Celtics Sleeper Contracts to Pursue in NBA Free Agency
The Boston Celtics might have the NBA's best roster.
And the payroll to match.
Adding to this group won't be easy during the upcoming offseason, though if it's preceded by a championship win, then maybe little to nothing actually needs to be added.
Still, the Shamrocks figure to be searching for something this summer, so let's examine three potentially cost-effective options.
Jae Crowder, Milwaukee Bucks
1 of 3
The Celtics have perhaps the NBA's top wing tandem in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, but there is very little behind the stars. Sam Hauser is the only other wing in the playoff rotation, and he is leaky enough on defense to potentially get schemed off the floor, especially if his outside shots miss their mark.
Boston should try fortifying its forward ranks over the summer, and reuniting with Jae Crowder is a possibility worth exploring.
He wouldn't be the same heavy-minutes option he was back then (2014-15 to 2016-17), but the Celtics don't have that kind of opening, anyway. Getting 15ish minutes a night of toughness, defensive tenacity and streaky shot-making would be good enough if the contract price is right.
And there are reasons to believe it would be. His 34th birthday is ahead of him, and some of the least productive seasons of his career are immediately behind him. No one will break the bank to sign him, and only a certain number of win-right-now shoppers are even likely to be interested.
Kris Dunn, Utah Jazz
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When the Celtics picked up Jaden Springer at the trade deadline, it seemed like a worthwhile cheap gamble to potentially brighten the future a bit. Boston's chief decision-maker Brad Stevens left the door slightly ajar for Springer to contribute sooner than later, though.
"He is an athlete that can play athletically in the playoffs, right?" Stevens told reporters. "But he also has a lot of growing to get better and he's committed to that. He's got a long runway ahead. So we'll see how this year shakes itself out for him. See how it all fits with the team. But he's a guy that we believe in."
The Celtics, it seems, sensed there was an opening for a defensively disruptive perimeter player to possibly crack the rotation.
Springer lacked the polish needed to do so, but Kris Dunn shouldn't suffer the same fate. And if his recent uptick in three-point shooting (39.5 percent the past two seasons—on, admittedly, very little volume) sustains, Dunn could be looking at a relatively sizable role. He is a tireless defender, capable secondary creator and reliable close-range finisher.
Cedi Osman, San Antonio Spurs
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In a dream world, Boston would stumble onto a two-way wing to fill out its rotation. In reality, though, the budget just won't allow for that kind of addition.
So, if the Celtics decide they can live with some limitations at one end, they have a chance to power-up the other.
Cedi Osman is a leaky (though willing) defender, but he is also an average-or-above player in most other facets.
He does a lot of things you want a support player to do: make open shots, move without the ball, get out in transition, help on the glass, make smart, simple and speedy reads as a passer. He would be a no-maintenance addition to this offense at the very least.
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