Boston Celtics: 5 Best Free Agents To Target For 2013-14
After a disappointing 2012-13 season, this offseason will likely be one of the most important and busy times in recent history for the Boston Celtics. General manager Danny Ainge must decide whether he will continue to try and compete with his veteran core or whether he will explore trading his Hall of Famers to rebuild around youth. When analyzing the top free-agent targets for the Celtics this offseason, we need to take into account that the team is well over the cap and that Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and the rest of the team are under contract, so we will assume in this scenario that they return. With little more than veteran minimum contracts and exemptions to work with, here are the top five free agents the Celtics should target for 2013-14.
Will Bynum would solve the Celtics’ need for a backup point guard. Photo Credit: Keith Allison, Flickr.com
Will Bynum – PG, 30 years old
2012-13 Stats: 9.8ppg, 1.5rpg, 3.6apg, .809ft%, .469fg%
If the injury to Rajon Rondo has taught us anything, it is that the Celtics desperately lack a true backup point guard on their roster and it is almost a certainty that Ainge will address that this offseason. While more of a scorer than a playmaker, Will Bynum is an aggressive, hard-working guard with the ability to turn a game in an instant. He attacks the rim relentlessly and scores in bunches, two areas that the Celtics desperately lacked, and his driving ability opens up outside shots for his teammates. In a defined backup role behind Rondo or on occasion playing beside him, Bynum could provide both the ball handling and scoring punch the Celtics need.
Devin Harris would be an ideal backup for Rajon Rondo. Photo Credit: Mark Runyon, Basketball Schedule
Devin Harris – PG, 30 years old
2012-13 Stats: 9.9ppg, 2rpg, 3.4apg, 1.1spg, .438fg%
In the veteran point guard market this offseason, there will be few players with better value than former All-Star Devin Harris. The 30-year-old Harris, who spent last season with the Atlanta Hawks, has the ability to handle the point guard position for long stretches as well as having the size to play off the ball as well. Harris has vast playoff experience, can create shots for himself and also set up his teammates. His quickness, experience and skills in the backcourt would make him an ideal complement to the Celtics’ existing backcourt.
Xavier Henry – SF, 22 years old
2012-13 Stats: 3.9ppg, 1.8rpg, 0.5apg, .410fg%
Whether or not the Celtics keep their veterans around for one more run, the team has already started to assemble some nice young talent in planning for the future. Xavier Henry is just 22 years old and was the 12th pick in the 2010 NBA Draft. While he has been wildly inconsistent in his first three seasons, Henry has not had a great deal of opportunity to develop either. Henry would likely be available at an extremely cheap rate considering his production this season and if he could learn from Doc Rivers and the Celtics’ veterans, we could start to see flashes of the player he was hyped to be prior to the draft.
Samuel Dalembert – C, 32 years old
2012-13 Stats: 6.7ppg, 5.9rpg, 1.8bpg, .542fg%
Another area that the Celtics need to address in the offseason is finding a rim-protecting, rebounding big man to support veteran Kevin Garnett. There will be few big men more coveted this offseason than Samuel Dalembert for just that reason–and the fact he is likely to be one of the most affordable bigs on the market. Dalembert is a big, experienced shot blocker who provides a steady rebounding presence and is not a liability on the offensive end. While best suited to a reserve role, he showed this season he can still be an effective starter for stretches when injury hits. Dalembert would be a key in resting Garnett during the season and could also give the team a legitimate big lineup option alongside KG.
Brandan Wright would be a good addition for the Boston Celtics. (NBA.com photo)
Brandan Wright – PF, 25 years old
2012-13 Stats: 8.5ppg, 4.1rpg, 1.2bpg, .597fg%
A young, athletic big man with good hands and finishing ability around the rim sounds like something the Celtics have desperately needed for the past few years. Brandan Wright has great quickness for a man his size, gets out on the break and can finish at the rim with his athleticism. Playing alongside Rajon Rondo would be an ideal environment for Wright to make the most of his physical abilities, while playing with Kevin Garnett would give him the opportunity to improve on the defensive end. An impact big man off the bench at the 4 or 5 position, Wright would do a lot to solve some of the offensive trouble the Celtics experience while adding some youth and bounce to an aging lineup.