Should Celtics Pounce On Trade Candidate On Danny Ainge’s Jazz?

Utah Jazz forward Jarred Vanderbilt has been floated in trade speculation less than 24 hours before the league’s deadline, and perhaps the Boston Celtics should put in a call to former executive Danny Ainge and try to swing a move of their own.

It probably would have to come quickly, though.

Vanderbilt, a 23-year-old power forward who was selected in the second round of the 2018 NBA Draft, has been included in trade conversations, as reported by The Athletic’s Shams Charania on Wednesday afternoon around 4 p.m. ET. Vanderbilt has been floated in a three-team trade involving the Los Angeles Lakers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Jazz, and could depart Utah for LA in a bigger agreement involving Russell Westbrook and others.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported at 5:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday that Minnesota was holding up an agreement.

So should the framework not play out, or should the Celtics be interested in Vanderbilt, he could make sense as a depth addition in the frontcourt. The 6-foot-9, 214-pound Kentucky product is in the midst of a career year, his fourth season in the league. He’s averaging a career-best 8.3 points on 56% from the field while hauling in 7.9 rebounds in 24 minutes per game (41 starts in 52 contests) for the Jazz.

Vanderbilt would provide the Celtics with another long, defensive-minded forward behind Robert Williams and Al Horford, who hasn’t yet played on a back-to-back. And his contract is very manageable as he’s in the second year of a three-year, $13.1 million pact. Vanderbilt is under team control through the 2023-24 campaign, which president of basketball operations Brad Stevens surely would appreciate given the long-term commitments elsewhere.

Perhaps someone like Celtics guard Payton Pritchard, who Ainge drafted in Boston and who has hinted he would like to be moved, could headline Boston’s package with a second-round pick for good measure? Should Boston want to do so, however, it seems their deadline is approaching even faster than 3 p.m. ET on Thursday.