As the 2023 NBA trade deadline draws closer, even the fans of the Boston Celtics find their minds wandering towards ways to make their favorite ball clubs better via striking deals with opposing franchises, many of whom may be looking to offload capable players as they tighten their rotations — or get ready to tank in earnest.
With that in mind, Bleacher Report NBA analyst Zach Buckley cooked up a league-wide series of trade proposals to such an end, with the Celtics of course included with an eye to bolstering their front court — arguably the only area where the team might find itself wanting with an injury to a starter.
Let’s see who the BR analyst has in mind for Boston to keep tabs on.
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“The Celtics, the current leaders in both winning percentage and net rating, are the closest thing the Association has to a weakness-free team,” suggests Buckley.
“They do almost everything at a respectable-or-better level, and their floor will only rise once defensive anchor Robert Williams III returns from knee injury.”
“Now I have the idea that I can still have the impact that I had in college, now it’s just going to look different,” Kabengele said. https://t.co/8YTYlhUFXT
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) December 3, 2022
“If Boston has a shortcoming, though, it’s a lack of reliable depth up front,” correctly surmises the B/R writer.
“Granted, (Rob) Williams would help strengthen that, but even if he stays healthy—which hasn’t always been his strong suit—the Shamrocks might seek another big body behind him. Why not Biyombo? The Suns could deem him expendable since he’s third on the depth chart behind Deandre Ayton and Jock Landale, while the Celtics could view Biyombo as a steady source of glass-cleaning, paint protection, and high energy.”
Given the Celtics’ injury concerns with Timelord, and veteran Al Horford’s age, a player able to provide some help off the bench going mostly unused elsewhere is certainly a player profile to watch for.
With Boston seemingly having sorted out their lack of frontcourt depth while Robert Williams III and Danilo Gallinari heal up, does it make sense to burn the sort of assets he will likely command f… https://t.co/1fw2omXf6Y
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) December 3, 2022
Able to provide a modicum of rim protection and rebounding on the cheap — Biyombo will earn just $1.8 million this season — the risk level is as negligible as his career free throw percentage (56.3%) is.
But in just over 12 minutes per game of floor time with the Suns this season, Biyombo is blocking roughly 1.5 shots per game while pulling down 3.5 boards per game.
The Congolese center might not be a long-term depth solution for Boston, but as a cheap insurance policy, he would certainly be a worthy addition to the team.
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