Ranking Celtics' Top Trade Targets After 2024 NBA Finals Win
The Boston Celtics did it.
Finally.
After a slew of near misses and seamlessly endless frustrations in recent seasons, the Shamrocks are NBA champions for the first time since 2008. A record-setting 18th championship banner will hang from the TD Garden rafters soon.
It's a time of celebration—for almost everyone. For the franchise's top decision-makers, though, it's time to get to work. Or keep working, rather.
With the draft bearing down on the basketball world, and free agency following shortly thereafter, it's up to the Boston brass to start tackling next season's championship puzzle already. While flexibility is limited—building basketball's best roster isn't cheap—there should be some intriguing, cost-effective options on the trade market, including the following three potential targets.
3. Santi Aldama, Memphis Grizzlies
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Frontcourt depth should be a focus of the franchise. Kristaps Porziņģis has perpetual problems staying healthy, and Al Horford is on the wrong side of his 38th birthday.
The Celtics need to be comfortable with their options behind them, and by the way, those might be dwindling in-house. Free agency awaits both Luke Kornet and Xavier Tillman, and neither should be considered locks to return.
Making a deal for Memphis' Santi Aldama not only provides some insurance, it potentially upgrades that part of this roster. He can soak up minutes at both the 4 and 5 spots, meaning he could play alongside either big man or hold serve at center while both get a breather.
He is a smart team defender, which is the kind of quality that can really play up on a team with this much defensive talent. He is also a capable outside shooter (1.4 threes per game on 35.1 percent shooting the past two seasons) with enough off-the-dribble wiggle to slip around overzealous closeouts.
2. Torrey Craig, Chicago Bulls
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Every team in the modern NBA could use more three-and-D wings. Yes, even one featuring a pair of perennial All-Stars at the position like the Celtics have with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Torrey Craig, to be clear, is more "D" than "three," but he can be good enough with the latter to properly function within that role.
Since the start of 2022-23, he has converted a strong 39.4 percent of his long-range looks. Now, the volume isn't great (3.1 attempts per outing), but that accuracy warrants enough defensive attention to help widen attack lanes for the players around him. And if Craig is left alone, he's obviously capable of punishing teams for doing so.
Should the Bulls ever veer into their overdue rebuild, Craig, who turns 34 in December, would be an obvious trade candidate—assuming he picks up his $2.8 million player option, per Spotrac. He wouldn't command a ton on the trade market, which should only increase the Celtics' interest in getting a deal done.
1. Isaiah Jackson, Indiana Pacers
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If the Celtics are in the market for a backup big man, they should aim to add someone who brings a different dimension to this center rotation.
Isaiah Jackson would do exactly that.
His spring-loaded athleticism would give Boston extra bounce. He understands how to leverage those hops and convert them into blocked shots and highlight hammers. If he ever found his way into a bigger role than he's held in Indiana, his stats could get interesting in a hurry. This past season, he shot a career-best 66.5 percent from the field while averaging 11.1 rebounds and 2.8 rejections per 36 minutes, per Basketball-Reference.
It isn't hard to imagine him thriving as an athletic energizer with this group, and he could be more efficient than ever given the ridiculous amount of offensive talent he'd have around him. And if the Pacers have no plans for him beyond his rookie contract, which expires after next season, they shouldn't need much to give him up.
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