off the pine for the Sacramento Kings. In 40 games played, Hield is posting sound per-game averages of 15.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, and two assists on 38 percent shooting from downtown.
Over the past several seasons, one of Boston’s most glaring weaknesses has undoubtedly been their bench, specifically their offensive production and, as of this writing, their second unit finds itself ranked 28th in points, 21st in field goal percentage, and dead last in offensive rating.
Alongside this sad but true factoid, the Cs have also struggled mightily to find a competent tertiary scoring option to partner with franchise cornerstones Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
On both counts, Buddy Hield could serve as a solution to these problems and, even with his rather pricey deal, he should be considered as a possible target for the franchise.
Boston Celtics target No. 2) Luke Kennard (4-years, $56 million)
Easily the least complicated player to attain from the crop of names found on this list, Luke Kennard is someone that could wind up helping in a multitude of ways.
Since entering the league back in 2017, the Duke product has established himself as a tremendous long-range marksman, converting on nearly 42 percent of his 3-pointers for his career at an average rate of 4.2 attempts per game.
Currently in the first year of his 4-year, $56 million deal with the Los Angeles Clippers, Kennard actually finds himself putting up rather solid numbers, boasting a per-game stat-line of 11.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.1 assists on 44 percent shooting from deep.
Still, at his price range and with the cap-hit that LA took with his deal, perhaps this production may not be enough to warrant a long stay with the franchise and, should they look to swap him out for players that can better fill out the roster, Boston may want to try and buy-low on him for, quite frankly, he’d be a solid complement to the team.
Despite the fact that the C’s rank 11th in 3-point attempts per game, they only convert on 33.5 percent of them, equating to the 23rd worst mark in the association.
Kennard, a 3-point extraordinaire, would not only help in this department but, also, would fit in flawlessly with just how the Celtics like to run their offense, for they love the drive-and-kick and the 25-year-old finds himself converting on nearly 45 percent of his catch-and-shoot deep balls and holds a 65.3 percent effective field goal percentage in catch-and-shoot scenarios.
Of all the players listed here today, the fifth-year pro is absolutely the most realistic option for the Boston Celtics.
Boston Celtics trade target No. 3) Russell Westbrook (2-years, $91.2 million)
Ok I know, I know, I know but, like… hear us out for just one hot second.
Recent rumblings suggest that there seems to be trouble in paradise between the Los Angeles Lakers and Russell Westbrook, so much so, in fact, that the franchise reportedly showed some “covert interest” in moving on from the point guard earlier on this year, per Sam Amick of The Athletic (subscription required).
If these words are true, then there’s a chance that Rob Pelinka and co. are still potentially interested in breaking up the band (namely, Westbrook) considering the fact that LA sits just one game over .500 and, frankly, even when this team has been completely healthy they’ve been an odd fit alongside one another (again, namely Westbrook running with LeBron James) and, if they are, then maybe it may be in Boston’s best interest to at the very least inquire about the former MVP’s availability.
At this point in his career, and with the failed experiments that have transpired over his past three consecutive seasons, it almost certainly wouldn’t take a whole lot to get a trade done for the triple-double king. In all honesty, sending players that match his salary while also arguably fitting better with the Lakers’ scheme may be all that it would take, assuming they are actually looking to trade him.
And, from Boston’s perspective, bringing on Westbrook from solely a talent perspective could make some sense.
He’s a stat-sheet stuffing contributor who can play the role of third-star and floor general alongside the Jays. On top of this, despite his lacking fit in Los Angeles, with the Celtics he could be a solid addition considering they need a major upgrade in their scoring (16th in the league) and distribution (23rd in assists) games.
On the year, Westbrook is still producing stellar per-game averages for a likely non-All-Star, posting 19.5 points, 8.1 assists, 8.1 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game on 45 percent shooting from the floor.
At a buy-low trade price — and we mean low — Russell Westbrook could actually be an interesting option worth considering for the Boston Celtics.