Four back up big man trade targets for the Boston Celtics to use their $17.1 million traded player exception on

These are some of our favorite potential backup big man trade targets if the Celtics were to use part of their $17.1 million TPE.

The Boston Celtics were widely seen as unlikely to use their $17.1 million traded player exception (TPE) before it expires on July 17 after trading for Indiana Pacers point guard Malcolm Brogdon given the team is now roughly $20 million into the league’s luxury tax, but recent reporting from The Athletic’s Jared Weiss related that Boston isn’t done looking for ways to put it to use.

This would most likely be for a backup big man given that is the only real need on one of the deepest teams in the NBA, but with that big tax bill pending as the roster currently sits, suggests that any such move to bring in a pricier big man would likely see a rotation player like Derrick White, Grant Williams, or Payton Pritchard going out to help balance the books.

Such trades could wear out even the most ardent trade machine fans with the possibilities, so we won’t explore actual deals themselves.