The Boston Celtics have the NBA’s best roster.
At least, that’s how things appeared in both the regular season and the playoffs, as this club followed a 64-win campaign by going 16-3 in the postseason and securing the franchise’s record-setting 18th championship.
It hasn’t been the least bit surprising, then, to see this front office prioritize talent retention during the offseason.
It’s fair to wonder, though, whether there might be a trade or two this organization would make to improve its odds of defending the throne.
If the Celtics are open to trading, the following three ideas could be worth pursuing.
Because Boston’s top six is so strong, it can be easy to overlook the fact there isn’t a ton of scoring help beyond that sextet.
Sam Hauser can catch fire from three, and Payton Pritchard occasionally cooks, but there isn’t much point production with the second unit.
If the Celtics think that could be an issue, they could make a defense-for-offense deal involving backcourt backups.
More specifically, they could attach Jaden Springer to draft considerations and see if that’s enough to pry Ben Sheppard away from the Indiana Pacers.
Floor time was sometimes hard for Sheppard to find as a freshman, and that hurdle could be present during his sophomore season, too.
Between having a healthy Bennedict Mathurin, drafting Johnny Furphy and attempting to work Jarace Walker into the wing rotation, the Pacers have crowded their perimeter group.
It might be easier for a defensive stopper like Springer to stand out than it is for another shot-maker like Sheppard.
