Boston Celtics Rumors: 3 Pacers players that could be trade targets
Boston Celtics trade target No. 2: Caris LeVert
It’s clear the Celtics need to do something to their their guard rotation. Both Marcus Smart and Dennis Schroder has been wildly inconsistent throughout the season, and they have been saved thanks to Payton Pritchard’s recent emergence. It seems likely that at least Schroder will be moved at some point this season, considering he is playing on a very cheap one year, $5 million deal, but Smart may be on the move too if Boston can find a team that is willing to take him.
In step the Pacers, who may just have the perfect solution in the form of Caris LeVert. LeVert was caught in the crosshairs of the Brooklyn Nets blockbuster deal for James Harden, and ended up finding himself with a starting role in Indiana after coming off the bench in Brooklyn. LeVert’s first season with the Pacers was derailed when team doctors found a small mass on his kidney during his physical, so there’s a chance getting traded to Indiana ended up saving his life.
LeVert does carry a bit of a injury history (he missed the start of the current season with a stress fracture in his back), but when he’s on the court he’s been one of the Pacers more productive players this season. While his numbers are down from his breakout 2020-21 season (16.4 PPG, 3.3 APG, 2.8 RPG), much of that can be attributed to Indiana’s overall struggles. LeVert is a talented ballhandler who could fill a number of different roles for the Celtics.
LeVert is a natural scorer, but he also has proven to be a capable distributor of the rock as well. He averaged 5.2 assists per game last season, and there’s no reason to believe he wouldn’t be able to reach that same figure playing alongside Tatum and Brown. He also takes better care of the ball than both Boston’s current point guards, only averaging 1.6 turnovers per game.
LeVert would be the one person answer to Boston’s guard troubles, and he may end up being available even if the Pacers somehow turn things around. The Celtics may not have to give up as much to land LeVert as a result, and depending on who goes back to Indiana (preferably Schroder or Smart), he could slide right into the starting lineup for Boston. He’s not the most conventional guard, but LeVert may just be the perfect solution for the Boston Celtics.