The Boston Celtics were forced to make sweeping changes to their roster this offseason. Faced with a financial cliff and pressure to shed salary, GM Brad Stevens traded away Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday, and let Luke Kornet sign with the Spurs, while Al Horford remains unsigned. While Celtics fans were expecting a mass exodus this summer, likely no one expected this level of talent drain, as the projected starting power forward and center combination is Georges Niang and Luka Garza.
That is why it behooves the Celtics to find a starting center on the trade market. Yes, the Celtics are not title contenders next season, regardless of who starts at center. Yet, they owe it to the team and the fans to give themselves the best chance to be competitive. Therefore, trading for someone like Daniel Gafford of the Dallas Mavericks has to be seriously explored.
In one trade scenario that makes sense, the Celtics trade Sam Hauser, Georges Niang, and an unprotected first-round pick to the Mavs for Daniel Gafford.
Targeting the Mavs as a potential trade partner makes a ton of sense as Dallas has an extremely crowded frontcourt that consists of Anthony Davis, Cooper Flagg, PJ Washington, Dereck Lively, and Gafford. Moving on from one of these players is a no-brainer for the Mavericks.
This move gives Boston a reliable two-way center. Gafford is a good pick-and-roll center who can finish around the basket while being an underrated rim protector on the other end of the floor. The 26-year-old just signed a new three-year, $54 million extension that keeps him under contract through 2029. The fact that he fits Boston's timeline upon Jayson Tatum's return makes him an intriguing fit.
Giving up Hauser and the newly acquired Niang would hurt the Celtics' spacing, to be sure, as the two forwards are likely the two best shooters on the team. However, one-way forwards that space the floor are easier to find than quality two-way bigs, especially for a desperate team like the Celtics. To have Gafford as the defensive anchor is likely worth the hefty first-round pick price Boston pays in this deal.