The NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) already has teams changing their thinking about how they should manage their rosters, and the Boston Celtics are no exception. Much speculation has abounded on how the ball club could trim spending while also making some moves to better balance the team in light of what we learned about the Celtics in the 2023 postseason.
The primary candidate floated to be on the move, perhaps surprisingly at first glance given he won the league’s Sixth Man of the Year award with Boston is Malcolm Brogdon. And with the team needing depth in the frontcourt, a club like the Detroit Pistons — who lack a veteran point guard to guide their younger floor generals but also have cap space to absorb salary — appear to be an ideal trade partner with a surplus of big men,
Let’s take a look at three potential targets that could save Boston money while addressing their depth that could also help jump-start the Piston’s rebuild.
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James Wiseman
Something of a project in terms of where he was drafted vs. what he has been able to do on the floor, a move to Boston might be exactly what both the former No. 2 pick and the Pistons need to get better.
A great rebounder who has at least some offensive game away from the basket if not quite a reliable ability to hit a jumper, Wiseman would still be a solid depth piece with potential for more on a reasonable salary at $12.1 million for 2023-24.
Should the Celtics decide Wiseman is not part of their future, they’d be able to let him walk while cleaning up their books, but if he adds to the team’s ability to win, they’d also have his restricted free agency in hand to retain him.
Marvin Bagley
Another former No. 2 pick, Bagley will forever be in the shadow of a player drafted after him in Luka Doncic. But like Wiseman, the opportunity to play on a good ball club in a role envisioned for the player he is now might be a way to boost the fortunes of all involved in such a swap.
While not a sharpshooter by any means, Bagley’s shot diet is more diverse than Wiseman’s, and a touch more offensively oriented. The ask on Boston’s end would probably be a bit higher, particularly with the Arizona native being on a team-friendly, $12.5 million deal into the 2024-25 season.
But flashes of a more complete player are also there at times, and it would be worth a hard look if Detroit were amenable to letting go of the big man.
Isaiah Stewart
Beef Stew, in our estimation, would be the ideal target of the trio of prospective frontcourt trade options for the Celtics to pursue, with the defensive menace he brings to the floor nightly coupled with an emerging but still raw 3-point shot precisely the sort of big man the team needs.
Add in that the Washington Alum is on an absolute bargain of a rookie deal making just $5.2 million next season, and an exchange of Brogdon for Stewart could solve the bulk of Boston’s cap concerns in the short term as a result.
There is speculation among rival GMs that Stewart could be had in such a deal per HoopsHype’s Mike Scotto, but with clued-in reporters like The Athletic’s James Edwards saying they’d be “stunned” to see him moved, it’d likely take a considerable offer to pry the New Yorker free of the Pistons.
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