Should Boston Celtics team president Danny Ainge make a call to the Sacramento Kings to shore up Boston’s bench?
That’s a popular idea with at least a few prominent Celtics analysts this month, and one that could make a lot of sense in the right scenario.
As the February 6 trade deadline draws closer, expect the number of proposed trades to heat up even if the market does not, and the Boston Celtics are likely to be in the thick of such proposals whether they pull the trigger or not.
The notion of looking to the Kings in particular for wing Bogdan Bogdanovic or center Nemanja Bjelica are intriguing directions Boston could take, with both able to provide the sort of bench scoring and shooting the team needs to reach its highest potential this season.
Could Kings’ Nemanja Bjelica and Bogdan Bogdanovic fit with the Celtics?https://t.co/NWEg95siLc
— The Athletic NBA (@TheAthleticNBA) January 30, 2020
Bjelica appeals because of his shooting, over 40 % over the prior three seasons, and 43.4 % from deep this season. He’s a solid rebounder who can pass without making too many mistakes, and makes $6,825,000 this season, making trading for him easy as far as salary matching goes.
He’s also under contract next season for just a little more, $7.15 million, meaning he wouldn’t be rental.
He’s not the sort of guy who could defend the bigger frontcourt players Boston may face in the playoffs, but he could help run them off the floor when mixed in with the starters, too.
His age — nearly 32 — is not ideal, but the Celtics will need to make room for some of their prospects to join the parent club from the two way ranks and future drafts, so that’s not necessarily a problem.
Boston could also inquire about shooting guard Bogdan Bogdanovic, who at 27 is a more natural fit for the Celtics’ as one of the youngest teams in the league. He’s set to earn $8,529,386 this season, making trading for him a bit trickier, but still within Boston’s range of moveable salaries.
After inking guard Buddy Hield to a big extension, the thinking is the Kings may want to guarantee a return for a player they may not be able to afford long-term, as Bogdanovic will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
This presents more risk for the Celtics if they were to trade for him, as there’s no guarantee the team would be willing to pony up the sort of players and assets Sacramento would be likely to accept — if he is even available.
Which players are MOST likely to be dealt on Boston's roster? https://t.co/yr7ehArZRn
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) January 30, 2020
However, the Serbian sharpshooter is logging 14.6 points per game this season and shooting 36.6 % from beyond the arc on 7.1 attempts per game, and can serve as a secondary distributor too, with The Athletic’s Jared Weiss referring to him as perhaps “best playmaker off the bench in the league.”
Either of the duo of Sacramento players present intriguing, attainable targets should the Kings be open to dealing them. But as with many such potential targets, the trick will be figuring out which such players are even available.
With the curtain on inter-team player movement drawing to a close a week from today, we’ll know soon enough if there’s a deal to be had, but this pair of shooters are among the better potential options out there that could realistically change teams.
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