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Boston Celtics general manager
got an early start on trade deadline day, bringing in a backup center who might have a postseason role. But is Stevens done? Jay King and Jared Weiss discuss the next moves for the Celtics as they prepare for a championship run.
Jared Weiss: Stevens made a move Wednesday acquiring Grizzlies big Xavier Tillman for a 2027 second-round pick via Atlanta, a 2030 second-rounder via Dallas and
. The rumblings around the Celtics since training camp have been that they will make a move to fortify their big depth at the deadline unless someone in the group of
,
t,
or the aforementioned
could prove they could handle real playoff minutes.
So, do we have our answer now? Is Tillman going to replace Kornet in the rotation?
Jay King: Even if he doesn’t take all of Kornet’s minutes, Tillman will give the Celtics a different type of frontcourt option. EPM, a catch-all impact metric, puts him in the 99th percentile of all defenders. For a guy with his strength, he has great footwork on the perimeter. He can switch onto guards and keep them in front of him. He’s a defensive playmaker and one of 14 players averaging at least one steal and one block per game so far this season.
“I think it brings a big that is versatile as far as defending,” said
. “We’ve seen him play, he can guard bigger, he moves his feet very well. Obviously, being in Memphis you know he has grit to him. So he’ll definitely add another layer to us.”
One layer he will add: Tillman has enough physicality to handle the biggest, toughest matchups. The Celtics didn’t have many options to throw at the Joel Embiids, Giannis Antetokounmpos and Nikola Jokićs. Kristaps Porziņģis can protect the rim, but handling the most physical assignments isn’t his strength.
has taken on the challenge of guarding just about every type of opponent this season, but he’s only 6 foot 4. I don’t know how well throwing him on, say, Embiid, would work during a seven-game playoff series.
is probably the only player the Celtics would have been comfortable putting on those types of guys.
Now they have Tillman too, just in case. In all likelihood, he won’t play too much in every playoff series if the Celtics are healthy. But he could be pivotal in certain matchups. The front office did good work to acquire him without giving up anyone with a realistic chance of cracking the postseason rotation.
Weiss: I like him for the playoff rotation. Porziņģis is at a hair under 30 minutes per game while Horford is at about 27. If they’re going to survive a long playoff run, head coach
might have to get a third big in the mix every other game just to keep their workload down. Especially with Porziņģis, he’s never been out of the first round and it’s a big unknown how he can hold up over, ideally, two months of physical postseason basketball. We’ve seen Horford in particular lose his defensive impact throughout a seven-game series against high-motor bigs or in an up-tempo transition series.
That’s what’s great about Tillman, he can take a beating. He’s got ruggedness and plenty of experience, even though he just turned 25. Considering he should thrive in Boston’s switch and high drop coverages on defense, they can play him at the four or five with most of their lineups. So in those moments when Horford needs a break or Porziņģis is being bullied down low, Tillman can step up in a way Kornet and Queta can’t. I don’t think this is like last season with Mike Muscala when they spent two seconds on a player who they might need to come in and hit a few shots. Tillman contributes in a way that fits the Celtics’ identity.
“Skilled, toughness, well-coached,” Mazzulla said. “Obviously, we paid a lot of attention to him just because of the team that he played for, and the coach that he has, and I think his defensive versatility, he has really good numbers against some of the top centers in the league, and his pick-and-roll defense and rim protection is pretty good, so I think just giving us versatility at that position.”
The questions are on the offensive end. His shooting numbers are terrible this season, but the Grizzlies are running out two-way and 10-day players. Do you think he’ll bounce back in Boston’s system?
King: He should. His numbers have dropped at least in part because the Grizzlies don’t have many good creators around him. They’ve been crushed by injuries. He has finished much better in the past when not playing with sub-replacement-level teammates. In Boston, the talent level won’t be an issue.
