Boston Celtics: 3 players to trade Daniel Theis for in offseason

Not all Boston Celtics reunions created by President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens have gone according to plan.

Enes Kanter Freedom lasted half a season with the franchise in his second stint. Joe Johnson was here for a good time, not a long time.

Al Horford was a home run, but he is also playing a big role. So far, Daniel Theis has not done much to move the needle in the early going because of the lack of an established role this time around.

When Boston last had Theis, he started for an Eastern Conference finals squad and later shared the frontcourt with Tristan Thompson to little success. He was dealt at the 2021 NBA trade deadline for Luke Kornet (who is still with the team) and Moritz Wagner, who lasted less than a month in green.

Now, he is struggling to contribute while holding a price tag that may best be used elsewhere. This Cs team could have a razor-thin margin for error in a suddenly loaded Eastern Conference in the coming years, so maximizing his salary could be paramount to building a contender.

Here are three players Hardwood Houdini would target if we were in Stevens’ shoes as head of the front office:

Boston Celtics Daniel Theis trade target #1: PG Monte Morris, Denver Nuggets

Marcus Smart is solidly the starter at point guard and should be heaped with praise for being able to reclaim the position he played at Oklahoma State after being switched to a wing at the NBA level.

Behind him, Payton Pritchard handles the ball but truly functions as more of a combo guard, taking five shots a game and dishing out two assists.

Behind them…well, the team could use another trustworthy lead guard. Morris’ assist-turnover ratio is over 4:1, and he owns a 39% 3-point conversion rate. The Denver Nuggets may be willing to take on other assets to make a deal happen, but the Cs would definitely be the ones forking up more.