With Kristaps Porzingis’ injury susceptibility and Al Horford’s age being concerns for the Boston Celtics, acquiring a center like Andre Drummond of the Chicago Bulls could quell some of their worries, according to Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz.
In a December 4 column proposing one trade each NBA team should make, Swartz suggested the following:
Celtics receive: Drummond
Bulls receive: 2023 second-round pick
“Boston only ranks 17th overall in offensively rebounding (28.5%), however, and will have to keep an eye on the usage of Kristaps Porziņģis (durability) and Al Horford (37 years old) all season long,” Swartz wrote. “Drummond could be a buy-low option, as his $3.3 million salary fits into a $6.2 million trade exception created by the Grant Williams sign-and-trade. Drummond’s 20.7 offensive rebound percentage would rank No. 1 in the NBA if he had enough minutes to qualify.”
Drummond’s all-star days, when he led the NBA in rebounding four times, are long behind him and he’s been used in a backup role over the past few years. He would come with warts, but he also would aid a Celtics weakness.
Andre Drummond Named Among Top Three Celtics Targets
In November, another Bleacher Report writer suggested the Celtics pursue Drummond.
“If the Celtics don’t want to pay much for interior depth, he could be their guy,” Zach Buckley wrote. “His perimeter limitations at both ends hurt his value in the modern game, but he’s still an active rebounder who can finish around the basket and protect the paint.
“He could be the kind of player Boston acquires to keep behind emergency glass,” he wrote. “If this team faces a low-post bruiser in the playoffs—several could wind up on this club’s road to a title—it might get more mileage out of Drummond than Kornet in that matchup. That insurance alone would justify Drummond’s trade cost, which would be minimal.”
Porzingis has missed five of the Celtics’ 20 games, including four in a row starting November 26. Meanwhile, Horford has sat on the front end of each of the Celtics’ two back-to-backs this season. Drummond would provide depth if either player misses extended time.
Drummond “would draw interest” if the Bulls strip the roster in what NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson called a “season on the road to nowhere” in a November 29 report.
If Bulls executive vice president Arturos Karnišovas “really wants to tear his situation down to the studs, trading Caruso and even Andre Drummon — who league sources said would draw interest — would be on the table,” Johnson wrote.
Celtics Will Be ‘Active’ on the Trade Market: Insider
The Athletic’s Shams Charania said he believed the Celtics would explore the trade market ahead of the February 8 trade deadline.
“I expect the Celtics to be active in the trade market as we get closer to February, to try to see if they can beef up their bench rotation.”
@ShamsCharania‘s biggest concern for the Celtics is late game execution, what kind of player are they missing? 🤔
📺:…
“The Celtics gave up a couple first-round picks in that Jrue Holiday trade. They still have a few first-round picks leftover. I expect the Celtics to be active in the trade market as we get closer to February to try to see if they can beef up their bench rotation,” Charania said December 5 on FanDuel TV’s “Run It Back.”
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Proposed Trade Would Send 2-Time All-Star, Rebounding Champ to Celtics