Getty Isaiah Stewart of the Detroit Pistons.
With the NBA draft on June 22, the Boston Celtics are on the lookout for help in their rotation, according to Brian Robb of MassLive.
“A league source tells MassLive that the Celtics have been one of the more active teams in the league in trade talks ahead of Thursday’s draft,” Robb wrote on June 15.
The Athletic’s James Edwards III tweeted that the Celtics are among the teams who have called about Detroit Pistons center Isaiah Stewart, 22. But, he added, he didn’t believe Stewart was going anywhere.
“Heard they — and others — made calls to Detroit asking about Isaiah Stewart. I don’t see the Pistons moving Beef Stew. At all,” Stewart wrote.
In his third NBA season, Stewart averaged 11.3 points and 8.1 rebounds while shooting 44.2% from the field and 32.7% from three.
Stewart may very well stay put, but the Pistons have a lot of young bigs on their roster, including Jalen Duren, Marvin Bagley III and James Wiseman. The Pistons may have a decision about who they want going forward, and Stewart could be the odd man out.
Insider Believes Celtics Aren’t Interested in Bradley Beal
Following ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski’s report that Bradley Beal and the Washington Wizards are working together to find a trade for him, there’s been plenty of speculation on where Beal could go next.
While the Celtics could get in on the Beal sweepstakes, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said he believed that the Celtics wouldn’t be involved because their focus was on keeping Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum long-term.
“My feel, from talking to sources, is that the Celtics are not necessarily in on this one,” Windhorst said on the June 14 episode of ESPN’s “NBA Today.” “Their intention is to get Jaylen Brown done on a contract extension this year and that even if they got Jaylen Brown done, the idea of bringing in Bradley Beal would be extraordinarily difficult because of the three contracts together. I don’t think any conversation that involves trading Jaylen Brown is something the Celtics are super interested in right now.”
Technically, the Celtics could make a deal work, in terms of salary, for Beal without Tatum or Brown, but the Wizards might not be interested in anything the Celtics have to offer outside of their two superstars.
Kristaps Porzingis Floated as Trade Target
NESN’s Gio Rivera explained why he believed the Celtics should look into adding Kristaps Porzingis to their frontcourt.
“No, he’s not the same must-watch “unicorn” talent he once was in a New York Knicks jersey, but that isn’t what the Celtics would need. Porzingis is still an elite-level front-court threat with the ability to protect the glass and score, leading the Wizards in both points (23.2) and rebounds (8.4),” Rivera wrote.
Rivera added that there could be some issues but explained why Porzingis would fit well in their frontcourt.
“Obviously, there’s the salary factor in place that won’t complicate this hypothetical trade target, but the 27-year-old would be a huge upgrade from the cement-footed Al Horford, who is far beyond his prime and got exposed for his age all throughout the playoffs.”
