The Celtics did what many expected them to do by making some minor moves around the edges to shore up the depth of their roster. But they did so in a savvy manner in their three trades as they still have a decent amount of flexibility after Thursday’s trade deadline.
The C’s traded for Grizzlies big man Xavier Tillman, parting ways with Lamar Stevens and two second-round picks. Then they traded for 76ers wing Jaden Springer, sending a second-round pick out. Finally, they traded Dalano Banton to the Trail Blazers as they got back a top-55 protected second-round pick.
The Celtics have their 15th roster spot still open, giving them options. They could either look at the names on the buyout market or potentially promote two-way big man Neemias Queta to a standard contract spot. Regardless, the C’s likely aren’t done tinkering with the roster as they traded Banton to Portland for a reason.
Of note, the Celtics aren’t just free to sign any player they want due to a new rule in the CBA. As the C’s are above the first apron on the salary cap, they aren’t allowed to sign players who made more than non-taxpayer midlevel exception of $12.4 million. So any player who made more than that number and got bought out can’t sign with the Celtics in the buyout market.
But there are still some names worth looking at potentially. Note that some of these players haven’t been bought out yet but could be as those negotiations will continue in the coming days. Here are six names who could be interesting for the Celtics:
Otto Porter Jr., Jazz, $6.3 million
Porter was linked to the Celtics on the trade market. But he was included in the Kelly Olynyk deal, going from the Raptors to Jazz. It’s unclear whether Danny Ainge will buy Porter out, but the wing could fit for the Celtics in the buyout market. Porter has had his injury issues, but he’s shot nearly 40% from 3 in his career and is a proven playoff performer. For a depth player, there are certainly positives.
Cedi Osman, Spurs, $6.7 million
Osman has had a solid season for the Spurs coming off the bench, averaging 7.3 points and 2.5 rebounds in his 51 games (one start). Notably, he’s also hit 37.3% of his 3-pointers. It’s no guarantee the Spurs buy out the wing, but he’d be a solid addition for any playoff contender as a depth piece. Osman also plays in front of some young players in San Antonio, so they could give him a chance to find a new team to free up minutes.
Danuel House Jr., Pistons, $4.3 million
House was traded from the Pistons to the 76ers on Thursday, and he’s already been waived by the Pistons. So he’s a candidate in terms of availability, though the team could let the dust settle after the deadline to see which names pop up. The 6-foot-6 wing averaged 4.2 points and 1.7 rebounds in 34 games (four starts) for the Sixers before he was traded.
Troy Brown Jr., Pistons, $4 million
The swingman was sent to the Pistons at the trade deadline as part of a deal for point guard Monte Morris. The Pistons have a bit of a roster crunch so it’s unclear at this point if the team plans on holding onto the veteran wing or cuts loose other members of the roster after bringing aboard several players above the maximum 15 at the trade deadline. The 24-year-old appeared in 37 games for Minnesota this year, averaging 4.2 points and 1.9 rebounds per game. Given his youth, it’s likely he would want a bigger role than Boston could offer.
Thaddeus Young, Nets, $8 million
The power forward is heading back to the Nets after being included in a deal with Dennis Schroder in exchange for Spencer Dinwiddie. Young has played spot minutes for the Raptors this year over 23 games, averaging 5.0 points and 3.3 rebounds. The Nets are still in the hunt for a play-in tournament spot but they could let the 35-year-old try to find a better chance at a title if he isn’t getting consistent minutes there. Young hasn’t made it past the second round of the playoffs in his 16-year career.
Robin Lopez, Kings, $2.5 million
The need for a true center went down a bit for the Celtics after acquiring Xavier Tillman on Wednesday. However, bringing aboard Lopez could bring some extra fun to a potential Celtics-Bucks playoff matchup after Milwaukee salary dumped the big man on Thursday to the Kings. Sacramento plans on waiving him per multiple reports. The 35-year-old is only averaging 1.1 points per game in 16 appearances this year so Neemias Queta is probably a better candidate for this spot than the 15-year veteran.
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