The Celtics just finished up their final game in the Summer League. During that time, the roster went through some final cuts and signings. Celtics fans saw another one of their favorite bench players cut in forward Guerschon Yabusele in the midst of the summer league. This move was then followed by summer league standout Carsen Edwards signing a four-year contract with the team.
After these moves during the summer league, there is still a final spot on the Celtics roster. Many speculate that they will fill out the roster spot with one of the many remaining players from the summer league team, such as fan-favorite 7-foot-6 center Tacko Fall. With that said, if the team wanted to compete for a title right away, it would be smart to put Fall on the Maine Red Claws to further his progression of becoming an NBA-caliber player.
The Celtics biggest need right now is at the center spot. Robert Williams, Daniel Theis, Enes Kanter, and Vincent Poirier are players that provide stable minutes at the center position but aren’t great solutions. To fill this need, the Celtics can either fill out their final roster spot by signing someone left in free agency or go out and trade for one.
Recent trade rumors have been surrounding a certain player that could fill the Celtics need. Cavaliers forward Kevin Love has been in trade rumors since he signed his five-year extension with the Cavaliers last summer. His contract is now entering the second year of the deal.
With his $30 million cap hit, a trade for Love would almost certainly result in Gordon Hayward heading to Cleveland. But Hayward would not be enough to obtain the former All-Star. If the Celtics believe that Love could be the final piece to a championship run, then Danny Ainge would not flinch in throwing in multiple first-round picks. Here might be an example of a trade package:
Cavaliers would receive:
- Forward Gordon Hayward
- Memphis Grizzlies protect pick (2020 top-six protected, or unprotected in 2021)
- Celtics 2022 unprotected pick
Celtics would receive:
- Kevin Love
- Future second-round pick
This allows the Celtics to provide the spacing and rebounding that they need at the center position, while also setting up more minutes for younger guys like Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, Grant Williams, and Semi Ojeleye at the wing position.
Love is a former champion and could also bring the veteran leadership for Williams and others that comes with playing on teams that make deep playoff runs. Love is also a great teammate, and knows his role; he went from the first scoring option in Minnesota to the third behind Lebron James and Kyrie Irving in Cleveland without any drama.
Another possibility for the Celtics is signing three-time Defensive Player of the Year center Dwight Howard. Howard is seemingly not the same player since leaving for the Lakers years back, but his stats are still effective for a team like the Celtics.
His play on the boards and on the defensive end may have dropped off from his prime, but in recent years he still produces double-double on a nightly basis. Howard would be a great and cheap anchor to either start or back up. The only problem that Howard will bring to the Celtics is that he is not a space-and-pace kind of player; he does clog up the paint. But with the way the Celtics are built, there should be few problems with having Howard on the floor surrounded by shooters.
Just like there are realistic rumors, there are always the far fetched ones that circulate the NBA world. Sometimes it is even possible that these more outlandish rumors become true. There are some players that are on the trade market or are still looking for a team in free agency. A player like Pau Gasol is still looking for a team, and the Celtics could be showing signs in signing him. These types of players would fight for the few minutes that the team has to offer, but are more likely going to be signed as an injury reserved bench player and for leadership to the younger players.
Gasol would probably have the best chance at receiving minutes as he can space the floor and was a big part in the Lakers repeat in the 2009-10 seasons. Gasol would help mentor the bigs into learning how to space the floor and work the pick-and-pop with Kemba Walker.
The Celtics have time to consider all their options before filling in their final roster spot, and there are many options that the team could take.
