There are a few Celtics analysts who could see big moves go down if the circumstances are right — usually revolving around concern over forward Gordon Hayward opting out of his current deal at season.
NBC Sports’ Darren Hartwell believes Detroit Pistons’ big man Andre Drummond could be had for Hayward or Marcus Smart, but there’s concerns about Drummonds fit vs. what either of Boston’s players brings to the table.
Moreover, the UConn product’s contract situation is the same as Hayward’s, so you wouldn’t gain any security or cap relief with such a move.
Other ideas to land an impact player include Sam Quinn of CBS Sports‘ idea to aggregate salaries to land a player near the maximum return allowed back above the aggregated players’ salaries, only to then move that player yet again for another salary upgrade.
In the example cited by Quinn — moving centers Enes Kanter and Vincent Poirier along with rookie wing Romeo Langford for a player like Cody Zeller, who would then be flipped for a player like Tristan Thompson is intriguing in theory.
In reality, it would have to contend with the hard cap triggered by Kemba Walker and the risks of getting stuck part-way through the process in a costly move for an older player who doesn’t really solve matchups with some of the premier East bigs.
Celtics Wire’s Justin Quinn could see a deal for Hayward making sense in a recent article by Celtics Hub’s Cam Tabatabaie, but only if the move addresses the cap crunch extending Jayson Tatum will create.
A deal for Minnesota Timberwolves forward Robert Covington and center Gorgui Dieng might do just that while securing in RoCo a player who can do much of what Hayward does — but cheaper.
To get a better sense of who the Celtics may take a look at as the NBA trade deadline approaches, I talked to some of the folks who know the team best. Via @Celticshub:https://t.co/BT51h4f32n
— Cameron Tabatabaie (@CTabatabaie) January 22, 2020