Boston Celtics – Marcus Smart
The Boston Celtics have had plenty of assets both in terms of players and picks for a couple seasons now, but have yet to pull the trigger on a monumental move. It was reported that they were in the hunt for Serge Ibaka, but were unwilling to deal the young, high-potential guard Terry Rozier.
This is somewhat curious considering how much of an impact Ibaka could have made for Boston and that Rozier struggles to find his shot, but credit the Celtics for sticking with him and his very apparent upside. Rozier is a young guy I could potentially be interested in seeing in a Jazz uniform, but if Boston wouldn’t bite on Ibaka, I don’t know that there’s quite a fit with Utah that would get them to deal him.
In fact, it’s been pretty quiet on the Celtics front as far as reliable trade rumors, but one has to think that Boston would be pretty willing to move almost any of their role players if the right opportunity arose.
With that being said, the main guy I think could potentially provide a boost for the Jazz would be Marcus Smart. Smart would help fill Utah’s struggles at the backup point guard spot and although he’s not a great shooter and can be somewhat erratic, there’s no question that he brings an intensity and passion to the game that would be nice to see on Utah’s second unit.
Amir Johnson as a potential backup power forward for the Jazz is intriguing as well, but Smart is more of a proven impact player in my mind. There’s honestly other players around the league that I’d much prefer over Smart as a backup point guard (we’ll get to some of them later) but as far as what the Celtics have to realistically offer, he has my pick.
Honorable Mention – Amir Johnson