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Like it or not, the Boston Celtics have to remain open to potential trades involving Al Horford. Not because the veteran center isn’t performing well – he’s having a great year – but because he is in the twilight of his career and will be entering the final year of his contract next season.
Horford has been an immensely influential figure within the Celtics locker room over his two stints with the team, and his impact goes far beyond his on-court production. However, there can be no room for sentiment when you’re chasing a championship. And for that reason, the Celtics should be expected to field calls about Horford’s services during the off-season.
According to an NBA executive, who spoke to Heavy.com under the condition of anonymity, Boston could find a willing trade partner in the Indiana Pacers.
“If you’re Boston, the Pacers could take back Al Horford and waive him; his salary is only partially guaranteed. The Celtics would have to take on a T.J. McConnell, a contract they probably don’t much want, but that would be the cost of doing business. Horford and a first-rounder for Turner and McConnell.
If you trust Turner’s medicals, now you have a group of guys, including (Jayson) Tatum and (Jaylen) Brown, who are all 24, 25, 26 and can grow together. Marcus Smart would be the old man of the group, and he is 28,” The executive said.
Turner has been on Boston’s radar before, as he was considered to be the make-weight in a potential sign-and-trade when Gordon Hayward entered free agency at the end of the 2019-20 season. The trade never came to fruition, and Hayward ended up signing with the Charlotte Hornets, leaving Turner to continue his battle for dominance with the Pacers’ other commanding center, Domantas Sabonis.
Turner’s Injury History Makes Targeting Him a Risk
The current Celtics core has seen their championship hopes dashed due to injuries on multiple occasions. From Gordon Hayward’s horrific fracture to Kemba Walker’s degenerative knee issues, health has been a debilitating factor for the franchise in recent years.
Adding Turner to the roster would be a risk with those health issues in mind. Due to an ongoing foot issue, the big man is currently on the Pacers’ injury list. Yet, when coupled with Turner’s injury history, that foot issue is precisely what could make him attainable on the trade market.
“He is obviously a risk now, I think any time you get a big man who has a foot problem, a stress fracture kind of thing, those can be recurring. You can come back but they take you down a notch. You think of Yao Ming or Zydrunas Ilgauskas, worst-case scenarios.
So they can put him back on the market for a trade, but you’re talking about a reduced price. If you can get the salaries to match, then you add a first-round pick; it can be late first, it can be protected. But if you’re willing to give up a pick, the Pacers would have to take that,” The executive told Heavy.com.
The Pacers may choose to stand pat, though. The team recently acquired highly rated point guard Tyrese Haliburton in a deal that sent Sabonis to the Sacramento Kings. Indiana may want to see what their new pairing is capable of before deciding on Turner’s future.
The Pacers would be in a tough spot by keeping the big man in Indiana. The 26-year-old center will be entering the final year of his contract next season, and should the Pacers decide to cut ties with him around the trade deadline, and they would receive a nominal package for a player many might deem a flight risk. Still, if the new pairing of Haliburton and Turner works out well, we could see the Texas native agree to a new deal to remain in Indiana as part of the team’s new core.
Turner’s Fit in Boston is Questionable
Robert Williams is one of the Celtics’ most impactful players and is quickly cementing himself as one of their most talented too. The Louisana native’s rim protection and lob threat have been integral to the Celtics’ uptick in fortunes since the turn of the calendar year. Even though injury issues have limited him again, he should remain the team’s long-term center.
As such, adding Turner doesn’t make much sense. Sure, the Pacers’ big man has operated in a double big lineup before, but he’s always been the player to man the center, with Sabonis working as the four. In fact, according to Basketball-Reference, Turner has only spent 4% of his NBA minutes playing the power forward position, opposed to 96% of his time at the five.
Turner would be tasked with playing at the power forward position should he join the Celtics due to his three-point shooting ability. But given his limited lateral mobility, there would be questions about how Turner could fulfill his role in such a position – on both ends of the floor.
Despite Horford’s increasing age, he’s still a mobile big that can navigate around screens, fight through contact, and execute a switching scheme on defense – there’s no proof Turner can do those things to a high level.
So, while Turner’s floor spacing and rebounding may have Celtics fans dreaming of a younger, more robust big man pairing, there are potential pitfalls with making such a deal. However, you only have to look towards the Cleveland Cavaliers to see that it is possible to slide a big man down into the power forward position and get good results.
But can Turner switch onto quicker guards like the Brooklyn Nets Kyrie Irving? Or deal with the trickery of a Ja Morant or Trae Young? Those are questions the front office will need to answer before picking up the phone and initiating trade discussions.
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