2 big men the Boston Celtics could pursue in offseason to counter Bam Adebayo

Boston Celtics offseason target No. 2: Deandre Ayton

The Phoenix Suns flatlining against the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference semifinals was a massive letdown for a franchise that had many fans feeling confident on where the franchise was heading.

After falling short in the NBA Finals a year ago, the Suns don’t look like shoe-ins to return anytime soon. That’s especially if Deandre Ayton bolts, which judging by this take from his his agent Bill Duffy, doesn’t sound like a foreign possibility:

"“We’re disappointed. We wanted a max contract. He went out and was a solider the whole year, played well, improved his statistics. So, we’re proud of him. A lot of guys handle things differently, but he was very mature about it. Things will work out for Deandre. He’s a valuable player. There’s other teams in the league as well. He’s a restricted free agent, so we’ll see how this process unfolds.”"

The Celtics are not in any financial position to compete for his services in restricted free agency, but they can do some cap maneuvering to at least put themselves in a position to execute a sign-and-trade.

Such a deal would likely include Robert Williams (an ideal Chris Paul lob fit) and substantial draft capital, but would give Boston something only a handful of other teams have: a center physically imposing enough to combat Bam Adebayo head-to-head.