Sole ownership of second place in the Eastern Conference isn’t enough for the Boston Celtics.
The Vertical’s Shams Charania wrote a nice in-depth piece on the development of Marcus Smart, wherein he also revealed that Boston has targeted multiple big men on the trade market:
Before the postseason, the Celtics hope for the continued development of Smart, who’s averaging 10 points and 4.7 assists, and will pursue the acquisition of a center. They worked out former Milwaukee Buck Larry Sanders last month and have had preliminary discussions about several big men on the trade market, sources told The Vertical. Within the locker room, the belief remains that Boston must improve from within.
The Celtics’ trade-deadline approach jibes with the eye test. They are 19th in defensive efficiency and dead last in defensive rebounding percentage, according to NBA.com. A nice shot-blocker who hits the glass hard would remedy a lot of their issues.
Al Horford isn’t going anywhere, but he’s limited in how much he can anchor a defense that includes Isaiah Thomas, who, no matter how hard he tries, is still 5’9″ and ill-equipped to stand up against most guards. Neither of Boston’s soon-to-be free agents in Tyler Zeller, Kelly Olynyk or Amir Johnson fits the bill, either.
There are a handful of obvious answers to the question, “Who have the Celtics been chasing?” Paul Millsap was available for a minute, and you can bet team president Danny Ainge called the Atlanta Hawks. Serge Ibaka and Nikola Vucevic, along with basically everyone else on the Orlando Magic, profile as obtainable, so the Celtics have probably discussed them. And there’s a pretty good chance Boston has rekindled its connection with the Brooklyn Nets by inquiring about Brook Lopez’s availability.
Remember, though: Just because the Celtics are active, it doesn’t mean they’re going to make a move. Aggressive is Ainge’s status quo, and while the Celtics’ window, as a second-place team, to win is now, he won’t pull the trigger on a big-time trade at the expense of the future if it doesn’t give Boston a solid chance of upsetting the Cleveland Cavaliers.
