The Boston Celtics proved to be one of the most active teams during this year’s trade season, making a handful of transactions prior to and during the day of February 10th’s deadline which, of course, was headlined by the acquisition of two-way guard, Derrick White, from the San Antonio Spurs.
With all of these moves made, Brad Stevens and co. were able to not only get the team underneath the luxury tax threshold but, also, opened up five total roster spots, two of which have already been filled by the likes of Sam Hauser and Luke Kornet.
Still, with three seats on the bench that have yet to be filled, the C’s will undoubtedly be scouring the buyout market in an effort to bring on some well-established complementary assets to help aid in their quest to embark on a deep postseason run.
Of the bevy of names slated to become free agents within the coming days/ weeks, we at HH believe there are 3 potential buyout candidates that could prove to be perfect fits within Boston’s rotation:
Boston Celtics buyout option No. 1) Kent Bazemore
At the deadline, the Boston Celtics made many great additions, but they also had to part ways with a few key contributors from their first half of the season along the way.
Perhaps the most notable departure was Josh Richardson, who was sent to the San Antonio Spurs as part of the Derrick White exchange.
The veteran served as a highly impactful presence on both ends of the floor, providing Boston with solid defensive production and a trusty shooting stroke from beyond the arc (shot nearly 40 percent from deep on 3.5 attempts per game).
With him now gone, Boston will likely look to try and replace these attributes out on the wing be it by means of bestowing current players more minutes within the rotation or via signing players found on the free agency market.
If they ultimately go to the latter option to do this, potential buyout candidate, Kent Bazemore, could prove to be an ideal choice to consider.
Though he may not have the type of upside that a guy like Richardson possesses, the 32-year-old has made a career for himself by providing similar attributes to that of the former shamrock.
A serviceable 3-and-D role player, since 2016 Bazemore holds solid averages of 10 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.2 steals, and just over half a block per game on 36 percent shooting from deep.
While he is by no means a top-flight player in this league, Bazemore has shown flashes (even this season, despite his limited role with the Los Angeles Lakers) of still be capable of producing efficiently on both ends of the floor and would be a very low-risk move to add some temporary depth.
Boston Celtics buyout candidate No. 2) Jeremy Lamb
Like we said, filling in the spot that Josh Richardson held out on the wing could prove to be a top priority for the Boston Celtics and, while Kent Bazemore would provide a similar brand of two-way play (albeit, not as efficient), should they simply wish to zero in on the offensive production he provided, Jeremy Lamb could be the player to pursue.
A talent that we at the Houdini have been big on seeing the C’s pursue for quite some time now, the 29-year-old could ultimately prove to be a real difference-maker on the more glamorous side of the ball, perhaps even more so than what J-Rich was.
Throughout his decade-spanning tenure in the association, the wing has established himself as being a quality offensive contributor whilst predominantly coming off the pine.
Since 2018, Lamb holds per-game averages of 12.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, two assists, and a steal per game on 44 percent shooting from the floor and 36 percent shooting from deep.
Now in year 10, the veteran continues to find himself producing at quite a consistent rate despite logging his lowest MPG average (16.1) since year three.
Per 75 possessions, Lamb is boasting impressive averages of 16.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 3.2 assists.
A player who can excel in the catch-and-shoot department (boasted a 55.2 effective field goal percentage on such attempts this season while with the Pacers) while also being capable to going out and creating for himself, having someone like Jeremy Lamb coming off the pine could ultimately prove to be a luxury to have for the C’s and their 29th offensive rated bench.
Boston Celtics buyout option No. 3) Mike Muscala
Ime Udoka is hell-bent on continuing to roll out the dual-big lineup.
While we, along with a plethora of other Boston Celtics fans are annoyed by his stance on the matter, it is not because the concept is faulty.
It’s because the practice, particularly on offense, has proven to be putrid, and a large reason for why is due to both Al Horford and Robert Williams’ lacking ability to stretch the floor when on offense.
Because of this, we believe that pursuing a big who can help step out to beyond the arc and cash in from 3-point range would be a great idea for Stevens and co. to consider, and Mike Muscala would be an ideal target if bought out by the OKC Thunder.
A nine-year NBA veteran, Muscala currently finds himself ranked as the sixth-best 3-point shooter in the entire league and as the best 3-point shooting center.
Converting at a 45.6 percent clip from the field overall and a career-high 42.9 percent clip from long-range, per 75 possessions the 30-year-old is boasting an impressive stat-line of 21.4 points, eight rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game whilst coming off the bench in all contests this season.
The addition of the big man would not only help boost the team’s offensive play, both from a frontcourt and, frankly, an overall standpoint but his 6-11, 240-pound frame would provide the Boston Celtics with some much-needed size within their rotation as well.
Mike Muscala may not be a true household name, but he could easily prove to be a great addition to the rotation for the Boston Celtics.
Dare I say, he may be the perfect fit as a backup offensive big for the C’s.