Heading into Tuesday with a 36-15 record, the Boston Celtics stand atop the Eastern Conference standings, leading the Toronto Raptors by 1.5 games.Going 18-8 at home and 18-7 on the road so far this year, coach Brad Stevens has presided over one of the most consistent squads in the entire Association.However, as always with the historic Boston franchise, the only thing that really matters is winning their next championship. The path to No. 18 is not going to be an easy one, either.Although they're leading the Eastern Conference right now, the Raptors have been wildly impressive. The Cleveland Cavaliers will most likely figure things out since they have one of the best on-paper teams in the entire league. The Miami Heat have overachieved. The Milwaukee Bucks are getting Jabari Parker back on Friday and have a plethora of talent. The Washington Wizards nearly took Boston out of last year's playoffs, forcing a Game 7 in the Eastern Semifinals.That's just the Eastern Conference.If they end up making it to the Finals, they'll most likely have to take on the Golden State Warriors, winners of two of the last three championships. Others like the Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, Minnesota Timberwolves and Oklahoma City Thunder could also be in the mix if the Warriors somehow falter.
While the Celtics have clearly benefitted from acquiring Kyrie Irving, who has fit in perfectly alongside the veteran leadership of Al Horford and the development of their young talent under Coach Stevens, Boston might want to add some more pieces before the upcoming February 8 trade deadline.Although the current team might have what it takes to reach the Finals, they would most likely have a hard time dethroning the Warriors.Here are three trade ideas that could level that playing field and immediately vault the Celtics forward in the short term, going all-in towards winning this year.
Trade 1: Celtics trade future first-round pick, two future second-round picks to the Clippers for guard Lou Williams
After Gordon Hayward suffered one of the most horrific in-game injuries in sports history in the season opener, the Celtics applied for and received an $8.4 million Disabled Player Exception. That means that they could easily acquire Williams' $7 million salary without having to match salaries or give up anyone in return.
“If there’s a deal that we have to do, we’ll do it,’’ Ainge initially said about using the exception, per Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. “But until there’s a deal that we like, we won’t do it.”
This might be the time and the deal might now be available. Since the Clippers traded Blake Griffin to the Detroit Pistons on Monday, it looks like they're trying to create some payroll flexibility. Williams and DeAndre Jordan are now the two most logical trade targets.
Williams is clearly having the best season of his 13-year career, averaging 23.5 points and 5.2 assists in 32.3 minutes per contest. Most importantly, he is comfortable coming off the bench, as he has started just 14 of Los Angeles' games this season.
The Celtics have struggled at times this season with Irving on the bench. Although Terry Rozier and Marcus Smart have done their best to fill in offensively, they have fallen short despite their elite defensive abilities. Williams is the definition of instant offense and can catch fire at any point, thus creating headaches for opposing defenses on a nightly basis.
Since Boston would use him off the bench, he'd most likely feast on opposing second units while also providing an elite scoring ability when playing alongside the starters.
Although the Clippers' strategy could revolve around trying to recruit some big-named free agents in the summer, a major aspect of rebuilding is acquiring assets in the form of draft picks (just ask the Celtics). Therefore, this might be an appealing deal for LA as well.
Williams' contract is expiring and he's almost certain to receive a massive, multi-year deal in the summer. If the Clippers don't view him as a long-term option, he could end up walking away, leaving the Clippers with no compensation if they don't move him now.
Trade 2: Celtics trade guard Marcus Smart to the Memphis Grizzlies for guard Tyreke Evans
Playing on a one-year, $3.29 million deal, Evans is arguably the biggest discount in the NBA this season. Averaging 19.4 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game, he's looking more and more like the rookie who put up 20.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.8 assists back in 2009-2010.
On an expiring deal like Williams, Evans will undoubtedly command a huge contract in the summer. But until then, he'd be an extremely valuable rental. At 6'6", he has the size and ball-handling skills to play point guard, shooting guard or even small forward.
Further, he's improved his outside shooting ability, knocking down 38.8 percent of his three-point shots. He shot 20.2 percent in the 2011-2012 campaign, which puts into perspective what a transformation he's made offensively.
Like Williams, Evans has been comfortable playing off the bench this season, starting just 26 of 45 games for the underachieving Grizzlies. If he joined Williams in a sixth and seventh man tandem, the results could be astounding, as Stevens could play either or both of them over 30 minutes on a nightly basis. Additionally, pairing both on the court with Irving, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum could make up one of the most dangerous small-ball lineups in the league.
The Grizzlies would most likely be interested in acquiring a hard-nosed defensive-oriented guard like Smart, who has another year remaining on his contract and fits the identity of their organization. He'd be a natural fit alongside Mike Conley and Marc Gasol next season. Since Memphis probably won't be willing to sign Evans to a multi-year, lucrative deal based on his injury history and current payroll, they'd probably be open to receiving a young, proven guard for Evans, who could simply walk away in free agency.
Trade 3: Celtics trade forward Guerschon Yabusele, forward Semi Ojeleye and two future second-round picks to the Bulls for forward Bobby Portis and guard David Nwaba
Yabusele and Ojeleye have performed just like most young prospects this season. In limited minutes, they've struggled. At some moments, they've thrived.
Since the Bulls are undergoing a rebuild at the moment, they might be interested in acquiring both of the young forwards. Portis has had a career year, averaging 12.2 points and 6.1 rebounds in just 20.3 minutes per contest. All of those are career-highs. But, he doesn't project as an NBA starter, even in Chicago.
At 6'11", Portis is most suited to play the power forward spot, but in today's increasingly-positionless NBA, he's able to play the four or five. He'd be able to come off the bench with energy to defend someone like Draymond Green, who tends to give Horford or Aron Baynes quite a bit of trouble due to his athleticism. When the Celtics recently played the Warriors, Coach Stevens turned to Daniel Theis at times.
It's safe to say that Portis would be an upgrade over Theis at this point in their respective careers. Like Williams and Evans, Portis also possesses an ability to fill up the scoring column if he gets hot.
Nwaba is a scrappy, defensive-oriented guard. Although he'd likely struggle to see any playing time, he'd be a matchup-based option based on his on-ball tenacity. In many ways, he could replace Smart's presence if called upon.
As the Celtics' bench currently stands, they arguably don't have a single player who could catch fire and score 25 points on any given night. If they make these three trades, they'd gain three.
The newly-constructed roster
If these trades were made, Coach Stevens would have plenty of rotational options, which would certainly come in handy in the playoffs.
For consistency's sake, let's assume that Stevens would continue to start Irving, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Horford and Aron Baynes.
That would mean that Williams, Evans, Portis, Marcus Morris and Terry Rozier would most likely play most of the minutes off the bench. Since Williams and Evans have been used to playing starter's minutes off the bench for their respective clubs this season, Boston's second unit would undoubtedly become the best in the NBA by a wide margin.
Daniel Theis and Nwaba would also likely make the active roster while the 13th spot would be held by either Abdel Nader, Shane Larkin, Jarell Eddie, Kadeem Allen or even Gordon Hayward (if he returns at some point towards the end of the season).
Although it would possibly take a little time to mesh defensively, making these moves would certainly allow the Celtics to stack up offensively against the Warriors and Rockets, who are widely regarded as the top two teams in the West.
Since it's a win-it-all-or-go-home mentality in Boston, Danny Ainge probably knows that he has to make some kind of move in order to truly contend.