The Boston Celtics want to get back to the level they were before, which could mean they'll be very much in on the Giannis Antetokounmpo bidding war this summer. It also means they could look for appealing buy-low candidates. Then, of course, there's always the option to take advantage of teams facing hard decisions, like the Detroit Pistons. More specifically, taking Paul Reed from them.
The Pistons have been the darling child of the Eastern Conference on the verge of making their first Eastern Conference Finals since going up against your truly in 2008. However, they have some tough decisions to make this summer, specifically with Jalen Duren.
Duren has been enigmatic throughout these playoffs (though he has started to show out a bit lately). For that reason, he could fit the profile of the aforementioned "buy-low candidate" for Boston. At the same time, Detroit may not have a choice but to re-sign him because of who could compete for his services and what they would lose.
"He's not a max player, but they're probably going to have to give him the max," an East executive told ESPN's Brian Windhorst. "Because now [cap space] teams like Chicago or Brooklyn might see him as someone they could get with a max offer sheet and Detroit will have to match.
"With the new apron rules, it might come back to bite [the Pistons], and it's just another example of how the CBA crushes team building."
For that reason, trading Reed would help Detroit with this problem. His contract is nonguaranteed next season, but after the playoffs he's had, there's no way the Pistons would simply let him go. But they might just be willing to trade him with his value so high if their plan is to keep Duren.
In Boston's case, they just got humiliated because their frontcourt barely made any sort of difference in the first round of the playoffs. That can't happen if they are serious about titles. They need an upgrade in the frontcourt. One of the most obvious candidates that they should go after is Paul Reed.
Reed's postseason should make the Celtics call immediately
Reed has made himself stand out during these playoffs. It doesn't take any advanced analytics to prove it either. He's been so valuable to the Pistons in their current series against the Cavaliers that they've played him over Duren, an All-Star and potentially All-NBA center.
No seriously, he has been straight-up awesome despite the fact that Detroit has limited his minutes. In 14.3 minutes game - the Pistons didn't start playing him until Game 3 - he's averaging 13.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks while shooting nearly 76% from the field.
In a series where he's going up against Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, Reed has made himself stand out. In fact, it's fair to suggest that if it weren't for Reed, the Pistons may have been eliminated already given Duren's consistent struggles.
Seriously, Reed is a diamond in the rough who's not being utilized enough. If the Pistons feel they have no choice but to keep Duren this summer, that could mean Reed hits the market, and Boston should absolutely pounce.
After coming off a series where their big man rotation got badly exposed, and not many great options out there at this point, Reed is definitely a buy-low big man the Celtics should chase. Detroit may be hesitant to trade him to one of the teams who is talented enough to stop them, but if Boston pays an adequate price, they may not have better options.
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