The Boston Celtics appear to have stood pat at the NBA trade deadline, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be at least a little active in the buyout market.
Scoring off the bench and frontcourt help were the two biggest areas of need for the Celtics, but, obviously, they addressed neither by 3 p.m. ET on Thursday.
However, a big name could be hitting the buyout market.
With the Cleveland Cavaliers acquiring Andre Drummond in a trade with the Detroit Pistons, their need for Tristan Thompson’s services decreases dramatically. If the Cavs do indeed buy out Thompson as a result, the Celtics likely would be kicking the tires on bringing him in.
That’s at least the idea ESPN’s Brian Windhorst floated Thursday on “The Jump.”
“I think the chances of a Tristan Thompson buyout have increased dramatically,” Windhorst said. “That means if you’re a fan of the Boston Celtics, your ears perk way up right now. The Boston Celtics would be major in the market for (Thompson).”
However, Yahoo! Sports’ Chris Haynes indicated earlier Thursday that a buyout wasn’t an option for Thompson.
Yahoo Sources: Houston did its due diligence on Cleveland center Tristan Thompson, but are unable to get to his number to make a trade work. If Thompson makes it past deadline, a buyout is not an option.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) February 6, 2020
In 48 games this season, Thompson is averaging 11.9 points and 10.4 rebounds. While the 28-year-old wouldn’t get the Celtics past the Bucks or 76ers necessarily, it would certainly help them match up better against those types of teams.
Now, the Cavs just have to figure out what exactly they want to do with him.
