The Boston Celtics have shown thus far in the 2023-24 NBA regular season that they are one of the best teams in the league.
They are going to be there until the very end as one of the legitimate contenders to win the NBA Finals.
Boston currently holds the No. 1 spot in the Eastern Conference with a 15-5 record. If the road to the NBA Finals runs through Beantown, that is bad news for the rest of the league as the Celtics are undefeated at home with a 9-0 record. The only other undefeated home team right now is the Denver Nuggets, who are also 9-0.
To ensure that they are in the best position as possible come playoff time, NBA insider Shams Charania is reporting that the Celtics will be active ahead of the deadline. Their goal, according to Charania, is to bolster their bench unit.
Finding players that can be useful depth pieces is important for the Celtics. They have ran into issues this season when having to rest their key players as the bench just hasn’t gotten the job done consistently.
As shared by Gio Rivera of NESN, Boston is currently last in third-quarter scoring and field goal percentage. That quarter is normally when the bench plays the most as coaches want to ensure their starters are well rested to close out the game.
Who could the Celtics consider to help improve that second unit? Rivera put together a list of three players, starting with Andre Drummond of the Chicago Bulls. Chicago is a team many people believe to be open for business and it is only a matter of time until trades start flowing.
Drummond has provided elite rebounding numbers throughout his career and would provide the team with some much-needed insurance in the frontcourt. On an affordable contract and likely not expensive to acquire, he checks a lot of boxes for the Celtics.
If they want to address the wing position, Cedi Osman of the San Antonio Spurs is a good place to start. Osman is expected to be made available as the Spurs are in a rebuild and could look to flip Osman into more assets.
Osman is knocking down a career-high 39.7 percent of his 3-point attempts and is on an expiring contract. Like Drummond, he wouldn’t break the bank when it comes to the cost to acquire him.
Last, but not least, the Celtics could target Drummond’s teammate on the Bulls, Alex Caruso. He would be the costliest of the options as his market is reportedly very strong. There are more teams interested in acquiring him than two-time All-Star Zach LaVine.
Caruso would be a great fit in the Celtics’ backcourt as a stout defender, capable playmaker and efficient shooter. He would provide head coach Joe Mazzulla with three interchangeable players in the backcourt along with Derrick White and Jrue Holiday, providing him with plenty of flexibility when it comes to making lineups.
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