The Celtics are off to another hot start this season with a 20-6 record Boston is currently the top seed in the East. With a strong start and a loaded roster, the Celtics are poised to make a run at the title. However, according to multiple reports, the front office has made it clear that they won’t settle and will remain active as the trade deadline approaches. With Grant Williams being dealt to the Mavericks in the off-season the Celtics opened up a 6.2 million traded player expectation. This traded player expectation or TPE for short gives the Celtics a clear avenue to improve their roster despite their large payroll. Here are three players the Celtics can target with Grant’s TPE or other moveable pieces.
Isaiah Stewart: Detroit Pistons Forward/Center
Isaiah Stewart is a name that’s been linked to the Celtics in recent weeks and it makes a lot of sense fit-wise. Stewart is a great rebounder and hard-nosed defender. Additionally, Stewart is shooting a career-best 36% from beyond the arc. This skill set makes him an ideal backup big man for the Celtics. Improving their depth and providing needed insurance for both Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford in the process.
However, Stewart is under a “Poison Pill Provision” restriction meaning the Celtics would have to send out 13 million dollars in salary to make a deal work. Given the Celtics’ cap space situation, they would have to part ways with a plethora of deep-rotation players to make a deal possible. As a result, Stewart is an intriguing yet likely unrealistic target for the Celtics. Ultimately, it would take a lot of salary maneuvering and possible draft incentives to make this deal work. But Stewart is arguably the best fit on the market for Boston’s needs so he’s worth pursuing despite the difficulty surrounding his contract.
big move to land him.
The Last Word
Ultimately these trade possibilities are intriguing options for the Celtics at the deadline. The Celtics don’t need another big trade to win the title and this roster can certainly win a title. However, improving and rounding out the roster is never a bad thing. While Stewart and Caruso would raise Boston’s upside, Drummond is a safe move to perfect the roster. As the trade deadline inches closer I would expect the Celtics to make some kind of move to upgrade the roster. It’s unclear what caliber player Boston will target however they have a surprising amount of options given their lack of cap space.
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