The Celtics have hit a rough patch for the first time this week with a couple of losses away from Boston amid a three-game road trip. Let’s jump into some concerns with players across the roster in this week’s mailbag. If you have questions about the Celtics or NBA, free agency or more email brobb@masslive.com or tweet @briantrobb
Hey Brobb love your work on the Celtics, huge fan of yours. Pertaining to our bench, what area of need do you realistically see the Celtics doing? Back up pg, wing or big? I really think Brissett needs to play more I understand he’s not much of a shooter at all but he’s athletic, can defend and I just can’t watch Kornet, Pritchard and Hauser on the floor at the same time. I like them all but they are too bad defensively. Hauser’s finally figuring it out so I’m more concerned about Pritchard and Kornet.
Thoughts on an Andre Drummond move? Obviously Al will start to miss time and KP’s not gonna play all 82 so I think a big man I has to be the play for brad and co. I ultimately think Pritchard will figure it out. Let me know your thoughts thanks. — Sean D
I think it’s honestly a TBD situation when it comes to the bench. No one has played well to begin the year outside of Sam Hauser of late off the pine. With that said, we are just a couple weeks in and there are some strong track records to be had. I wouldn’t be interested in Drummond at this point beyond a buyout signing since he’s not going to be playable in the postseason regardless. I think finding a more versatile big is probably a top priority if Brissett isn’t able to be a regular contributor in that role.
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Is PP trade eligible, or did the extension nullify it til next year due to the poison pill provision/a 6 month moratorium? There are Alex Caruso rumors. The Cs could get in on those with PP, a bench guy & a pick. & do we need to play other bench guys more? It’s lacking right now? —CsFanMan
Pritchard is trade eligible after his extension but that comes with a poison pill. That makes any trade more challenging due to shifted salary matching rules but not prohibitive since Pritchard’s new deal isn’t a huge raise from his current salary. Alex Caruso would definitely be a name to watch if the Bulls turn into sellers later this year. I would imagine there would be a lot of bidders though so not sure that type of package would be enough. I do think some of other deeper bench guys (Lamar Stevens, Svi Mykhailiuk, Dalano Banton) could use a longer look at this point given the unevenness of the rest of the bench. That could be coming in some back-to-backs on the horizon.
How short is the leash with Pritchard? Most of the bench has been horrible except Horford & sorta Hauser. The rest? Miserable — Seth S
I still think he’s going to get plenty of rope still despite the horrid start. The organization was very high on him this summer with his extension and his track record indicates he should play his way out of this slump. His minutes could be reduced if the team opts to play bigger off the bench and let White/Holiday/Tatum handle ball handling duties for 48 minutes but don’t think we are close to going down that road. The bench has been bad but look for the front office to wait for a longer sample size before doing anything.
Hi b robb are there any wings available on the trade marketplace? — Carlo C
None appealing ones at the moment. I don’t think this is an area the C’s will target since Brown/Tatum play such high minutes regardless and Sam Hauser is playing well. Just not a lot of need in this spot compared to other parts of the roster.
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