Of all the Boston Celtics trade rumors, here's one reported target who might be worth pursuing.
The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor on Monday named Chicago Bulls forward Thaddeus Young as the player whom it "makes the most sense" for the Celtics to acquire ahead of the March 25 NBA trade deadline.
O'Connor believes the Bulls' asking price for Young, combined with his salary, makes him a realistic option for the Celtics. However, O'Connor is skeptical over Young's potential impact in Boston.
"Adding an older veteran like Thaddeus Young to bolster the frontcourt makes the most sense," O'Connor wrote. "He'd cost the Celtics only part of their massive traded player exception, plus less assets than other higher-value targets would.
"Young is a 32-year-old veteran who could serve as a small-ball center and add toughness, playmaking, and size. But he wouldn’t make them a Finals team, which is precisely why Ainge and the front office are asking themselves: 'What can we do and what should we do?' "
Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge earlier this month named "shooting with size" as Boston's biggest need, further fueling trade rumors. He admitted last week the Celtics' roster isn't good enough to win the Eastern Conference, and Boston's 15-16 record seemingly cements his opinion as fact.
O'Connor lays out Boston's trade-deadline dilemma well, as a gap might exist between what the Celtics can and should do to improve their roster in the next month.
Young is averaging 11.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 25.2 minutes per game this season. Those numbers alone won't cause much of a stir nor do they suggest he'd boost Boston's prospects, especially when compared to other reported targets.
Nevertheless, a multidimensional Young might lighten teammates' respective workloads by doing a number of things -- those that often don't show up on the stat sheet -- well.
If the Celtics decline to go "big" in terms of names and potential impact, a player like Young probably would fit a more modest bill.
