The Boston Celtics are not seen as likely to trade for San Antonio Spurs big man Jakob Poeltl according to league sources outside the Celtics organization according to new reporting from The Athletic’s Jay King. Per King, said sources note that “if the Spurs do deal him, the impending free agent would make more sense somewhere he is a better long-term fit,” particularly considering that the team recently extended Al Horford and have Robert Williams III locked up for the near-term future.
Still, as have many, King makes the case for the Celtics pursuing big man depth of a slightly lower caliber given what we’ve been hearing, what we have seen from the team on the court — and what we know about the big men already on the roster regarding health and age.
King offers up some alternative targets in PJ Washington, Mason Plumlee, or Jae’Sean Tate, acknowledging they aren’t the sort of traditional centers Boston might be expected to look for.
While it seems unlikely that the Celtics will be making any blockbuster moves, there’s been chatter that the front office is looking for additional depth on the wing and in the frontcourt. https://t.co/2JdgR1DmMW
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) January 26, 2023
The first two are intriguing but would require substantial salary ballast in Plumlee’s case and draft assets as well in Washington’s, with Tate being short enough at just 6-foot-4 that playing him as a functional 4 with the Celtics may be a bit of a gamble.
Instead, we propose using such a roster spot on a player with size able to provide a different look than the bigs and forwards on the team’s roster now like Naz Reid or Nick Richards.
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