Just when I thought I could sit and relax, I get a report saying that Celtics big man Tristan Thompson could be on the move before the deadline. Thompson signed with Boston this past off-season on a two-year deal worth $19million with an option for 2021-22.
To me this feels more like Danny is setting the table for something bigger. I said in a previous article that the Celtics are looking to cut down their center rotation with the emergence of Timelord. Theis was my original target for trade watch because he’s entering free agency soon.
Thompson has been playing well after a slow start to the season. He is averaging 7.9 PPG and 8.4 RPG in 36 games, 31 of which he started. There was some backlash at the beginning of the year due to the two big lineup that Brad Stevens had employed. That lineup had a lot of troubles to start the year and Thompson got most of the hit.
I was excited when Tristan Thompson had signed with Boston and I had high hopes for him. But he is slowly starting to decline in the latter half of his career. His production has gone up lately and he is cleaning up the glass at a decent rate.
Running to The 6, It’s My Home
Toronto is the most likely landing spot for Thompson. The Raptors are looking for a big man to shore up their depth at that spot. The departures of Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka have left holes in their rotation. Thompson is a Toronto native so it would be a homecoming. Don’t expect much back in return it is likely that the Raptors will not want to give up anything more than Aron Baynes.
This transaction seems like Boston is setting themselves up for a run at targets like John Collins or Harrison Barnes. But keep an eye out for the buyout market for names like LaMarcus Aldridge, or Andre Drummond because much to the dismay of some fans these names could add some experience and act as mentors for the younger guys. Safe to say that these next 10 days are gonna give me angina at the age of 24.
Keep your eyes locked to my Twitter for rants on how outright wrong some people are about basketball. Check out this article I wrote on why Lonzo Ball should get a look from Danny Ainge. Spoiler alert, I didn’t use the TPE.
