Getty Deandre Ayton and Bismack Biyombo of the Phoenix Suns celebrate after defeating the Dallas Mavericks.
Despite being arguably the most well-put-together team in the association, there’s an argument to be made that the Boston Celtics should still strongly consider making mid-season moves, if for nothing more than to shore up the minimal albeit present weak spots found within their rotation.
With this, should Brad Stevens and company wish to address some of the club’s lacking areas via the trade market, Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley believes that a deal for Phoenix Suns big man Bismack Biyombo should be near the top of their wish list.
IT’S THE BISMACK BIYOMBO SHOW AND WE’RE HERE FOR IT!
“The Celtics, the current leaders in both winning percentage and net rating, are the closest thing the Association has to a weakness-free team,” Buckley wrote. “If Boston has a shortcoming, though, it’s a lack of reliable depth up front.”
Buckley would go on to note that while the return of Robert Williams will certainly help address any deficiencies that are currently found within Boston’s frontcourt, considering his extensive injury history and, thus, unreliability, adding on a trusty big to help fill out the depth behind him and help bolster their defensive prowess along the way could be a sound move to make.
“Why not Biyombo? The Suns could deem him expendable since he’s third on the depth chart behind Deandre Ayton and Jock Landale, while the Celtics could view Biyombo as a steady source of glass-cleaning, paint protection and high energy.”
Despite only seeing 12.4 minutes a night for Phoenix this year, Biyombo has managed to make his presence felt on a nightly basis, as he’s proven to be an astounding asset on the less glamorous side of the ball for the sixth-best defensive unit in the league.
Through 17 contests played, the veteran finds himself swatting away 1.5 shots a night (11th best mark in the NBA) and sports the team’s top defensive rating and defensive box plus-minus of 103 and 3.7, respectively.
While he may be somewhat of a non-factor on the offensive side of the ball, considering the Celtics already have a treasure trove of talents in this department and have struggled to contain an opposing team’s scoring punch (let up 113.3 points per game and rank as the 10th worst defensive unit), head coach Joe Mazzulla could very easily mask Biyombo’s deficiencies while also getting the most out of his strengths if acquired.
Other Bigs Linked to Celtics
While Biyombo may arguably be a most realistic and, frankly, easier target to acquire via trade, the Boston Celtics have found themselves linked to several other big men across the league throughout these early months of the season.
Jakob Poeltl: Protector of the Paint 🚫
Perhaps the biggest name found attached to the franchise as a possible option is San Antonio Spurs big man Jakob Poeltl, who ESPN’s Brian Windhorst first discussed as being an option in a November 16 episode of The Hoop Collective.
Another popular option amongst both the fanbase as well as media analysts is the OKC Thunder’s floor-spacing big man Mike Muscala, who Bleacher Report tabbed as being an option for the Celtics in a past trade piece.
Bucks Could Benefit by Acquiring Celtics Guard
Within Buckley’s piece, he noted that Boston Celtics conference foe, the Milwaukee Bucks, could be a quality suitor for point guard Payton Pritchard and, in turn, should be keeping close tabs on his potential availability.
“Now, the Celtics may not want to outfit a direct competitor with a valuable contributor, but if the Bucks put the best offer on the table, that can win over any resistance,” Buckley wrote.
“Pritchard isn’t worth breaking the bank or anything, but Milwaukee could give up a decent asset to get him. The Bucks need more shooting and more backcourt scoring in general, and those areas just happen to be Pritchard’s specialties.”
Considering Pritchard’s career averages of 20.7 points per 100 possessions on 41.1% shooting from distance, it’s no wonder that Buckley would believe the Bucks could benefit from the guard’s skill set, as they currently find themselves ranked 17th in 3-point shooting with a conversion rate of 34.9% despite hoisting up the seventh most attempts per game at 37.3.
However, his initial point that the Celtics might not be so keen on the concept of doing business with a direct conference contender almost certainly writes the Bucks off as being a realistic trade partner should the front office end up shopping the 24-year-old.