With their current big man rotation, Boston is content, thus a trade is improbable.
With a 26-7 record, the Boston Celtics lead the NBA as the trade deadline of February 8 draws near. Although depth hasn’t become an issue as much as some had feared before the season started, as is typically the case with championship contenders approaching the trade deadline, keeping an eye on the market will be vital.
The centre position immediately stands out as one of the Celtics’ most pressing requirements. After Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford, Luke Kornet and two-way big man Neemias Queta are the last players standing.
However, it’s far easier said than done to add an improvement at the 5.
President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens stated, “First of all, adding a rotation centre, that would have to be one hell of a player, right?” at Thursday afternoon’s Celtics practice. “When you consider [that], we have some pretty talented players. I believe there aren’t really many significant things we can do without affecting our key players given what we’re searching for and what we most likely [will do], especially given where we are in terms of tools.
When it comes to this year’s trade deadline, Boston’s main asset is the Traded Player Exception, or approximately $6.2 million, that they acquired in the Grant Williams trade during the summer.
Finding a team willing to trade a player on a deal like that complicates matters even more. It would be challenging to add a quality player at that pay.
Guys making less than that are either on rookie-scale agreements, minor contracts, or minimum contracts that “teams aren’t exactly excited to move on from yet,” according to Stevens during practice.
Perhaps more significantly, he has been pleased with the amount of play Boston’s current centre rotation has produced.
We’ve clearly seen some excellent play from Kristaps. Al seems to have done well. When needed, I believe Luke and Neemy have both greatly enhanced the team. Therefore, in the event that we do add someone, I’m not sure if it will fundamentally alter the rotation as you suggested.
Horford and Porzingis have long been regarded as players with significant effect, but Kornet and Queta were unproven entering the season. Stevens, though, isn’t shocked by their strong performance this year.
Stevens responded, “No, they haven’t [surprised me].” “They are skilled athletes. It also makes the task a little simpler when you’re surrounded by talented players, especially our guards and wings. When you get to the rim, your guy will be on you, so they will either toss it up to you or out to the other guy for a wide-open three. They did a fantastic job carrying out their responsibilities.
As Boston’s starting third-string centre going into the season, Kornet was injured during warm-ups and missed a significant amount of time in December. Queta stood out in that period and shown that he deserved more chances.
Despite being on a two-way contract, he has averaged 5.3 points and 5.3 rebounds in 12 games this season. Queta is not qualified to play in the playoffs and is limited to playing in 50 games this season.
The Celtics have one open roster space, and Queta has built a case for himself to be awarded a regular deal. However, with the trade deadline drawing near, it may be imperative to remain flexible.
“You do realise that we talk about how we’re going to fill those other spots on our roster every day?” stated Stevens. “Right present, there is one available spot. You must carry fourteen. I believe it’s beneficial to have some roster flexibility heading into a trade deadline or other event. However, we do have those discussions every day.”
Stevens said that Boston has communicated with Queta from the jump that he could be an important member of their big-league squad rather than just a G League project.
“He’s made a great case,” Stevens said of Queta. “He’s a hard worker. He’s been a really good player for us. We anticipated and communicated to him when we got him that he was going to be in Boston a whole heck of a lot more than Maine because we were gonna have Al sitting on back-to-backs, because Kristaps was gonna sit a little bit here and there.
“We didn’t anticipate Luke getting hurt in warm-ups a couple of weeks ago. But now that he’s back here, we feel a little bit more secure there. He’s done a good job, and it’s been obviously noted.”
The Celtics’ limited trade tools make it difficult to envision any significant additions at the center spot, or at any position, for that matter.
Some names that jump out at the center position purely because of salary and potential availability include Chicago Bulls big man Andre Drummond, Charlotte Hornets center Nick Richards, and, depending on their deadline plans, LA Clippers veteran Mason Plumlee. That said, none stand out as significant upgrades over Boston’s current group.
Boston has been pleased with how things have been going in-house, and it seems as though the center position may look the same come February 9.
