Boston Celtics: Former No. 4 overall pick free agent big an ‘intriguing’ target

According to MassLive’s Brian Robb, an ‘intriguing’ free agent big man target the Boston Celtics can pursue with one of their three remaining roster spots is former No. 4 overall pick Cody Zeller — who most recently played on the Portland Trail Blazers but was waived as a cap casualty of the C.J. McCollum trade that returned more players than it sent out.

Zeller owns career averages of 8.5 points, six rebounds, 1.4 assists, and a shade under an assist and a block per game, having last put up those kinds of numbers two years ago with the team that drafted him, the Charlotte Hornets.

Robb said that ‘if he can get right, his upside is a little more appealing than the rest of the veterans,’ referring to free agent scrapheap bigs like Dwight Howard, Hassan Whiteside, DeMarcus Cousins, and Tristan Thompson.

Last August, Zeller signed a one-year deal as an unrestricted free agent for the veteran’s minimum with Portland. Before that, he was on a four-year, $56 million rookie-scale extension with the Hornets.

Cody Zeller would be the ideal free agent big man addition for the Boston Celtics

Zeller is an unheralded name that has yet to be brought up, likely due to a knee surgery to address a patellar injury back in January. Like the aforementioned veteran free agents, Zeller is a true center who does his work on the block as opposed to the perimeter.

His free agent market may prove tepid because of a long injury history that includes knee, rib, shoulder, hand and hip injuries. That would be ideal for the Cs, who don’t have the means to outbid anyone at this point after using their TPMLE on Danilo Gallinari.

Zeller is at the point in his career where he needs to take the minimum and hunt for the right fit to propel him to be in a position to cash out next summer. The Boston Celtics definitely qualify as a team that can properly showcase the pivot on nights Robert Williams III and Al Horford need rest.