Celtics Mailbag: Buyout targets, Xavier Tillman trade impact

The Celtics have put some finishing touches on their roster with three trades this week but there’s still some work to be done for Brad Stevens on the buyout market. Let’s jump into some questions about the revamped team in this week’s mailbag as we debate options for the 15th roster spot and analyze some new additions. If you have questions about the Celtics or NBA, email brobb@masslive.com or tweet @briantrobb

Do you think the Celtics could get one of Otto Porter, Delon Wright, or Gallinari on a buyout? — SFHoops

Porter is certainly the name that catches my eye on that list although the Celtics will certainly have a decent amount of competition for his services if he reaches a buyout with the Jazz. Delon Wright is a guy I would be surprised to see bought out. He’s playing a decent amount with the Wizards right now and giving up his Bird Rights would impact his free agent market potentially next summer.

Even if the Wizards don’t want to keep him, they could sign-and-trade him if they retain him through this season. Gallinari is out there but I think that ship has sailed from the Celtics at this point. He isn’t moving around well this season after his ACL tear and that limited mobility makes him an easy target for defenses. With his shooting percentages also trending down, the Celtics would be better off looking elsewhere for this spot.

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Love all the things you do Brian. Should the Celtics focus on another wing, bigman or guard or another development piece for a buyout target — Nash

I think the best case scenario on this front for the Celtics would be a bigger wing. Xavier Tillman should fill the big man depth void even though he’s limited in size. He makes up for that disadvantage with his toughness and he has experience banging with some big bodies in the postseason already, which bodes well for Boston if they need to use him in a pinch. It’s hard to figure they will find any better big on the buyout market at this point.

The wing position however could have a decent number of veterans available depending on how buyout negotiations go over the next couple of weeks for a number of guys. The Celtics did add a guard with some size in Jaden Springer but they could certainly use someone with a little more size or shooting ability on that front in the event of an injury. Derrick White and Payton Pritchard seem like two of the more durable guys on the team so bringing in another guard doesn’t feel like much of a need there. Thanks for the kind words!

Hi Brian, I really like the acquisition of Xavier Tillman. The X Man should give the Celtics bench the toughness, defense, and rebounding it needs. If my memory is correct, he resembles rugged power forward Brandon Bass, who used to play for the Celtics. Do you agree? — Paul F

They are definitely similar given that they are both undersized bigs. However, I think we are going to see a different kind of defense from Tillman than we saw with Bass. He’s more of a banger and rim protector down low than Bass was, which could come in handy on nights when Al Horford isn’t available or Kristaps Porzingis is getting pushed around in the paint. Bass had a far smoother offensive game than Tillman (his offensive numbers aren’t pretty) particularly when it comes to the jump shot. If Tillman makes anywhere near the impact that Bass did with the Celtics, this will be a great deal for them.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but let’s say in two years Al decides he wants to retire and his contract is up. Instead of going to public with his thoughts of retirement. he goes to Brad and says “how can I be useful to you on my way out?” Brad could then extend him for a year at whatever amount of money he wants (since they have his bird rights) and then trade him to another team with some draft capital to get a player they want, and then Al could retire some time thereafter (not immediately to make it too obvious but maybe right before training camp or something) and all would be kosher right? If so, does holding a player’s Bird rights become the most valuable commodity for over the apron teams for the foreseeable future? Thanks, — Matt

I love the creativity but don’t think this would be a legitimate option even if the team got Horford to go along with that scheme. He’s getting up there in age at this point so it’s hard to envision the team getting any draft capital for him a couple of years down the road. More importantly, Horford is too important for this team in the interim and my money is on him retiring as a Celtic at this point.

Has signing a “Celtics killer” ever really worked? I see Ish Smith is available, and I get flashbacks. — Matt D

Smith has a reputation as a great locker room guy, as evidenced by the Hornets keeping him around for the first half of this season. However, if the Celtics are going to go with an over the hill veteran, they can do better than Smith. At age 35 with his size limitations, it’s just tough to envision him being helpful in any meaningful situation this year despite his Celtics killing over the years. My bet is Brad Stevens goes with someone with a little more size on this front.