With Al Horford and Robert Williams signed beyond this season and capable of handling the vast majority of the team’s frontcourt minutes if they are healthy entering the playoffs, the Celtics don’t necessarily have an urgent need in the frontcourt. Still, they are expected to scan the league for another big man as the trade deadline approaches, according to league sources who were granted anonymity so they could speak freely. Though Luke Kornet has been solid this season, the Celtics are expected to evaluate options to shore up the depth behind Horford and Williams while giving Joe Mazzulla additional lineup flexibility.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported again Monday that the Celtics have shown interest in Spurs center Jakob Poeltl. Jared Weiss recently broke down that possibility. Here are several other power forwards and centers who could be available at the deadline for one reason or another.
Keep in mind: By combining the contracts of Danilo Gallinari and Justin Jackson with future picks, the Celtics could absorb almost $10.5 million in returning salary. They could add Blake Griffin to that same package of players to take back almost $12.8 million. Any target making more than that would require the Celtics to part ways with at least one player a little tougher to move on from.
If the Celtics are looking for a big man to help them play a different style, Plumlee won’t necessarily fit the mold. He hasn’t shot a 3-pointer all season. His occasional attempts to defend perimeter players in isolation have not gone well. Playing him next to Robert Williams probably wouldn’t be an option.
Still, on a bad Hornets team, Plumlee has produced one of the best seasons of his career statistically speaking. He is averaging 12.2 points, 9.7 rebounds (3.4 offensive) and 3.6 assists per game while shooting a career-best 67.4 percent from the field. After a mid-career change of shooting hands, his lefty form can be jarring to the eye:
Mason Plumlee really just hit a pull-up middy to put the nail in the coffin for the Bulls. pic.twitter.com/cbYUtESABL
— Steph Noh (@StephNoh) January 27, 2023
Still, the switch seems to have helped Plumlee. He’s shooting 61.5 percent on free-throw attempts, which is far from great but still better than his career 56.3 percent mark. Hornets coach Steve Clifford recently said Plumlee’s growing confidence at the line has helped him seek out contact more frequently. His free-throw attempt rate (number of free-throw attempts per field goal attempt) is the highest of his career. He is averaging 16.6 points and 11.1 rebounds per game during January.
Plumlee, 32, is on an expiring, $9.1-million contract. He wouldn’t play much if the Celtics were fully healthy. He doesn’t block shots like Kornet. Still, Plumlee would give them a bit more offense in the backup center spot than Kornet does.
Mason Plumlee tonight:
25 points
11 rebounds
2 assists
1 steal pic.twitter.com/vNCQT7XMSt— Blue Devils (@BlueDevils) January 22, 2023
At 6-foot-5, Tate’s certainly not a traditional big man. He has rarely played center throughout his career. Most of his minutes have come as an undersized power forward.
Wherever he plays, Tate’s defensive versatility stands out. When healthy (a problem for him this season), he has the muscle to bang with bigger guys and the quick feet to match up with guards. Even in the damaged Rockets ecosystem, he has produced defensive highlights against some of the game’s best players.
The Rockets appreciate Tate’s game for all the reasons other teams have an interest in him. He’s one of the few capable stoppers on a team that currently ranks 28th in defensive rating. At 27, he’s under contract through the 2024-25 season with a team option in the final year of that deal. Houston could certainly hold onto him.
If he is available at a reasonable price, the Celtics should at least place a call. They have a bunch of defensive versatility already, but some of their players with that trait are smaller, including Marcus Smart, Malcolm Brogdon and Derrick White. Tate would allow them to dial up some more physically imposing switchy lineups.
He could fit next to either Horford or Robert Williams in the frontcourt, allowing the Celtics to keep Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown at small forward and shooting guard. Tate and Grant Williams could even play power forward and center together if the Celtics wanted to try out a shorter, but still sturdy, frontcourt. Though Boston has hardly ever used Grant Williams at center over the last couple of seasons, they could feel more comfortable trying out that look with Tate’s bulk next to him. That type of frontcourt probably wouldn’t be something they try too often because Horford and Robert Williams are two of their best players, but the ability to play different styles can be critical come playoff time. Longer term, Tate could even be insurance for the possibility Grant Williams lands a contract in restricted free agency the Celtics don’t want to match.
The downside? Tate would overlap some with Grant Williams’ skills without providing the same spacing Grant Williams does. Tate has shot an ugly 31 percent on 3-point attempts over his career, a real problem for an undersized frontcourt player. An ankle injury has limited the 27-year-old to just 13 games this season and has forced the Rockets to limit his minutes lately. Still, he’s plenty tough and can guard a number of positions credibly. If Houston is willing to move him, he will help another team’s defense somewhere.
PJ Washington
The price here will likely be too high for the Celtics to get seriously involved. The Hornets are reportedly leaning toward keeping Washington, who is set to hit restricted free agency this summer. Still, teams should be calling Charlotte to gauge what the Hornets would want for him.
Washington has not rebounded well for a frontcourt player (Brogdon’s defensive rebound rate has been better this season), but his inside-outside game provides significant offensive versatility. He hasn’t shot 3-pointers particularly well this season (35.6 percent), but has hit 37 percent of 3-point attempts over his career at high volume for a big man.
He has been used almost exclusively at power forward this season, according to Cleaning the Glass’ position estimates, but the Hornets actually had some success with Washington at center in the past. Those lineups ripped apart opponents with waves of offense, but were susceptible at the other end of the court. At the very least, Washington could play some minutes next to Horford or Robert Williams in the Boston frontcourt while potentially opening up some small-ball looks for Mazzulla.
For many reasons, Washington, making $5.8 million this season in the final year of his current deal, seems like a farfetched target for Boston. Beyond the price of acquiring Washington at the deadline, the Celtics would need to re-sign him to a bigger deal this summer. That would be a big ask unless they consider him part of the core moving forward. They already have $159 million of salary committed for next season, which would be well over the projected cap even without further additions. They also still have a decision to make on Grant Williams, who will likewise be a restricted free agent this offseason. It’s going to grow very expensive to keep everyone together even without throwing another soon-to-be-expensive young player into the mix.
Kelly Olynyk of the Utah Jazz. (Alex Goodlett / Getty Images)
Would an Olynyk reunion interest the Celtics? Unlike some of the other players on this list, he’s not on an expiring contract, but only $3 million of his deal is guaranteed for the 2023-24 season. Based on my calculations, a package of Gallinari, Griffin and Jackson would fall just shy of reaching the NBA trade limit for matching Olynyk’s salary, so the Celtics would need to add further money to the offer. That could be a deal breaker for Boston, which would then need to include Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser or Kornet in the swap.
Would the Celtics want to trust Olynyk’s defense late in the playoffs? Maybe not, but he would give them a new dimension as a second stretch big man behind Horford. After a down shooting year in Detroit, Olynyk is hitting a career-high 41.4 percent of his 3-point attempts this season while helping a Utah offense that has been a major surprise. Though the Jazz are still in the playoff mix, Olynyk could be available because of his contract situation and the belief that the organization isn’t desperate to win right now.
Boucher’s current contract will pay him $12.69 million this season, $11.75 million next season and $10.81 million during the season after that. The Celtics could be against adding that much future salary considering what that would mean for their luxury-tax payments. Including the tax, it would be a huge commitment for a backup big man.
Still, if the Raptors decide to hold a fire sale, Boucher is one of their intriguing players — especially if he can regain the shooting touch that allowed him to hit 38.3 percent of his 3-point attempts during the 2020-21 season. He hasn’t been nearly as effective from that distance since.
(Top photo of Mason Plumlee and Jayson Tatum: Nell Redmond / USA Today)
