Alright so things are off to a pretty good start here, undoubtedly, right? A team that was borderline unwatchable in January of 2022 took a trip to the NBA Finals in the same year. The culture under Ime Udoka was officially bought into, and it showed. The addition of Derrick White in a salary-shedding move by Brad Stevens proved to be near-perfect, and little did we know, that was only the beginning.
This piece is going to be a bit of a hybrid, where I'm going to spend the first half talking about the moves the Celtics have made thus far and how the new players fit within the roster. After that, I'm going to address the remaining $6.5 million dollar TPE and which center I believe would fill that role best. This is a "mid-offseason report" in the sense that we don't have much left to do, but I'll probably write about the Summer League Celtics as well.
Off-Season Move #1: Signing Danilo Gallinari
The Player:
6'10", 235lbs (F)
Last Season (ATL): 11.7ppg/4.7rpg/43%fg/38%3p (66 games played, 18 games started)
The Deal:
2 year contract worth $13m in total, second year is a player option, deal takes up Boston's mid-level exception
Using the mid-level exception to add a player like Gallinari was a match made in heaven. The 33-year-old undoubtedly has a few miles left on his legs, and will slide really quite nicely into a scoring role off the bench for the C's. While his numbers by traditional appearance may have dipped, his shooting splits provide assurance that he's the same Gallo that's been around the league for more than a couple years. Brad and Co. definitely knew they weren't bringing him in to be a defensive stalwart, but rather to provide a second unit that occasionally looked suffocated on offense with some elite spacing and real shot creating ability.
Off-Season Move #2: Trading Theis and Co. for Malcolm Brogdon
The Player:
6'5", 225lbs (G)
Last Season (IND): 19.1ppg/5.1rpg/5.9apg/44%fg
The Deal:
Boston Receives: Malcolm Brogdon
Indiana Receives: Daniel Theis, Aaron Nesmith, Nik Stauskas, Malik Fitts, Juwan Morgan, 2023 first-round pick (BOS)
Brogdon is a player that Celtics fans, players, and front office members alike have been clamoring to get in Boston since his selection as the 36th pick in 2017, which subsequently led him to winning Rookie of the Year. His around $22m/yr AAV forced the Celtics to unload five players, but the priciest of the group was Theis at $8m ish per year.The last player to finish a season in the 50/40/90 club, there's already chatter of Brogdon's willingness to move to the bench in a sixth man role so as to increase the chances of a title. This will allow the lineup of Smart/Brown/Tatum/Horford/Williams to exist as it's continued to, with those two bigs' skillsets wreaking havoc on a lot of schemes last year. Injuries are a reasonable concern for Brogdon, as he's never played a full 82 games, but with his tendency to drive and kick to players like G. Williams, Gallinari, and likely Sam Hauser, as well as take over when the moment calls for it, his fit on the second unit as a lead guard is 6MOTY candidate worthy already. That's not even mentioning the three-headed monster that exists for opposing guards with Brogdon, Smart, and Derrick White that will be continuously rotating in and out, smothering opponents with their length and defensive intensity. It's also worth noting the departure of Fitts, the NBA's resident bench celebration specialist. Have fun Malik, I wish I could have seen what you came up with for Gallo.
Okay, quick breather before the second half of this. As the roster stands right now, the first two rotations we'll likely throw at people game one of '22-'23 are as follows:
Marcus Smart/Jaylen Brown/Jayson Tatum/Al Horford/Robert Williams
Derrick White/Malcolm Brogdon/Danilo Gallinari/Grant Williams/Luke Kornet
Obviously Kornet isn't going to have regular second-unit minutes, and the Celtics often rotate Horford and Williams in such a way that one of them usually remains on the floor, with someone like Tatum, Grant Williams, or now Gallinari filling the four slot. But the Celtics still have a remaining $6.5 million as the result of a taxpayer exception, and there are enough serviceable veteran centers with playoff experience available that would fit nicely at that price tag.
Obligatory List of Available Former Celtics That Would Be Of Extremely Average/Mediocre Fit
Tristan Thompson
Greg Monroe
Moses Brown (I still have hope)
But here's the real list, going from "worst to first". I'm also going to provide "per 24 minute" stats, some average I determined for NBA second-unit guys.
