Chris Boucher could be in his final days as a member of the Boston Celtics. According to The Athletic’s Jay King, Boucher may be the “most likely” player to be traded away ahead of Thursday’s NBA Trade Deadline.
“The Celtics could also be active on the fringes of their roster, with Boucher’s situation one to watch,” King wrote Tuesday morning. “Including luxury taxes, the Celtics could potentially save several million dollars by trading the veteran, who has appeared in just one game since Nov. 23. Considering how minimal a role Boucher has played in Boston, he could be the player most likely to be moved before the deadline, according to league sources.”
Boucher simply hasn’t fit in with the Celtics since signing in Boston last summer. When the news of the agreement broke, the fit seemed like it made sense. The Celtics were going to be without Jayson Tatum. Boucher has plenty of NBA experience and could’ve been a candidate to fill JT’s spot in the starting lineup.
Instead, that idea never got off the ground. Boucher struggled to earn minutes early in the season when there were still minutes to be earned. Since then, he’s just watched games from the bench, except for Friday’s win over the Kings, when he got some garbage-time minutes.
What does a potential Boucher trade mean for the Celtics?
There hasn’t been any reporting regarding Boucher’s interest in being traded or not, but it’s tough to imagine he’d be upset by a move. At 33, he only has so much time left in the NBA, and his career isn’t getting any longer sitting on the sidelines. He’d likely welcome a change of scenery and a chance to prove himself elsewhere.
According to reporting last week from HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto, the Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns, and a few other teams have checked in on the 33-year-old’s availability.
“Boucher has drawn exploratory interest from the Hawks, 76ers, Suns, and other teams, league sources told HoopsHype,” Scotto shared.
Now, as fun as it is to speculate about trades and what Boston could potentially garner in return, it doesn’t feel like this is one of those situations.
King added that if the Celtics were to trade Boucher, they could look to sign another big man to fill the roster spot. Some reading between the lines indicates that any hypothetical trade involving the former Toronto Raptors forward would send minimal draft capital to Boston.
As to who they’d sign with the open roster spot, the options are pretty slim. The Celtics would be picking from a pool of unrostered veterans like Ben Simmons and Tristan Thompson, or unsigned undrafted rookies.
They, of course, could know something we all don’t about potential buyouts, etc, but that’s yet to be seen.