The Boston Celtics are ready to be an active team this offseason and they could target LaMarcus Aldridge in free agency or a trade with DeMarcus Cousins and Ty Lawson for Brad Stevens, as the team has cap space to use and this comes as Willie Cauley-Stein could be a draft target for the team in a trade up in the first round.
The Celtics are coming off of a playoffs appearance last season and they surprised many by winning 40 games while in a rebuilding phase. The team has a young core of players with Marcus Smart, Kelly Olynyk and Jared Sullinger as well as Avery Bradley and after trading Rajon Rondo they have first round picks to dangle in trades. The team could use those picks to try and get a player like Cousins, or they could look at trading up in the NBA draft into the top 10 or top 5 depending on what players they target.
According to Marc Stein on ESPN, the prevailing thought about the Celtics is that people can "bank on it" when it comes to making a run at Cousins this offseason. While the Kings have said that they are not looking to trade Cousins, the Celtics still could make an offer and with multiple first round picks in their possession, a deal could potentially happen. NESN.com also reported that the Celtics could be interested in Ty Lawson, as they tried to trade for him at the deadline as they were dealing Rondo to the Mavericks.
NESN.com and Zach Lowe of Grantland report that Isaiah Thomas could be a potential option to move in a deal for Lawson, as he has a decent contract number of the next couple years and the Nuggets are in a rebuilding phase. The Celtics see the Atlantic division as a winnable group with the Brooklyn Nets and Raptors the only teams that have posed a real threat the past couple years with the Knicks and Sixers struggling.
The Celtics have cap space to spend and if a deal with Cousins doesn't work out, the team may target players in free agency like Marc Gasol, LaMarcus Aldridge or Greg Monroe. Pro Basketball talk reported that Gasol would be a main target, but he is expected to stay in Memphis ort sign with a warm weather city. According to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSN New England, the Celtics are planning to go after Aldridge this offseason, as they think he potentially could leave Portland as a free agent. The team also could go after Wesley Matthews, who is also a free agent from the Blazers.
The Celtics have some options they could look at in free agency and with trades, but they also have the draft route as well. According to Blakely of CSN New England in another report, the team is "very open" to moving up in the draft at the end of the month, as they have draft picks to use in deals and the team likes what they have seen from Willie Cauley-Stein. Sources said that the Celtics could go after Cauley-Stein, as he appears to be a strong fit for Brad Stevens' style of play based on his size. The team has the number 16 and 28 picks in the first round this year.
