The Celtics Have Gordon Hayward… Now What?
As we all know, the Celtics and Gordon Hayward have agreed to a four-year $128M contract yesterday. Hayward is a great scorer who will take a ton of pressure off IT’s shoulders, but in my opinion, they still are a piece away from taking down the Cavs in the East. So who should they try to bring in next? Here are a couple (trade) options:
Nikola Vucevic, C, Orlando
This is somebody I would love to see in Boston. Last season he averaged 10.4 RPG, so there’s no question that he could help the C’s problems on the glass. He also can put up some points, averaging almost 15 a game last year. The one thing I really love is his contract. He is signed for the next two years at about $12M per year. If he were to hit the open market now, he could make WAY more than that, so I feel like he’s a steal at his current price. Vucevic was linked to the Celtics at the trade deadline last year, so this move wouldn’t really surprise me.
Marc Gasol, C, Memphis
Marc Gasol identified as potential trade target for Celtics, per @ChrisMannixYS https://t.co/rFaGVIbDgy pic.twitter.com/Ylu3oEYL8B
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 5, 2017
This rumor is already a possibility, according to Chris Mannix of The Vertical. The Celtics have been linked to Gasol for a couple years, so this is another move that wouldn’t surprise me. The only thing that I am confused about is how the money would work. The Celtics would have to give up a fairly decent chunk of their players to make the salaries match up, and with Gasol pushing 33, I’m not sure that I’m willing to do that. I see them having to give up Jae, Avery, & Marcus Smart in a potential deal here, and that’s not even all of it. Overall, I feel very iffy about this one.
Andre Drummond, C, Detroit
The situation with Drummond is very similar to the one with Marc Gasol. They are both on teams who probably won’t make the playoffs next year, and would also probably demand a huge haul for the salaries to match up in a trade. However, the differences are also huge. Drummond is only 23 and already a top-3 rebounder in the NBA, Gasol isn’t really on that level. I would feel more comfortable unloading for Drummond than I would for Gasol. Do I think it will happen? Probably not, but man it would be nice.
There are still plenty of free agents available, but none of them bring what these three guys could. And the Celtics have an endless amount of assets, which makes me feel like they are bound to try turning them into some sort of established NBA talent. I don’t think the C’s are done making moves yet.
Written By: Nick Cherico (@NickCherico2)