Tillman won’t fly well above the rim for alley-oops. He shouldn’t shoot many 3-pointers based on his career numbers from beyond the arc. But he can pass a little bit. He’s smart. Around the Celtics’ stars, all of that should help him produce better attempts than he’s had with G League-level players handling many of the minutes in Memphis. Tillman could be a part of the Celtics’ long-term plans if he fits well. That could be important, especially if Horford decides not to play for much longer.
Weiss: Isn’t it perfect they got a bite-sized Horford to slide behind him?
King: You’re taking some big bites if he’s bite-sized.
Weiss: What’s good about his offensive skill set is he can work that dribble handoff game at the elbows and has a bit of post-up ability on the low block. They can utilize him in many of the actions given to Kornet and even Horford, especially if they’re going to let him shoot corner 3s.
So check backup big off the Celtics’ deadline wishlist. They’ve already used two seconds, but they still have plenty to spend. Now they face the conundrum of whether to use more picks to get another player they barely need now or save them to add more talent to the roster now that they’re living in the second apron. The new second-round exception has made those picks in the 30s and early 40s a lot more valuable to teams deep in the tax like Boston since they are significantly limited in adding talent on cheap long-term contracts. It’s a big part of why they kept trading down to end up with
in the draft.
What do they still need and is there anyone out there you think is worth it?
King: They still have a $6.2 million trade exception at their disposal. Though they don’t have any pressing needs, Stevens said last month he would look for a big wing to add depth behind
and
.
has been a dependable sharpshooter off the bench and
t has provided some good minutes recently, but the Celtics could probably still use a “break glass in case of an emergency” player just in case, for whatever reason, they need another forward come playoff time.
As Stevens has said, the Celtics won’t have a lot of options among players who will fit into the TPE. Some names that are at least mildly intriguing include Naji Marshall, Kris Dunn and John Konchar. Boston could also cobble together more salary to acquire a player who makes more than the TPE. Still, with Stevens unlikely to move anyone in his top six, the Celtics will be limited in how much salary they can take back in a trade. Do you like any other possible targets? What do you think they want to accomplish on the final day of trade season?
Weiss: Marshall is the most interesting option because he fills that long defensive wing hole well and he’s a minimum player heading into restricted free agency with a low qualifying offer. Bird rights are Boston’s best friend these days, as the second apron makes it difficult to bring in any other kind of player. Stevens filled the back of the roster with vets on minimums and Queta, a two-way player, and Brissett are the only additions to have cracked the rotation.
So to bring in someone who can handle defending the bigger wings in the league while still having enough defensive versatility to switch onto most guards is appealing. Since New Orleans already has so many wings, they might be down to get off Marshall early for some assets. I expect the Pelicans would want a quality second-rounder and I’m not sure he’s worth that unless the Celtics think they can get him to sign for essentially the minimum long-term. Paying two seconds for Tillman makes sense if you’re going to use him, but Marshall isn’t getting minutes over Hauser unless there’s a matchup Hauser really can’t handle. It’s likely they will face someone in the playoffs who can rough up Hauser, so maybe they should trade for Marshall.
Saddiq Bey’s name is always going to pop up with Celtics fans, especially considering he dropped 25 points in the Celtics’ 125-117 win over the Hawks on Wednesday. But after he shot 40 percent with the Hawks post-deadline last season, he’s shooting 30.8 percent from deep this season. They don’t need to add a non-shooter who isn’t going to be a terror on defense for them.
You’re one of the foremost purveyors of Kris Dunn hype. Does he make sense for this team?
King: The Celtics would probably prefer a bigger wing, as Stevens suggested last month, but Dunn can ruin an offensive player’s night. With him,
and
, Boston would have three premier perimeter defenders. Dunn’s not the best shooter. He’s not the most explosive scorer. But with the way he guards, he could be insurance in case Pritchard can’t hold up defensively at some point in the playoffs. Whether it’s Dunn or someone else, if the Celtics can upgrade one of their end-of-the-bench spots, they should.
