The Boston Celtics did it.
Finally.
After a series of near misses and endless frustrations over the past few seasons, the Shamrocks are NBA champions for the first time since 2008. A record-tying 18th championship banner will soon hang from the rafters of TD Garden.
It’s a time of celebration, for almost everyone. But for the franchise’s key decision-makers, it’s time to get to work. Or rather continue to work.
With the draft looming over the basketball world and free agency following soon after, it’s up to Boston’s leaders to already begin tackling the puzzle of next season’s championship. Although flexibility is limited (building the best basketball roster isn’t cheap), there should be some attractive and profitable options on the trade market, including the following three potential targets.
Frontcourt depth should be a focus of the franchise. Kristaps Porziņģis is constantly struggling to stay healthy and Al Horford is on the wrong side of his 38th birthday.
The Celtics need to be comfortable with the options they have behind them, and by the way, those could be dwindling internally. Free agency awaits both Luke Kornet and Xavier Tillman, and neither should be considered a lock to return.
Making a deal for Santi Aldama from Memphis not only provides some insurance, but potentially improves this part of this roster. He can take minutes at the 4th and 5th spots, meaning he can play alongside either big or hold his serve at center while the two catch their breath.
He’s a smart team defender, which is the kind of quality that can really play on a team with this much defensive talent. He’s also a competent outside shooter (1.4 threes per game on 35.1 percent shooting over the past two seasons) with enough hustle off the dribble to sneak into overzealous closeouts.
Every team in the modern NBA could use more three-and-D wings. Yes, even one featuring a pair of perennial All-Stars at the position like the Celtics did with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Torrey Craig, to be clear, is more “D” than “three”, but he can be good enough with the latter to function well in this role.
Since the start of the 2022-23 season, he has converted 39.4% of his long-range looks. Now, the volume isn’t great (3.1 attempts per outing), but that accuracy warrants enough defensive attention to help widen the attacking lanes for players around him. And if Craig is left alone, he’s obviously capable of punishing teams that do so.
If the Bulls ever embark on their rebuild, Craig, who turns 34 in December, would be an obvious candidate for a trade – assuming he resumes his tenure. $2.8 million player option, by Spotrac. He wouldn’t control much in the trade market, which would only increase the Celtics’ interest in making a deal.
If the Celtics are looking for a backup big man, they should aim to add someone who brings a different dimension to this center rotation.
Isaiah Jackson would do just that.
His spring-loaded athleticism would give Boston some extra rebounding. He understands how to exploit those jumps and convert them into blocked shots and highlight hammers. If he ever manages to move into a bigger role than the one he has in Indiana, his stats could quickly become interesting. Last season, he shot a career-best 66.5 percent from the field while average 11.1 rebounds and 2.8 rejections per 36 minutes, according to Basketball-Reference.
It’s not hard to imagine him thriving as an athletic energizer with this group, and he could be more effective than ever given the ridiculous amount of offensive talent he would have around him. And if the Pacers don’t have plans for him beyond his rookie contract, which expires after next season, they shouldn’t need much to move on from him.
