Boston Celtics could attach draft pick to long-time Cs big man in trade for wing

The Boston Celtics could attach a draft pick to the contract of veteran Daniel Theis in order to upgrade their depth and add a much-needed wing to their rotation, according to CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn.

After proving capable of a starting center role during the C’s 2020 Lake Buena Vista bubble run to the Eastern Conference finals, Theis was traded during the 2021 trade deadline to the Chicago Bulls and later cashed in on a curious $36 million contract with the Houston Rockets for four years in free agency that summer. What made the Rockets pact an odd fit is their timeline of being nowhere close to a contender, but the Cs course-corrected by bringing Theis into the fold.

Theis proved to be a solid addition with his post-deadline play, and he further made good on Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens’ belief in his former starting pivot–he didn’t trade him away as former head coach but traded back for him first chance he got as a front office executive–by starting all for games during the C’s four-game sweep of the Brooklyn Nets in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Unfortunately, the German big man made a minimal impact in the Golden State Warriors series, and scored just three points in 20 minutes of play. Ime Udoka deemed Theis a poor matchup fit and glued him to the bench as the Cs struggled to get much in the way of offensive flow throughout the final three games.

You could look at his low minute total not playing and say perhaps more Theis could have helped things had he found the floor more, but it should be damning in its own right that the seventh-highest paid player on the team, one that makes more than the league’s average salary ($7.5 million), couldn’t find the floor in the most pivotal moments.

It’s no wonder than that with Boston’s road back to the NBA Finals being anything but set in stone, CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn penned a piece focusing on how the team can improve and included this nugget about how the team can improve its depth:

"At a bare minimum, the Celtics should be doing everything in their power to attach future draft capital to Daniel Theis for someone who can give them playoff minutes. Theis will make $8.7 million, and with a first-round pick or two, could probably get the Celtics another starting-caliber wing. A bigger defensive option than White would be welcomed."

Just months after re-acquiring Theis, the Boston Celtics front office could deal him away from the team that brought him over from abroad for the second time in a year-and-a-half.