Boston Celtics' 2015 Trade Deadline Shopping List

Frankly, the Boston Celtics are running out of assets to deal after shipping out Jeff Green and sending Brandan Wright to Phoenix, but that doesn’t mean the team won’t explore more options as the deadline approaches.

Unsurprisingly, trading your All-Star point guard and leading scorer leaves your team pretty thin, and the Celts have needs at a variety of spots.

However, this rebuilding Boston squad isn’t going to be trading for mid-level players who have reached their ceilings. The C’s are in a position where they will either be looking for young, unproven talent or veterans on expiring deals.

Boston wants to retain future cap flexibility above all else while also attempting to buy low on players who have been underutilized in their current roles.

With those parameters in mind, let’s look at the five areas of need that Boston could try to plug at the 2015 trade deadline—and a few names who could fill those slots.

Instant Offense Guard

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Boston hasn’t had a true instant-offense guard since it let Jerryd Bayless walk in free agency, and while the options out there aren’t incredible, a few decent prospects do exist.

The C’s are still eighth in the league at 102.4 points per game, but that number is sure to drop with Green being replaced by Tayshaun Prince and his 7.3 points on 41 percent shooting.

The newly acquired Austin Rivers could potentially fill this role, but as the Boston Herald’s Mark Murphy notes, “The Celtics have intended all along to merely be a conduit to move Rivers on to another team.”

Marcus Smart is still learning the ropes as an NBA point guard, and while Jameer Nelson can have moments as a shooter, there’s a high chance he is dealt to a contender that is seeking a veteran reserve. 

Potential options include Shelvin Mack, who is buried behind Jeff Teague and Dennis Schroeder in Atlanta; Patty Mills, who has been supplanted by defensive stalwart Cory Joseph in San Antonio; and Miami’s Norris Cole, who is trapped in a point guard timeshare with Mario Chalmers and Shabazz Napier. 

None of these players is going to drastically improve the Celtics’ fortunes, but they are all capable of creating off the dribble and breaking down opposing defenses.

They aren’t particularly plus defenders, and many of them might not mesh well with the C’s already small backcourt of Smart and Avery Bradley going forward, but they are all players on teams with playoff aspirations that could value a veteran over an unproven player.

Potential Targets

• Shelvin Mack, Atlanta Hawks
• Isaiah Canaan, Houston Rockets 
• Patty Mills, San Antonio Spurs
• Norris Cole, Miami Heat
• Ray McCallum, Sacramento Kings

Rim Protector

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Wright had a chance to be the C’s primary shot-blocker, but he never made a dent in Brad Stevens’ rotation and wound up in the desert. 

Boston has frontcourt talent in Tyler Zeller, Jared Sullinger and Kelly Olynyk, but they are not particularly talented rim protectors. 

The C’s are just 25th in the league in blocks per game at 4.2 per game.

Finding a game-changing defensive big man is not easy, as most of the options are either expensive or players who can only contribute in limited doses. 

Larry Sanders’ talented is well-documented, but he’s also a phenomenally troubled player with two more years and $22 million on his contract.

When he’s healthy and motivated, Sanders is a terrific defender and a nimble offensive threat, but there’s no proof he can stay on the court and make a positive impact.

Another big target could be DeAndre Jordan, who is averaging 2.3 blocks per game for a Los Angeles Clippers team that hasn’t looked like a serious contender of late.

The Clippers might be quicker to deal Jamal Crawford or J.J. Redick, but if they truly think they must retool, they could probably net the most for Jordan.

He’s an unrestricted free agent, but he has the defense and rebounding that Boston sorely needs, which makes him potentially worth the risk.

His man-to-man defense isn’t excellent, as he’s allowing a 19.4 player efficiency rating to opposing centers, per 82games, but he is a great weak-side shot-blocker and has worked on reducing his needless fouls.

In the bargain bin pool, Boston might be able to snag players like Ekpe Udoh or Jeff Withey, who can provide the occasional rejection but not much offensively and wouldn’t log more than 10-15 minutes per game.

Potential Targets

• Larry Sanders, Milwaukee Bucks
• Jeff Withey, New Orleans Pelicans
• DeAndre Jordan, Los Angeles Clippers
• Ekpe Udoh, Los Angeles Clippers

Small Forward with Upside

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Jae Crowder has had some impressive moments as a Celtic, but the 24-year-old isn’t the answer at small forward.

Believe it or not, Prince isn’t either.

With Green gone, Boston needs to look to fill its hole at the 3, and the best way to do that would be to target small forwards who are currently underutilized.

Orlando’s Maurice Harkless has been absent from the rotation, but he averaged 7.4 points, 3.3 rebounds and one assist last season while hitting 38.3 percent of his three-pointers.

