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As we enter the All-Star break, the Boston Celtics still have an open roster spot to fill but have missed out on numerous targets since the February 9 trade deadline passed.
According to Wyc Grousbeck, who gave an exclusive interview during an appearance on WEEI’s The Greg Hill Show, the Celtics may be struggling to attract veteran talent as they view the minimal role available in Boston as potentially detrimental to their careers.
“I’d be very surprised if we went into the playoffs with an open roster spot, don’t think that’s going to happen. There’s a question whether you sign people to 10-day contracts to check them out if they’re willing to accept a role where the team’s pretty deep, so there may not be a lot of minutes. People don’t necessarily want to sign for that. It might not be good for their career,” Grousbeck said.
The Celtics still boast a Disabled Player Exception worth $3.2 million, and as such, can have the financial advantage when discussing contracts with free agents – it’s just about finding one who could potentially make an impact and would be willing to play a marginal role for the remainder of the season.
Celtics Almost Traded 2016 & 2017 Draft Picks
Currently, the Celtics are among the best teams in the NBA and find themselves sitting atop the Eastern Conference; however, things might not be looking so rosy for Boston had Danny Ainge made a trade for Jimmy Butler when he was still with the Chicago Bulls.
“There was a situation where I could have given away both of those picks to get Jimmy Butler, and so, like that criticism is fair, like ‘you’re hoarding your picks to get rid of Jimmy Butler.’ I just thought it was too rich at the time, and thank goodness, we were lucky and that turned out to be Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum…You never know how those are going to work out, Jimmy was really good, and we liked him, and we wanted him,” Ainge said during an appearance on Underdog Fantasy.
There’s no telling if trading for Butler would have led to a championship or not, but one thing is for certain: the Celtics wouldn’t currently boast Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown as their star duo, which means their future wouldn’t look as bright as it currently does.
Celtics Could Target Kevin Love in Buyout Market
On February 18, it was confirmed that Kevin Love had reached a buyout agreement with the Cleveland Cavaliers and would be entering free agency. According to NESN’s Sean T. McGuire, the Celtics should attempt to outbid their opponents in order to acquire Love as a high-level depth piece to give them some additional talent heading into the postseason.
“The addition of Love admittedly would be more of a break-glass-in-case-of-emergency situation. The Celtics hopefully wouldn’t have to play Love in meaningful minutes this spring. But the potential to fill that final spot with a veteran who’s won a championship nevertheless is enticing…The Celtics do enter the buyout market with an advantage over others as Boston has a $3.2 million disabled player exception earned after Danilo Gallinari’s injury. It could be used to outbid opponents for buyout candidates and specifically used to outbid those going after Love,” McGuire wrote.
Love, 34, is averaging 8.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per contest while shooting 38.9% from the field and 35.4% from three-point range so far this season and would ensure Boston’s frontcourt had enough depth, rebounding, and veteran leadership to navigate the highs and low’s of a potential championship run.
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