Boston Celtics could also land high-upside Grizzlies big in John Konchar trade
Should the Boston Celtics continue to pursue a John Konchar trade, Xavier Tillman could be another potential addition the front office can land according to CelticsBlog's Ben Dupont -- and it may not even have to cost them their Grant Williams TPE.
"So, why might Memphis be willing to move Tillman? His contract is up this summer," Dupont prefaced before saying, "The Grizzlies will have the ability to resign him, but they might want to avoid giving any real long-term money to a depth big. Plus, Desmond Bane’s extension kicks in next year and will catapult the Memphis cap sheet close to the second apron.
"Would the Celtics want to re-sign him? Should they give up draft capital for a couple months’ play from a third big? Maybe not. But Tillman would provide youth and intensity – something that Boston’s frontcourt is severely lacking. And they could get his $1.9 million salary without moving a single player to Memphis because of a $6.2 million trade exception. If Boston would rather send out a player for salary purposes or to save the exception, though, Svi Mykhailiuk and a few other players have deals that could be stacked to match. Boston also has been linked to Grizzlies forward John Konchar in the past few weeks. I don’t see the shooting guard getting any minutes in Boston, but he would fit into the exception with Tillman."
Boston Celtics competing with Warriors and Lakers for John Konchar
Konchar's 2021-22 51/41/55 shooting slash -- weirdly enough, Konchar isn't a great free-throw shooter for whatever reason -- is the reason why a few teams are lined up for the services of the sub-40% shooter from beyond the arc and overall this season. Boston has competition from the 2020 and 2022 NBA Champions for the Purdue-Fort Wayne product per HoopsHype's Michael Scotto.
"The Celtics, Warriors, and Lakers are among the teams who’ve kept tabs on Konchar’s situation from afar, HoopsHype has learned," Scotto reported.
On his own, Konchar doesn't feel like a needle-mover, but paired with Tillman, there's enough potential individual moments between the two of them that make a pursuit worth it for the Celtics front office.