He’s still somewhat raw, but the 21-year-old is a tremendous athlete with a decent shooting stroke. He runs the floor well and could be a piece of Boston’s youthful, speedy core. 

Otto Porter Jr. and Solomon Hill are both defensive specialists who have gotten extended looks, but neither is a long-term fit with his current club.

Porter has been supplanted in the rotation by a resurgent Rasual Butler, and while Hill has been playing heavy minutes for Indiana, he is going to be relegated to a smaller role when Paul George returns.

Neither player will be easily acquired, but the Washington Wizards are close enough to title contention that they would have to consider dealing Porter, who hasn’t panned out since being taken third overall. 

Hill won’t be an easy acquisition given his two-way skills, but the Pacers do have Chris Copeland and Damjan Rudez also available at the 3. 

Another option, albeit an unlikely one, would be to deal for a more seasoned player like Danilo Gallinari. He has struggled with injuries but is still just 26 years old and has shown flashes of tremendous skill with the Denver Nuggets.

He’s currently recovering from knee surgery and averaging just 7.8 points, three rebounds and 1.1 assists on 36 percent from the floor and 31.4 percent from three, but he’s only under contract for one more year at $11.6 million.

It would be surprising to see the C’s take on any significant long-term salary at small forward, but there are some intriguing young options Boston could pursue.

One thing is for sure: The Celtics can’t rely on a rotation of Crowder-Prince-Gerald Wallace unless they want to reach New York Knicks levels of ineptitude. 

Potential Targets

• Maurice Harkless, Orlando Magic
• Danilo Gallinari, Denver Nuggets 
• Otto Porter Jr., Washington Wizards
• Solomon Hill, Indiana Pacers

Veteran Post Scorer

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This is probably the spot Boston is least likely to pursue a trade given the kinds of players available, but there’s no denying the Celts could use some inside scoring.

Olynyk has had a strong offensive season, but he takes more than 48 percent of his shots from 10-plus feet, per Basketball-Reference, and Sully is even worse at 49.5 percent.

Zeller is a gifted finisher, but he does the brunt of his work in transition or off the pick-and-roll, not by catching and posting.

If cap space is a true priority going forward, Boston could take on David Lee’s deal, which expires in 2016. He hasn’t been the player he was during his prime since returning from injury, but he’s still a highly skilled big man with great touch on the block. 

Acquiring Nikola Pekovic or Carl Landry would fill a similar role, but both veterans are on longer deals through the 2016-17 campaign, and trading for a role player in his prime just doesn’t make sense for the Celts.

More realistic options would be Aron Baynes, who shined early for San Antonio but hasn’t gotten much tread with Tiago Splitter healthy, and Henry Sims, who is averaging 9.6 points and 5.6 rebounds per game but won’t see the court much when Joel Embiid is finally healthy. 

There isn’t a great solution out there for post scoring, though, so the Celtics may be better off looking to fill that spot in the draft or through free agency.

Potential Targets

• David Lee, Golden State Warriors 
• Nikola Pekovic, Minnesota Timberwolves
• Carl Landry, Sacramento Kings
• Aron Baynes, San Antonio Spurs 
• Henry Sims, Philadelphia 76ers

Defensive Swingman

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Covering opposing guards isn’t an issue for the C’s with Smart and Bradley manning the back line, but Green’s absence makes the team’s wing defense markedly thinner.

Crowder, billed as a defensive stopper, is holding opposing 3s to a mediocre 15.6 PER as a Celtic, per 82games, and Prince and Wallace are not the elite stoppers they were in their primes.

The C’s have been decent at defending opposing 2s and 3s, holding them to 12.7 and 13.4 PERs, respectively, according to 82games, but those numbers are going to take a hit without Green.

There is a dearth of great “three-and-D” players available, as many of them have become essential role players on postseason contenders (Courtney Lee, Thabo Sefolosha, etc.), but a few options fit Boston’s commitment to young talent.

One option is Kent Bazemore, who has languished on the Atlanta bench but shined with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2013-14, averaging 13.1 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists while hitting 37.1 percent of his triples.

In a similar vein, Archie Goodwin has tremendous athletic potential on the defensive end and barely gets off the pine in Phoenix. He’s not much of a shooter at just 25 percent from deep, but he’s also a 20-year-old sophomore with huge untapped potential.

Slightly less intriguing options are Brandon Rush, who hasn’t cracked the rotation in his return to Golden State, and Landry Fields, who has seen some action in the wake of DeMar DeRozan’s injury. 

Fields’ expiring $6.3 million deal could be attractive, and while injuries have derailed his once promising career, he could at least provide the C’s with some spot minutes at the 3.

Potential Targets

• Kent Bazemore, Atlanta Hawks
• Brandon Rush, Golden State Warriors
• Archie Goodwin, Phoenix Suns 
• Landry Fields, Toronto Raptors