With both Lebron James and Kawhi Leonard out of the Eastern Conference for the first time this decade, the spot in the Finals is open for the taking, and the time is now for the Boston Celtics.
The Celtics currently sit at 18-7 in second place in the Eastern Conference, but could rise in the ranks if they were able to acquire a quality big man via trade. Daniel Theis, Enes Kanter and Robert Williams have been average this season, but a more talented player and vigorous rebounder could be needed to compete against big men like Joel Embiid.
It would be an understatement to say that Andre Drummond is one of the best rebounding centers in the NBA this year. Being that he has posted the eighth best career rebounds per game average in league history, he is actually one of the best rebounders in NBA history, and the Celtics could use his talents.
The Celtics could specifically use help with rebounding in traffic, which is the more common type of rebound come playoff time. The Celtics are average in that department, as they rank 15th in contested rebounding percentage. Adding Drummond could put the team in the top 5 in that category turning a perceived weakness into a strength.
Even though Drummond doesn't stretch the floor as much as a modern, pace-and-space, post player, the pick-and-rolls he could run with Kemba Walker, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum would be lethal. With his aggressiveness and blue-collar mentality when it comes to rebounding and 50/50 balls, he could be loved on the same level as Marcus Smart in Bean Town.
Even though likes on Instagram are far from a confirmation via press conference, Drummond did like a comment about two years ago suggesting that he could be on the move to Boston, indicating that the big man with an expiring deal this summer could be interested in donning green, especially with the departure of Al Horford, who the Celtics have perhaps missed more than Kyrie Irving this season.
If the Celtics were willing to get rid of Brown and their potential top-10 first round pick from the Memphis Grizzlies, that along with an expiring contract or two could make the salaries work, as Lyle Morrison of Hardwood Houdini highlighted.
The Memphis first round pick and an up-and-coming player like Jaylen Brown offers them a solid wing player to build around, and what could be a high lottery pick come the draft in April 2020.
Even though the bearded big man doesn't have a lot of playoff experience, he could at the very least provide the Celtics with another quality post player who can rebound, score in the double digits, and defend Joel Embiid, who has given the Celtics fits in the past.
While the Pistons are unlikely to deal Drummond by the deadline because of how pricey his contract is, the Celtics have a lot of expensive contracts they could deal to make the salaries work, as well as a lot of talented young assets like Brown, Semi Ojeleye and Carsen Edwards.
Some Pistons fans would be sad to see Drummond go, with the team hovering the line between an eighth seed on the playoffs and mediocrity, getting rid of the former All-Star and getting younger may be the best move for a franchise that has struggled to be relevant this entire decade.
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