#4: Luka Garza, 6'10", 245lbs, 7'2" wingspan
Last Team: Detroit Pistons
Last Stats: 32 GP, 5 GS, 12.2MPG, 5.8PPG/3.1RPG/44%FG
Per 24: 11.4PPG/6.1RPG/1.2APG
Still tremendously early in his career, former Hawkeye Garza would provide the Celtics with a big body inside who has a bit of skill to expand his range beyond the 3-point line. He would likely be the cheapest option of the four players I'll mention, which could leave the door open for the C's to pursue another cheap veteran guard or swingman. The obvious appeal with Garza is his youth and upside, and should Boston find themselves targeting another shooter with the remaining what I would guess to be around $4.5 million, Garza and Kornet could be a serviceable pair that split time in the second unit when Horford or Williams can't be out there.
#3: Dwight Howard, 6'10", 265lbs, 7'5" wingspan
Last Team: Los Angeles Lakers
Last Stats: 60 GP, 27 GS, 16MPG, 6.2PPG/5.9RPG/61%FG
Per 24: 9.3PPG/8.6RPG/1BPG
Kicking off the trio of actual vets is Howard, who proved that he still has some legs underneath him during his stint with the Lakers, who chose not to offer him a new deal after July 1. The player with the most playoff experience who will be named, Howard's trip to the Finals a bit over a decade ago stands out in many fans' minds, and though he's not the player he may have been in 2009, there's a world where he helps the Celtics quite a bit. His 27 starts stick out as a possibility of a "Robert Williams-lite" role should the big man ever get dinged up for any reason. He'd be able to be a lob target for Brogdon and White, and alongside Grant Williams would make for a strong pair down low. The necessary attention that's required for a player like Howard, even at this age, would also free up players like Gallinari and Sam Hauser to run around screens and find themselves wide open on the receiving end of a Brogdon/White drive-and-kick.
#2: Demarcus Cousins, 6'10", 270lbs, 7'6" wingspan
Last Team: Denver Nuggets
Last Stats: 31 GP, 5 GS, 13.9MPG, 8.9PPG/5.5RPG/45%FG/32%3P
Per 24: 15.4PPG/9.5RPG/2.9APG
Cousins is another player who would command a ton of attention from a second unit center, and last season for the Nuggets he was able to put together a 31-point performance in his first of five starts for Denver. In Boston, he'd serve as an oversized Daniel Theis with a splash of Al Horford and a sprinkle of Demarcus Cousins. The pick-and-roll/fade options between Brogdon and Cousins are endless within one's imagination, as the latter has improved his shooting from a great midrange shooter to a three-point shooter worth attention, not unlike a couple contemporaries from his time, including Brook Lopez and Horford. With his per-24 stats suggesting he could still be capable of a double-double and 15 points per game, Cousins may be a strong fit alongside either Horford or Williams at the same time, depending on the situation. He's not an elite defender, but he's a big enough body and good enough rebounder to make him not completely helpless in the paint.
And, somehow, no I'm not joking, the stats and potential lineups really suggest it,
#1 Hassan Whiteside, 7'0", 265lbs, 7'7" wingspan
Last Team: Utah Jazz
Last Stats: 65 GP, 8 GS, 17.9MPG, 8.2PPG/7.6RPG/1.6BPG/65%FG
Per 24: 11PPG/10.2RPG/2.15BPG
An argument could be made as to who's a better fit between Cousins and Whiteside, depending on your valuation of your true backup center and what you need them to do. What gives the former Miami Heat stalwart the edge over Boogie in this case is his tendency to lean into the defensive parts of his game, and the seamless transition that could potentially come in trading in Robert Williams for Whiteside when the lineups change. He's a few years Howard's junior, and his offensive game is not that of Cousins, though within the paint he's not completely irrelevant. The idea of him filling the role that Rob does, being a lob threat and shot blocker who could still procure double-digit rebounds on a nightly basis is seriously tempting, and he may come at a cheaper tag than Cousins. With the Celtics tendency to start Rob and Al, and then rotate them around as they take breaths, Whiteside would either step in for Williams and be a near mirror image (at his best, I'm realistic), or come in for Horford and create one of the most formidable defensive frontcourts in recent memory, especially with the inclusion of someone like Grant Williams.
Comments