The Boston Celtics are officially in business this trade season, according to Shams Charania's latest update on Brad Stevens' plans over the next two weeks. Jayson Tatum's return must not be too far behind.
During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Friday, Charania revealed that Boston is in the market for a "big-time starting center" to move the needle as the Celtics aim to leap the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference.
“I could see Boston adding, they’ve been in the marketplace for a big-time starting center ... They’re going to be aggressive to move the needle," Charania said.
Now, why would Boston want to land a starter if their best player wasn't coming back? Even with Jaylen Brown leading the way, the Celtics are one of the East's best teams. This team is unproven in the postseason, though. It's one thing to win in the regular season, catching teams by surprise, but it's another when the opposite head coach is honing in on Brown and making your shooters beat you. Sure, Sam Hauser and Payton Pritchard are proven in that setting, but that was in a much smaller role and in the context of having floor-stretching bigs.
The game is different with Neemias Queta as the team's starting center. Assuming Tatum returns with or without a "big-time starting center" in the mix, since every update on his Achilles tendon has been positive, Mazzulla will be forced to shake things up.
There's already going to be an adjustment with No. 0 healthy. May as well give the team some familiarity by landing a player who can function more like Al Horford did at the 5.
Myles Turner and Brook Lopez are Realistic 'Big-Time Starting Centers'
While Ivica Zubac and Daniel Gafford have been linked to the Celtics, both are similar to Queta in that they do their best work at the rim and don't tend to stray from their best work. Both are solid starting options, but neither are "big-time starting centers."
Brook Lopez is probably the fringe of what's considered "big-time," but he is the Brooklyn Nets' all-time leading scorer and a pivot who's improved dramatically from beyond the arc in his career. Perhaps playing in Ty Lue's Los Angeles offense is truly what's holding him back from being more highly revered in his 17th season.
On the more exciting end is Myles Turner, whose signing with the Milwaukee Bucks this past offseason may as well have been the unofficial end to their championship window -- though perhaps it's been closed since they traded Jrue Holiday. Milwaukee doesn't need to keep anyone in the event Giannis wants out, and Turner probably has the most trade value on that roster outside of the "Greek Freak." Turner will undoubtedly cost more than Lopez, but he is less than a year removed from being one of Tyrese Haliburton's biggest weapons on an Indiana Pacers squad that was a quarter away from winning an NBA Championship.
Anfernee Simons and/or Hauser would need to be included in any arrangement. Landing either is possible, depending on how aggressive Stevens is willing to be between now and February 5.