In the future, the Boston Celtics may have limited options for adding players to their team. They could consider looking into Santi Aldama, a former teammate of Marcus Smart.
Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale explained in an article on April 19 why the Celtics should try to acquire the Memphis Grizzlies big man and outlined how a trade could be possible.“He will make slightly less money than (Jaden) Springer, and Boston could use a versatile big to support—and provide backup for—Al Horford and Kristaps Porziņģis.
“Aldama's acquisition would require more assets than Xavier Tillman (who will be a free agent this summer). However, Boston has a surplus of second-round picks, as well as some first-round picks, that it can offer. Aldama's potential fit with the team justifies considering including the No. 30 pick in any deal, even though he is entering the final year of his contract. Aldama excels at positioning himself well on defense, his three-point shooting percentage will likely increase to over 35 percent with the Celtics, and he possesses agility when handling the ball.”
The Celtics previously acquired Tillman, one of Smart’s teammates from Memphis, before the trade deadline. If Tillman leaves in the offseason, it might be worth considering looking into Aldama.
An analyst labeled the trade of Marcus Smart as the 'biggest regret'
Although trading Smart for Porzingis turned out well for the Celtics, it did not yield the same results for Memphis. Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes explained why he views acquiring Smart as Memphis’ “biggest regret” this season.
“After an unlucky season where none of the best-case scenarios for the Grizzlies came to fruition, the deal that brought Smart to the team now looks like a disaster. He only played 20 games and was unable to help Memphis avoid one of the most disappointing seasons in the league,” Hughes wrote
in an article on April 16. What makes the trade look even worse for Memphis is the players they gave up to get Smart..
“Tyus Jones was sent to the Washington Wizards in the three-team trade that brought Smart, and the Grizzlies’ former backup point guard achieved a 41.4 percent three-point shooting accuracy and led the league in assist-to-turnover ratio for the sixth consecutive season. He likely would have been a better replacement in Morant’s absence than Smart, even if Smart had been healthy.”
Hughes also mentioned that Smart's physical playing style should have indicated to the Grizzlies that “missed games should have been expected.”
The possibility of Luke Kornet reuniting with Marcus Smart is being discussed.
The Boston Celtics will see several players entering free agency, including Tillman and Luke Kornet. Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley provided insight into why it would be beneficial for the Celtics to retain Kornet,
although he expressed doubt that it will happen. “He is someone the Celtics should aim to keep. The question is whether they can afford to do so. They will be operating under financial constraints next season, so they will need to carefully manage their finances, especially when it comes to building the team around their star players. Kornet is valuable to have, but is he a necessity? The answer likely depends on how he is perceived by the market..
“Prediction: Kornet signs with the Memphis Grizzlies,” Buckley stated.
in a story dated April 11 Buckley also anticipated that the Celtics would sign Tillman again, which would lessen the impact of losing Kornet..
Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale suggested a player from the Grizzlies who is Marcus Smart’s teammate as a potential trade target for the Celtics.
