Boston Celtics
Back in March of the 2020-21 season, Chris Fedor reported that the Boston Celtics were a team that showed interest in Larry Nance Jr., so could they show the same kind of interest now or during the 2021-22 season? It is possible that Boston could still look at Nance Jr. as a key asset, especially since they could use more versatile forwards.
The Celtics made some big moves this offseason to bring in the likes of Josh Richardson, Al Horford, Dennis Schroder and Enes Kanter, but overall, they are still lacking some bench depth and more specifically, forward depth. Jayson Tatum and Al Horford make up a strong one-two punch at the power-forward position, but Grant Williams is a guy that has had his fair share of question marks and Jabari Parker may not last on this roster with his contract being non-guaranteed.
They could definitely have a need for another versatile guy like Larry Nance Jr. and they may have a means of acquiring him salary-wise. Who the Celtics would give up to the Cavaliers is a whole separate question, but the C’s do have a $17.1M TPE from signing-and-trading Evan Fournier to the New York Knicks this offseason.
The Celtics would be able to absorb Nance Jr.’s salary with this trade exception, meaning that they would not have many financial hardships in a trade for him, but they would be left with his contract for next season as well, which would likely force them to continue paying luxury taxes.
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What Boston does this offseason in terms of using their trade exception will be very interesting, especially since they are a team that seems to be one piece away from being a real threat in the Eastern Conference. The Celtics have been looking for ways to get back to the NBA Finals for years now and adding Larry Nance Jr. for even more depth could be an excellent move to help them contend in the Eastern Conference.
