Following the departures of Kyrie Irving and Al Horford last summer, the Celtics have rebounded well behind the development of their two young stars, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
This season, as both have helped lead the Celtics to a 43-21 record, there is a lot of optimism about what they could do in the playoffs.
Still, the team isn’t done tweaking their roster and in an article by Michael Pina of SB Nation, the Celtics could be looking to add Cavs big man Tristan Thompson on a one-year deal this summer.
Few teams were willing to make a significant financial commitment at the center position before the league’s most essential revenue stream was suspended. No group of players will feel the plummeting salary cap more than them. Near the top of that list is Thompson, who may need to sign a cheap one-year deal with a contending team—like the Boston Celtics, that can actually use him in meaningful playoff moments next season—then re-enter free agency in 2021. Derrick Favors, Hassan Whiteside, and a couple other bigs may find themselves in a similar situation, assuming they test the market.
The NBA’s hiatus has impacted the bottom-line for a lot of players hoping to earn max dollars this summer. Thompson is one of them and could join Boston in an attempt to get his value up for the summer of 2021.
For the Celtics, his addition adds rebounding and size to a team that desperately needs both. This season, with the Cavs, Thompson is averaging 12 points, 10.1 rebounds, and .9 blocks per game on 51% shooting.
