The Celtics faced a familiar problem in Monday’s win over the Chicago Bulls, down a pair of rotation players in Sam Hauser (hip) and Al Horford (toe). After a largely healthy regular season run to the No. 1 seed last year, the realities of a short offseason have begun to pile up this year. Normally durable players (Hauser) are banged up and it’s evident that certain guys have been banged up (Derrick White, Jrue Holiday) even when they are on the floor.
With Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown approaching their career-high totals for minutes per game, it’s evident that Joe Mazzulla could use another player or two he trusts off the bench. This is especially true on nights when the team is down a rotation player.
Boston’s options for adding on that front are quite limited with the assumption they don’t want to touch anyone in the existing rotation. Jaden Springer’s $4 million salary caps what the team can send out for a player in a swap since the Celtics can’t aggregate salaries as a second apron.
That leaves a short list of players who make that kind of money and could also be available next week at the Feb. 6 trade deadline. However, one was sitting at the TD Garden on Wednesday night, watching a 122-100 Celtics blowout win: Bulls wing Torrey Craig.
The 34-year-old has not played since December 30 due to an ankle injury. However, the 6-foot-5 wing is just the type of player who could be a good depth upgrade over the likes of Springer, Jordan Walsh or Drew Peterson at the back of Boston’s bench.
Craig makes a modest $2.85 million in the final year of his contract and he’s certainly not going to break the bank with a likely asking price of a second round pick from Chicago given that he’s only played in nine games this season. Craig struggled with his 3-point shot for most of his career (35 percent career shorter) but has now shot above 39 percent from 3-point range for three straight seasons dating back to the 2022-23 season with the Suns.
That type of shooting prowess and acceptable defense makes him a potential fit for Boston when Mazzulla has to look to the end of his roster. Springer has played well in recent weeks but his 3-point shot remains a big question mark and his price tag $4 million is much more costly with the luxury tax factored in.
Meanwhile, Craig is more of a proven commodity. He’s played in 75 playoff games since 2018 including 19 starts. Ideally, the Celtics wouldn’t need anything from him in a playoff situation if he were acquired but he has shown himself to be capable in those moments in past stints with the Suns and Nuggets. Brad Stevens and his staff don’t have much to work with in the coming week as they look to put the finishing touches on the roster but it’s evident now that upgrades would be useful at the bottom of the depth chart. For a team that could use reliable wing depth to get through the regular season grind, Craig is a guy worth inquiring on.
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