With Al Horford reportedly on his way out and Aron Baynes en route to Phoenix, the Boston Celtics need help in the front court.
The Celtics reportedly are one of two teams keeping an eye on the Orlando Magic’s negotiations with Nikola Vucevic and will be ready to pounce if those talks are unsuccessful. Brook Lopez is another name set to hit the open market, but the Milwaukee Bucks trading Tony Snell seems to indicate they might be trying to keep the veteran center in addition to Khris Middleton and Malcolm Brogdon.
So what if the Celtics made a trade? They’re obviously not in a position to ship off major assets, so it would have to be a move that wouldn’t set the quasi-rebuilding Celtics back. During Friday’s “Get Up!” on ESPN, the network’s front office insider, Bobby Marks, suggested Boston go after Oklahoma City big man Steven Adams.
Here’s his exchange with colleague Jalen Rose.
Rose: Here’s what you do if you’re the Celtics. You’re gonna lose (Marcus) Morris, you’re gonna lose Horford and you just traded Baynes. You’ve got to get a big guy, go after Brook Lopez, go after Nick Vucevic.
Marks: I’ve got a name for you: go after Steven Adams. That’s who they should go after.
So, about Adams. He’s under contract for two more seasons and was signed using Bird Rights, carrying a $25.8million cap hit for next season and $27.5 million the following campain before hitting unrestricted free agency (all figures per Spotrac). But as important of a contributor as Adams is for the Thunder, he and a few others reportedly are being shopped in order for Oklahoma City to stay under the luxury tax. While not knowing exactly what they’d be able to get for Adams in return, that need to shed money puts the Thunder in a position of less leverage. They also aren’t in a spot to take on a bunch of cash in return, so draft picks presumably could help complete the deal, and the Celtics have plenty of draft capital.
Adams played (and started) in 80 regular-season games in 2018-19, averaging 13.9 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.0 blocks per game. The 25-year-old, who will turn 26 next month, has been an important part of the Thunder pretty much since he debuted in the 2013-14 season.
Whether or not the Celtics are willing to make such a move is uncertain, but Adams might be a name to keep an eye on.
