Boston Celtics: B/R calls acquiring former lottery pick big man a ‘pipe dream’

The Boston Celtics are not paying the price the San Antonio Spurs are asking of for former lottery pick Jakob Poeltl — a nightly double-double threat that no longer fits in San Antonio’s rebuilding project.

With two future first-round draft picks being the asking price, Poeltl was correctly labeled a ‘pipe dream’ by Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley in his piece laying out the blueprint for the Celtics’ 2023 NBA trade deadline.

According to Buckley, Boston’s only justification for a pursuit of the Austrian center would be the Cs handing Poeltl a starting role, and presumably, a long-term contract extension after that:

"“Poeltl’s interior activity would be an awesome upgrade, but unless Boston sees Poeltl sliding into the starting lineup, this is probably a pipe dream.”"

The Boston Celtics must swing lower for a center

With Robert Williams and Al Horford’s best functions at this point probably having their minutes staggered for the sake of extra playmaking on the offensive end, the Boston Celtics likely don’t need another pure center making eight figures on their books.

What they’d be better off doing is swinging lower and giving up less or, preferably, no draft capital to find a new big man. Boston.com’s Peyton Doyle suggested a potential 3-for-1 trade involving Payton Pritchard, Justin Jackson and Danilo Gallinari for Richaun Holmes — who does make eight figures but won’t be making that on his next contract.

Even that might be paying too much for a center, but that at least doesn’t put too many eggs in the big man basket when Grant Williams is due for an extension this offseason. If anything, finding a versatile forward that would provide capable second unit play on the wing currently absent from Sam Hauser’s game should be what the team spends draft picks on.

As the weeks go by and the February 9 trade deadline grows more imminent, we’ll hear many big men tied to Boston. Expect the Jakob Poeltl talk to die down soon, though.