The Boston Celtics have the NBA’s best roster.
At least, that’s how things appeared in both the regular season and the playoffs, as this club followed a 64-win campaign by going 16-3 in the postseason and securing the franchise’s record-setting 18th championship.
It hasn’t been the least bit surprising, then, to see this front office prioritize talent retention during the offseason. It’s fair to wonder, though, whether there might be a trade or two this organization would make to improve its odds of defending the throne.
If the Celtics are open to trading, the following three ideas could be worth pursuing.
Because Boston’s top six is so strong, it can be easy to overlook the fact there isn’t a ton of scoring help beyond that sextet.
Sam Hauser can catch fire from three, and Payton Pritchard occasionally cooks, but there isn’t much point production with the second unit.
If the Celtics think that could be an issue, they could make a defense-for-offense deal involving backcourt backups. More specifically, they could attach Jaden Springer to draft considerations and see if that’s enough to pry Ben Sheppard away from the Indiana Pacers.
Floor time was sometimes hard for Sheppard to find as a freshman, and that hurdle could be present during his sophomore season, too. Between having a healthy Bennedict Mathurin, drafting Johnny Furphy and attempting to work Jarace Walker into the wing rotation, the Pacers have crowded their perimeter group. It might be easier for a defensive stopper like Springer to stand out than it is for another shot-maker like Sheppard.
The Celtics have predictably (and understandably) worked to fortify their depth at the center position.
That’s frankly how they’ll have to keep handling the position so long as it’s being manned by Kristaps Porziņģis, whose injury history added a few new entries this past season, and Al Horford, who turned 38 years old last month.
That’s why Boston re-signed all three of Luke Kornet, Xavier Tillman and Neemias Queta, and it’s why this front office might consider paying even more attention to this position group. If it could find a way to pluck Duop Reath away from the Portland Trail Blazers—perhaps for a package built around Queta and a couple of second-round picks—that move might have some merit.
Reath wouldn’t be just another big body added to this reserve group. He is someone who can give it a different dimension with his three-point shooting (88 threes with a 35.9 percent conversion rate as a rookie). He isn’t merely a shooting specialist, either, as he stays active on the interior and can finish from close range.
Because Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are such difference-makers on the wing, it can be easy to gloss over the fact the Celtics don’t have a ton behind them.
Sam Hauser is reliable, but that’s about it when it comes to natural wings.
Acquiring Torrey Craig, who should be gettable with the Chicago Bulls seemingly shifting into an overdue youth movement, would change that. The 33-year-old remains a capable and versatile defender who has shot better than 39 percent from three in each of the past two seasons.
He shouldn’t be too expensive to get, either, as a 33-year-old (34 in December) role player entering a contract year. If he could be had for Jaden Springer and a second rounder, that’s the kind of future-potential-for-present-production swap a win-now squad like this can and probably should make.