Nick Richards would be a non-boat rocking target -- the exact sort of mold-fit the front office is looking for -- for the Boston Celtics if Brad Stevens and Co. were to pursue the Charlotte Hornets center according to NBC Sports Boston's Chris Forsberg.
"If the cost is, say, a couple second-round picks, then you’re essentially turning dice rolls into a more known option," Forsberg wrote. "Richards is still only 26. We’re not certain he moves the needle but he would add depth at the thinnest spot on the team and is unlikely to rock the boat."
The Celtics, as Forsberg's NBC Sports Boston counterpart Jordan Daly relayed, aren't looking for a game-changer. Richards is about as plug-and-play as they get, luckily.
"With most of the minutes already claimed in Boston's nightly rotation, the Celtics aren't looking to bring in a game-changing player -- their main rotation is set and proven to work," Daly prefaced before saying, "Boston's bench -- which was seen as a weak point before the season -- has slowly proven its ability to play meaningful minutes, playing team-first basketball with the goal of getting wins over individual accomplishments. With that in mind, it can still never hurt to add more depth."
Boston Celtics' Grant Williams TPE expiring soon due to new CBA
The time is now for the Boston Celtics to use the Grant Williams TPE, that Richards fits snugly into, since it will expire in the offseason due to the new CBA.
"Normally, a trade exception would last a full year since its creation, giving the Celtics to use the Williams TPE until the summer," MassLive's Brian Robb prefaced before saying, "However, the new provisions of the CBA will change the dynamics on that front for Boston starting this offseason. The Celtics are currently a second-apron team, meaning they are spending over the $182.7 million threshold, which will put several restrictions on them in future seasons.
"Those limitations will begin on the first day of this offseason though, specifically with the use of TPEs. Essentially, any previously created TPE will no longer be able to be used for teams in the second apron. The Celtics will also no longer be allowed to take back any more salary in a trade, aggregate contracts or send out cash in any deal."
It's use it or lose it for the Celtics, and with trades becoming more difficult in general under the renegotiated CBA from the NBPA and the Association's brain trust, Richards represents solid value moving forward. To get mid-level exception caliber talent for half of what the TPE is becoming would be a massive trade deadline win.