When the Boston Celtics completed a trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday evening, it appeared to be little more than general manager Danny Ainge moving pieces in order to acquire a couple of second-round draft picks and create yet another trade exception to add to his endless stash of trade assets.
However, as the dust settles on the deal that sent out veteran Keith Bogans in return for four Cavaliers’ players, it appears that the Celtics may also have been targeting a young big man who could well stick around in former Stanford forward Dwight Powell.
When the deal was originally reported, ESPN’s Marc Stein hinted multiple times that the Celtics may have in fact been targeting Powell and would not just cut him as they intended to do with the rest of the players acquired.
"The Cavaliers surrendered the non-guaranteed contracts of John Lucas, Erik Murphy and Malcolm Thomas — as well as a player Boston intends to keep in forward Dwight Powell — to acquire Bogans and his trade-friendly contract, which holds great appeal to Cleveland.Boston gets a player it likes in Powell as well as second-round picks from Cleveland in 2016 and ’17. Sources told ESPN’s Jeff Goodman the Celtics also will create a trade exception worth $5.3 million as part of the transaction, which can be achieved by absorbing the various Cleveland players into existing trade exceptions."
Stein has also since reported that the Celtics have waived Lucas and Thomas, and while Murphy is still on the squad for now he is unlikely to make it beyond training camp. Powell however looks as if he could stick around and may have many Celtics’ fans questioning who their new big man is and what he brings to the table.
ESPN sources say that the Boston Celtics have officially waived John Lucas III and Malcolm Thomas
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) September 28, 2014
Standing 6’11” and boasting a 35″ vertical, Dwight Powell is an excellent athlete with the length and shooting stroke to contribute from multiple spots on the floor. He has the athleticism and size to really run the floor in transition and can throw down some thunderous dunks at the rim. He shows great form on his jump shot and while not yet consistent from deep, he has range well out to the three point line and will contribute as a pick-and-pop option nearly immediately.
In his senior season with Stanford, Powell averaged 14 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. His scoring and rebounding dipped slightly from the 14.9 and 8.4 he averaged as a junior but he improved as a passer and showed great potential as a role player at the next level.
As a primarily face-up power forward, Powell shoed the ability to beat big men off the dribble, take the ball to the basket and also knock down the mid-to-long range jumper. This makes Powell a useful addition to any offense and if can improve as a three point shooter he could be a solid stretch four in the NBA. His speed and athleticism allows Powell to draw fouls at a high rate as slower big men often find themselves out of position trying to stop the elusive, athletic forward.
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While Powell has obvious traits that scream role player at the next level, there are also some unique skills that make him a more intriguing prospect. He has a high basketball IQ and a great assist rate for a big man. His vision and ability to find teammates is an asset, especially when a near 7-footer faces up and can fire passes into the paint or to outside shooters.
He also moves well on the defensive end and while not a shot blocker, shows some ability to guard both inside and out making him useful not only as a stretch forward on the offensive end, but able to defend those exact players on defense as well.
Taken with the 45th pick in the second round of the 2014 draft, Powell was impressive in workouts and even at 23 years old looks like he has considerable untapped potential. The Celtics’ frontcourt is crowded, especially at the power forward position, so Powell may not find himself in the big leagues from the get-go, however if a veteran like Brandon Bass was moved via trade before the season he could find himself on the end of the bench and pushing for spot minutes with an impressive training camp.
Powell has the physical tools and a feel for the game that makes him a likely player to stick around in the NBA if given the opportunity and the Celtics may have found a bargain priced talent in a deal that most thought was about little more than trade exceptions and draft picks.