With the NBA Trade Deadline less than a month away, the Boston Celtics have to consider using their designated player exception.
When the Boston Celtics lost Gordon Hayward in the first five minutes of the season, the NBA granted the team a designated player exception. The exception is worth $8.4 million and will be a key piece to the Celtics’ strategy going into the NBA’s February 8th trade deadline.
As they are currently comprised, the Celtics have developed incredible team chemistry and fought their way to the second highest win total in the NBA. They are less needy than some of their competition, like Cleveland who is need of a defensive stopper or Washington who could use a more offensively talented front court.
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But Boston is in the unique position of having the ability to add a new piece that they are not necessarily in need of. Danny Ainge still has draft picks to deal and the free $8.4 million in cap space gives him flexibility to bring someone in.
Free agent prospects
Free agency could be a potential route as well, with older productive players like Andrew Bogut or Brandon Bass still available, but with so many assets, a trade seems very likely.
The tricky part of the DPE is that it can only be used in specific circumstances: the Boston Celtics can only use it to trade for a player in the final year of their contract. There are plenty of stars heading toward free agency who would either never be traded to Boston (Dwyane Wade and Tony Parker) or are unlikely to be affordable with what the Celtics are willing to sell (DeMarcus Cousins, Jabari Parker, and Derrick Favors).
Lou Williams
If the Celtics are looking for more scoring off the bench, Lou Williams would be an option. It would likely bump Shane Larkin out of the rotation, but it would be a massive upgrade. Williams is in the final year of his contract and making only $7 million this season, making him the ideal candidate for the DPE. His 23.3 points per game would be likely allow Marcus Smart to focus on his strengths and not feel like he needs to score with a legitimate threat like Williams next to him.
The Clippers have recently explored extending Williams’ contract due to his scoring talent, though, making it less likely that the Celtics could get him without dangling a high-value draft pick. If Williams is off limits, the Celtics could also look into Atlanta’s Marco Belinelli, a three-point threat who is not getting much playing time, or veteran Vince Carter. If Carter is brought in, it would likely be more for his locker room presence.
Julius Randle
An intriguing option would be the Lakers’ Julius Randle. Randle has improved in each of his three full NBA seasons, but the struggling Lakers have been using him off the bench more often than not this season. There were reports that Randle may be shipped out for future assets, but it appears that he is more likely to stay now that the Lakers are playing a little better.
Randle would be solid addition to the Boston Celtics front court, with solid offensive skills and a decent showing on defense that could certainly improve under Brad Stevens.
The only downside for Randle is his inconsistency. When motivated, he can impact the game. When his focus is not there, he can basically go invisible. On a winning team and under a coach like Stevens, that may not be much of a factor in Boston.
Tyreke Evans
Another interesting, though unlikely, scoring option would be Tyreke Evans of the Memphis Grizzlies. Evans averaged 20.1 points in his rookie season and then fell off the map a bit, but he is reviving his career in Memphis this year to a tune of 19.6 points per game.
Evans is only making $3.3 million this season, but his rejuvenation on a struggling Memphis team will likely make him more expensive than expected. With a likely tank coming the rest of the season, the Grizzlies would only trade Evans if they could get valuable future assets back.
The danger of using the DPE would be that the Celtics may not have a great chance to re-sign whoever they bring in. Giving up valuable draft picks may not be worth a rental, with the high salaries of Hayward and Al Horford and large paydays coming up for Marcus Smart and future salary needed to retain Kyrie Irving, Jayson Tatum, and Jaylen Brown.
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Of course, if Ainge can find a deal to push the Boston Celtics in front of Cleveland and Toronto permanently, then he will bite at the chance. With a Hayward return not fully ruled out, the Celtics should try to take advantage of their DPE to add another piece before it expires in March.