The Boston Celtics have been one of the best teams in the NBA early in the league’s 2023-24 season, but some old, familiar faults have resurfaced in the Celtics’ play of late, enough to concern fans even if the recurring issues are lesser of a problem than they have been in seasons past.
Issues with ball movement, concerns about the reliability of the help off the bench, smaller guards and limited bigs who struggle to defend certain kinds of opponents, the starters playing down to their competition and struggling against longer, more physical ball clubs all have come back to bite the Celtics in the handful of losses Boston has logged to date.
And with Dec. 15 soon to arrive and the flood of players who signed new deals over the summer able to be traded, the murmur of analysts suggesting the Celtics ought to make a change to help address some of these issues is growing louder.
Celtics Lab 230: No Vegas for Boston, but how can the Celtics get better from what they learned? https://t.co/U0bNhPHPqp pic.twitter.com/Pcjfugr1yk
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) December 5, 2023
But with Boston a double apron ball club and the 110% salary match rule it brings with it plus the cost of adding more salary becoming especially punitive with every dollar spent compounded by the tax makes dealing for players making double-digit millions hard to pull off.
Complete list of Boston Celtics in the Basketball Hall of Fame https://t.co/w4paQiyqUC pic.twitter.com/ta20PBAGnY
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) December 6, 2023
Most of the players Boston would be targeting would almost certainly be capable of fitting into the $6.2 million Grant Williams Traded Player Exception (and more likely closer to a minimum deal), making the pool of players who could realistically help Boston a small one.
'I expect the Celtics to be active in the trade market': Shams Charania after Boston's IST loss. https://t.co/AEPhErNCDZ pic.twitter.com/JFScdUbizS
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) December 5, 2023
With the Celtics having reportedly looked into trading for Memphis Grizzlies shooting guard John Konchar, it’s safe to assume the team has at some point in the recent past looked at wings.
But there are few if any impact players out there at the 2 and 3 Boston would likely pony up assets to bring on in the range of spending power the team is likely comfortable with.
Scotto: Celtics have 'kept tabs on' John Konchar’s situation as a trade target https://t.co/i2MVagf8sK pic.twitter.com/53p6ZqAAOR
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) November 29, 2023
The other position of need for the Celtics’ roster is frontcourt depth capable — and willing — of a smaller, consistent role most nights that can scale up when one of Al Horford or Kristaps Porzingis is out for injury or rest.
And hopefully be able to handle some playoff run should the unthinkable happen at the worst possible time for the team.
Assessing the NBA's trade landscape early in the 2023-24 season https://t.co/PzNLgaveaD pic.twitter.com/Va4MmKEcFh
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) December 5, 2023
Such players would need to either be a solid fit for Boston’s style of play, preferably bringing a complimentary skill or one entirely lacking on the current roster.
Such exigencies make a list of prospects smaller still, and when you factor in that only a handful of teams would be likely to part with such players, it makes for quick reading indeed.
But with all the above in mind, we put together a short list of five players who might be able to fill such a role — and one of them is on the team already.
Neemias Queta
Queta has that he is already on the payroll going for him, and has shown promise in the rare opportunities he has had given to him. But he has also had some very ugly stretches and is exploitable both because of the limits to his skill set and his experience.
There is probably no world in which he could provide more than spot minutes in the postseason, but it could behoove Boston longer-term to throw him into the fire.
But if the main focus is getting to the playoffs healthy and with good seeding this season with a player who can stay on the floor vs. the best teams, this is likely not the play.
Blake Griffin
Remember him? At the start of the 2023-24 season, there was speculation Griffin might be up to return later in the season so he can spend more time with his family (and save wear and tear on his body).
If that speculation proves correct, we’ve seen what a well-rested Griffin can do — and with an Al-Horford-in-OKC-type break to go with it, a late-season signing with all his veteran savvy could accomplish much of the non-regular season aspects of what Boston still lacks.
Still, this seems quite far from something to depend on — especially as the minutes pile up on the legs of Boston’s non-iron man frontcourt players.
Precious Achiuwa
Including Achiuwa might raise an eyebrow given the ask is likely to be too high for Boston’s available assets.
But the Toronto Raptors big man is in the final year of his current deal, and with Jakob Poeltl, Scottie Barnes, Chris Boucher, and Christian Koloko signed longer-term and Pascal Siakam hitting free agency at the same time, it’s not out of the question that Achiuwa could be had with the right ask.
The Nigerian center is good enough, however, that Boston would likely not be the only bidder — nor the team able to offer the best package for his contract.
Andre Drummond
Maybe the most gettable big man with playoff experience to speak of that could actually help Boston, Drummond’s rebounding and stoutness could cover what the Celtics may need in both the regular and postseason.
But he is not the player he was in his prime and even though the Celtics lean on the drop coverage he does well in, he offers next to nothing on offense most nights.
And he has yet to definitively prove the immaturity and inconsistency that have plagued his career are truly in the past. The Bulls might be motivated to get a second round draft pick or two given how their season is going, but the move is not without risks.
Dario Saric
Another big man in the final year of his current deal and on a minimum to boot, the barriers to a Saric trade with Boston would not be insuperable for the 9-11 Golden State Warriors, and the Celtics might have the draft capital and contracts to get it done.
As long as the Dubs believe they have a shot of turning things around, this move is likely off the table, but with more than half of their schedule vs. teams with a winning record between now and the deadline, this is another avenue to monitor.
Saric is maybe the best overall fit on both ends for Boston with some mobility on defense and a career 36.1% 3-point shot that should fit well into Boston’s offensive game.
Conclusions
Will the Boston Celtics stand pat at the NBA's 2024 trade deadline? https://t.co/bdJtbgsLN6 pic.twitter.com/8HiR6aSOCM
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) December 3, 2023
If the dearth of plausible options has you concerned, this is exactly what the league’s new collective bargaining agreement was supposed to do — severely limit the ability of great teams to get better at the expense of good teams.
But don’t fret — even if none of these options becomes viable for the Celtics, there is a decent chance Boston gets it done with the players they already have.
There’s also the possibility of buyout options after the pool of potential trade targets dries up, and even overseas bigs (and players at other positions) to consider.
But for better or worse, the Celtics made a gamble in their team structure that won’t be easy to augment meaningfully, so fingers crossed the basketball gods bless their bold moves.
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