Boston Celtics: 3 big swing trade targets who would get Cs back on track

Zach LaVine

The Boston Celtics would be swinging for the fences with the bases loaded pursuing a deal for Zach LaVine — who is reportedly not seeing eye to eye with the Chicago Bulls and whose fit with DeMar DeRozan is being questioned.

LaVine told The Athletic that the team’s main stars (himself, DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic) may be putting pressure on each other to once again be a No. 1 option in order to lift Chicago from its reoccurring malaise this season.

“There’s a certain level of frustration in people trying to figure out what we can do to help right the ship,” LaVine told The Athletic (subscription required). “I think with the players that we have, we try to put it on each other to right the ship. We have those type of guys, those type of mentalities where each of us have been number one options on a team before and then we all come together collectively.”

While some may be wondering if that same problem would persist in Boston, look no further than Joe Mazzulla’s offensive system facilitating Marcus Smart averaging over seven assists per game and both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown keeping their assist totals level while their scoring reaches career-highs.

LaVine would give the Cs a true ‘big 3’ and would elevate the ceiling of the team even further. The UCLA product likely wants a Los Angeles Lakers move, but Boston would bring him more team success — which, judging by the team meetings the Bulls have been having as Chicago’s losses mount, is what his ultimate goal likely is.