Boston Celtics should pursue potential veteran point guard upgrade
As trade deadline looms closer each day, the Boston Celtics are projected to stick to minors moves if there’s any moves at all.
I don’t expect anything major, but there are definitely some spots where they can improve with a small transaction.
The back-up point guard spot is one of them.
The Boston Celtics should pursue 15-year veteran Goran Dragic using Payton Pritchard as trade chip
Goran Dragic is someone the Boston Celtics may be able to add additional value with in a deal if using Payton Pritchard as a trade chip. Draft compensation and/or additional veteran talent (Andre Drummond perhaps?) could make this a potential win-win for both sides.
Dragic is good at penetrating so Cs would have another threat, who could create for himself and others. He can either finish when he gets to the rim or pull up on a dime and shoot that little midrange shot. That’s effective, particularly if an opposing team’s big decides to drop.
You can put him in pick-and-roll situations or just isolate him on a switch. Plus, Dragic would give Cs a veteran insurance policy if Smart or Brogdon gets hurt. So far this season Marcus Smart and Malcolm Brogdon have missed six games each. Brogdon has played more than 70 games only once in his career. And that was his rookie season. There are no guarantees that he will stay as healthy as he has been thus far this year. Dragic could fill his role.
The Slovenian can also be put on the right wing, where he could attack towards the middle. Boston doesn’t have a left handed player on their roster who’s playing meaningful minutes. The Cs like to do a lot of dribble weaves or run flair action but they don’t have a guy who would feel comfortable going to their left. Usually if Tatum attacks from the right side towards the middle, he tries to crossover to his right hand or do a spin move, so he could finish with his right. Very rarely, that he goes all the way with his left hand. Ditto for Jaylen Brown, but he shoots midrange at those situations a bit more often. Dragic would give them another option.
Dragic is exceptional at driving to his left, so when Boston runs their actions he can attack from the right side and that way collapse the defense. Especially when the defense tries to recover. As a second attacker, he can be lethal, giving more open shoots to the shooters. Last but not least, Dragic is good at drawing fouls. He’s savvy enough and knows to find a contact. In the playoffs when the game slows down, that can be really useful.
On a mediocre team, Dragic is just another bench guy, but on a contender, if you use him the right way, he can be a game changer for 10-15 minutes.
It wouldn’t cost the Boston Celtics a lot. At minimum, it’s worth a phone call from Brad Stevens to Marc Eversley.