There's a fair case that, despite the Boston Celtics' need for more help at the big man, they shouldn't go after Domantas Sabonis. He's more of a right idea, wrong target for Boston, but where a Sabonis trade gets sticky is if he gets sent to a team that showed itself to clearly be on the rise, like Charlotte.
The Hornets were blazing hot towards the end of last season to the point that it was actually pretty shocking they didn't get the last playoff spot, but late-season surges tend to have that one major downside. They clearly want to strike while the iron is hot, as HoopsHype's Michael Scotto reported that they and Sacramento have discussed a trade involving Sabonis.
"The Sacramento Kings and Charlotte Hornets had exploratory trade talks surrounding Domantas Sabonis, league sources told HoopsHype. One framework loosely kicked around included Charlotte’s Miles Bridges, Josh Green, and a potential first-round draft pick going to Sacramento in exchange for Sabonis, sources said," Scotto wrote.
If this were to come to fruition, it wouldn't necessarily make Charlotte better than Boston, but it would make them a bigger threat as their core continues to evolve. Because the East was evidently wide open, plenty of teams will be on the prowl for upgrades.
One of the Hornets' biggest flaws was their big man depth, which would instantly get solved with Sabonis (warts and all). The Celtics would likely still be able to beat them, but in a playoff series, that could definitely prove itself to be a problem as a title run is arguably a war of attrition now more than ever.
They can beat the Hornet with Sabonis, but without any changes to the roster, it would be a lot harder to do so. That would be a problem if the plan is to go on another title run, as there would definitely be more obstacles than just them.
If the Celtics' competition gets stronger, so should they
Many are paying close attention to what Boston will do after their season ended in the first round. As fun as this past regular season, the postseason was a different story. It's clear Boston needs some ceiling raisers.
It's why Giannis Antetokounmpo keeps popping up as an option, even if it's not clear if Boston really wants him. Even harder is that Miami wants him too, and if they get him, then the East becomes a lot more difficult to beat.
Boston may have their reasons for why they don't want Giannis, but it's going to be hard to justify not doing anything period especially if their competitors get better. If the Sabonis to Charlotte domino drops, the Celtics must plan ahead because it's likely they won't be the only East contender to get a huge piece.
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