While many Celtics fans are infatuated by well-known, proven starting centers around the league like Ivica Zubac, Daniel Gafford, and others, Boston should be thinking much smaller and instead going for a more attainable player that won’t cost nearly the same amount of money or assets, and that’s Day’Ron Sharpe of the Nets.
I’ve been beating the drum for Sharpe for years, but somehow the league still doesn’t seem to have caught on to how good he is and can be. The 24-year-old big man was drafted at the end of the first round in 2021 as a raw one-and-done prospect out of UNC.
He struggled to find minutes on a then-competing Nets team, then suffered an injury when he was starting to hit his stride. But in the last year or so, he has really come on, proving he can do a little bit of everything on both ends.
Sharpe’s numbers won’t blow you away, averaging 8 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game in just over 18 minutes a night. But he can bang down low, finish around the rim, secure rebounds, do a little bit of playmaking, and hold his own on the defensive end.
He has been stuck behind the likes of Nic Claxton, Noah Clowney, and others, and with Danny Wolf added to the fold and an eye toward further rebuilding, Sharpe could be a bit of an odd man out, and someone that Brooklyn is ready to move on from.
Celtics can easily acquire Sharpe if Nets are willing to sell
If that’s the case, and the Nets are ready to move off of him, that would be great news for the Cs. Sharpe makes just $6.25 million this season with a team option for the same amount next year. The Celtics could easily absorb his money into one of their traded player exceptions, either the $22.5 million one from the Kristaps Porzingis deal or the $8.2 million one generated from dealing Georges Niang.
That would require tossing in some pick capital, but the Celtics should be willing to toss in a second-round pick or two to make it work. Sharpe would be a great young center to invest in, who could form a nice tandem with Neemias Queta and a solid three-headed monster with Luka Garza as well.
Sharpe’s advanced metrics and per-36 stats are very favorable and suggest that there’s a starting level two-way big man in there somewhere. The Celtics have room in their frontcourt, and they’ve proven a great ability to develop young big men.
It’s a match made in heaven for both parties, and as long as the Celtics are willing to take on money, they should be able to complete the deal without surrendering any major assets or weakening the roster in any way.
It really comes down to whether or not the Nets are willing to play ball, and what their asking price would be. But it’s clear that they’re not trying to win games, and they have multiple other big men they seem to be prioritizing.
Game Theory Podcast raves about Sharpe as a trade target for Celtics
As Sam Vecenie and Bryce Young noted on a recent episode of the Game Theory Podcast, teams should be targeting Sharpe and trying to pry him away from the Nets. “Day’Ron Sharpe is AWESOME…I would be trying to steal him from Brooklyn if I was another team,” opined Vecenie.
They raved about his abilities as a bruiser, but also as a mover on both ends as someone who can chase guys far out from the hoop, and also bang down low. They mentioned his great contract as well, and even brought up the Celtics as a potential suitor.
Usually, there’s no smoke before fires around the Celtics and their dealing, so I’m not getting my hopes up, since people are actually talking about it. But at least on paper, this seems like a perfect trade deadline target that checks virtually every box.