Boston Celtics listed as potential landing spot for former NBA champ
By Sam LaFrance
With nearly half of the 2022-23 NBA season in the books, the Boston Celtics have been the league’s best team. Boston’s record of 26-11 has team looking down on the 29 other teams from the top of the standings. They’ve won four of their last five games, and will look to bounce back from their January 1 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday when they visit the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Throughout the season, the Celtics have done a decent job of bouncing back following a tough loss. They’ve lost consecutive games during just three stretches. First dropping back-to-back games against the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers back in October, then losing to the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers during their mid-December West Coast trip, and lastly when they lost three straight home games, including two to the Orlando Magic and a third to the Indiana Pacers.
The Boston Celtics have been able to be so resilient this season because of the sheer amount of talent sprinkled throughout their roster. They’re arguably the deepest team in the NBA and it’s shown. However, as the NBA Trade Deadline approaches, there is a strong possibility that the Cs add yet another piece to the reserves.
A former NBA champion could boost the Boston Celtics bench
In an article released on Jan. 2, the Ringer’s Michael Pina listed 14 different things he believes could happen in the new year. No. 9 on Pina’s list was the Chicago Bulls moving Alex Caruso. Chicago has been a team that’s underperformed this season and could definitely look to be sellers at the deadline.
When listing potential landing spots for the former NBA champion, Pina included the Boston Celtics, as well as plenty of other contending teams. When detailing why the NBA’s best team could want to make the move, he had this to say:
"“Celtics? Their rotation is set, but if they want to get off Danilo Gallinari’s contract, sure.”"
Caruso’s $9 million contract would be one where Boston would have to send out Gallinari’s two-year deal to make the money work. They’d likely have to include Payton Pritchard and a first-round pick to get the deal done. In Pina’s article he mentioned that “whoever coughs up a first-round pick for Alex Caruso will not regret it.”
While it wouldn’t be the greatest look for an organization that has been scrutinized for its handling of injured players in the past, the move could definitely separate the Celtics from the rest when it comes to title contenders.
Boston was at their best early in the season, when they were knocking down their 3-point attempts with ease. Ever since the team as a whole has cooled off things have become more difficult for the Celtics. The addition of Caruso, who has knocked down 40% of his 3-point attempts this year, could be a huge help for the Cs (not to mention that he’s noted as a great defensive player). If Boston was to add the 28-year-old, he’d likely slide into Sam Hauser’s minutes. Hauser has been decent for the Celtics this season, but has been ice cold from beyond the arc lately. He made just 28.3% of his attempts from deep in December, which really isn’t good enough for someone whose best skill is shooting.