ESPN Identifies Celtics ‘Player To Watch’ At Deadline

The NBA trade deadline is fast approaching, and Boston Celtics fans don’t quite know what president of basketball ops Brad Stevens is going to do. Anfernee Simons and Sam Hauser have been talked about as Boston’s two most likely trade chips.

On Thursday, ESPN’s Bobby Marks mentioned another Celtics player, however: Chris Boucher. Marks identified Boucher as the one “player to watch” on the Celts as the deadline arrives.

“Anfernee Simons should be the player to watch because of his $27.7 million expiring contract, but Simons has played a key role in Boston’s surprise surge into the East’s top tier,” Marks wrote. “For the first time since the 2021-22 campaign, Simons is coming off the bench, averaging 13.5 points per game and 40.2% shooting from 3.”

“Boucher signed a one-year, $2.3 million contract in the offseason, and there was belief he could provide frontcourt depth, especially after averaging 10 PPG last season with Toronto,” Marks continued. “Instead, he is playing just 11.4 minutes per game behind Luka Garza and Josh Minott on Boston’s depth chart.”

“While it is unlikely the Celtics get under the luxury tax this season (they are $12 million over), trading Boucher would save them $9 million,” Marks added.

Boucher, 33, has carved out a resilient NBA path since going undrafted in 2017. He began with the Golden State Warriors, securing a ring in 2018 despite minimal playtime, then joined the Toronto Raptors, where he contributed to their 2019 championship as a bench energizer. In the G-League with Raptors 905, he earned MVP and Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2018-19, averaging 27.2 points and 4.1 blocks. Over seven seasons in Toronto, Boucher peaked in 2020-21 with 13.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game, establishing himself as a versatile defender and shooter.

Boucher has appeared in eight games for Boston this year, averaging 2.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 0.9 blocks in 11.4 minutes, shooting 31.8% from the field.