How do the Celtics plan on filling the void left by center Daniel Theis, who was dealt to Chicago (a move meant to keep the team under the salary cap after acquiring Evan Fournier from the Magic) at last week’s trade deadline? Besides allotting more minutes to Robert “Time Lord” Williams and fan favorite Tacko Fall, Boston could look to the buyout and free-agent markets to address that shortcoming.
UConn alum and New England native Andre Drummond, who GM Danny Ainge had reportedly been eyeing, is no longer available after joining the Lakers Sunday. With Drummond and former Spurs big LaMarcus Aldridge (now of the impossibly star-studded Brooklyn Nets) both spoken for, might Boston shift its attention to four-time All-Star DeMarcus Cousins, who remains a free agent following his release from Houston last month? It sure seems that way as Evan Massey of NBA Analysis Network reports the C’s will “consider” adding Cousins after failing in their pursuits of Drummond and, to a lesser extent, Aldridge.
Cousins was, at one point in time, among the most-feared low-post scorers in all of basketball, averaging 25.1 points per game over a three-year stretch for the Kings and Pelicans. However, injuries including a torn Achilles and ACL have significantly detracted from his game in recent years, as evidenced by his frustrating stint with the Rockets earlier this season (career-low 9.6 points per game on abysmal 37.6-percent shooting).
Signing Cousins would seemingly undermine Williams, who has thrived since his promotion to the starting lineup (8.0 points, 11.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 3.5 blocks per game post-Theis). But if Cousins is willing to serve as veteran depth, supplementing the team’s frontcourt of Williams, Fall and newcomer Luke Kornet, he could be a valuable addition.
It’s been a trying season for the Celtics, who are hoping to avoid the dreaded “play-in” round pitting the 7-10 seeds against each other in the Eastern Conference. Injuries and COVID absences have no doubt been a factor in Boston’s lackluster 23-23 record, though even at full strength, the Celtics have underachieved, bearing little resemblance to the team that pushed Miami to six games in last year’s Conference Finals.
The Celtics, outside of pot-stirrer Marcus Smart, have appeared passive at times, lacking the edge that carried them to deep playoff runs in three of their previous four seasons. The bruising 6’11” Cousins, a known agitator with 129 technicals to his NBA credit, would certainly help in that regard.