7 Bigs Who Could Fix The Celtics' Biggest Problem
A versatile defensive big is needed this summer...
It’s been a few days since the Boston Celtics season came to an end. I’ve come to terms with the fact that they lost a series after leading 3-1. It stung. Of course, it was worse that the loss came against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Nevertheless, it’s time to look forward.
If you’ve tuned into any of the end-of-season Celtics Chronicle podcasts in the past few days, odds are you’ve heard me talking about the need for a positionally versatile big man.
When watching the series against Philly, the lack of a big man who could enable Joe Mazzulla to lean into a switch-everything system on defense was a clear hole in the roster. We’ve seen how beneficial that level of defensive switchability can be — it was an option during the 2024 championship run, and for the years Al Horford was on the roster.
I’m not championing to replace Neemias Queta as the starting five. If that happens, it happens. He’s proven he has a role to play with the Celtics. What I am championing is plugging a gap in the roster that could have made a legitimate difference in the series the team just lost. More importantly, a role that would have been key moving through the deeper rounds, too.
If that role were to be key this season, it would undoubtedly be just as important next season.
With that in mind, I wanted to kick off the offseason content by looking at a couple of bigs who fit the positionally versatile billing I’m speaking about. Some are better fits than others, and the list is far from exhaustive. Oh, and some are attainable; others are highly unlikely to be pried away from their current situation.
Let’s dive in.
Onyeka Okongwu
In terms of a positionally versatile big, Onyeka Okongwu is the dream addition. He’s enjoyed a strong season for the Atlanta Hawks, cementing himself as a key member of their rotation and their defensive identity.
Okongwu has taken a leap as a perimeter shooter, too, upping his attempts from 2 per game last season (which was a career high) to 5.2 this season. Importantly, he shot a career high from three during the current campaign, hitting 37.6%.
If Boston wanted a long-term replacement for Horford, Okongwu would be the closest they were going to get. How fitting, then, that he would also be making the jump from Atlanta if the Celtics were to find a way of prying him loose.
Okongwu isn’t someone you can ask to switch onto guards with complete confidence. However, he’s been a solid isolation defender on the perimeter when finding himself in those spots. Boston would easily be able to lean into a higher-pressure defensive system, switching, hedging or playing at the level of the screen without needing to rely on dropping as the ball-handler probes.
In terms of contract, Okongwu is on a somewhat team friendly $16.1 million deal next season, and will have two years remaining on his $61.9 million contract. Unfortunately, Okongwu looks set to be a key part of the rebuilding Hawks, so, unless something changes this summer, I don’t expect to see him swapping teams.
Oso Ighodaro
Oso Ighodaro just completed his second season in the NBA. He doesn’t shoot threes and is still adapting to the league. However, he’s proven himself to be a legitimate defender who can operate in multiple systems and hold his own when isolated out on the perimeter.
I wouldn’t trust him to be switched onto smaller ball-handlers for stretches, but in momentary spurts while containing movement, he would probably handle himself quite well. He’s a disruptive presence when anchoring a unit and has the motor to get up the floor when passing lanes have been picked, or the team is on a break.
Given where the Phoenix Suns are in their current timeline, it’s hard to see them parting with a cost-controlled big man that has shown genuine upside in his role. However, we’re talking about the Suns, so we can’t rule anything out, especially when we’re discussing moves that would fall within the questionable category.
I could see Joe Mazzulla finding ways to make Ighodaro a key member of Boston’s rotation, on both sides of the ball. He wouldn’t be a bad pickup, but again, it feels more like wishful thinking at this point.
Al Horford
Good ol’ reliable.
Instead of trying to replace Al Horford, why not try to bring him back? Granted, it would be a short-term fix. A season, maybe two, tops. But it’s clear that his skillset was missing in the postseason, and even at his age, Horford’s ability to control angles, spread the floor and guard multiple positions (somewhat) makes him a valuable addition.
Horford has a player option for the upcoming season. I’d love for Tatum to pick up the phone and convince his favorite teammate to make another return to the Celtics. I doubt it happens. The fanbase seems pretty annoyed Horford walked for a second time, and we still don’t know what led to his decision to leave in the first place.
Still, bringing Horford back would give the Cs some breathing room as they searched for his longer-term replacement.
Grant Williams
While we’re on the topic of bringing back old names, Grant Williams is another guy who could give you some positional versatility on the defensive end. Ok, I get it, some people find him a little grating, and his impact outside of his switchability can sometimes be questionable, but let’s be real, there was a time (when he was calling himself Batman) that we viewed him as a potential Horford replacement.
Williams will be entering the final year of his current contract next season. He’s coming off a major injury. I can’t imagine it would be too hard to prise him away from the Hornets, although he might want to stick around due to them being his hometown team and all that.
I always valued Grant higher than most. However, I don’t think Mazzulla valued him too much during their lone year together. Nevertheless, he’s another option that fits the type of mold that I’d be looking at this summer, even if it does mean re-treading a former player.
Day’Ron Sharpe
Day’Ron Sharpe was linked with the Celtics last summer and again at the trade deadline. Out of all the names on this list, he feels like the most attainable and one of the better fits. One thing that really stands out is that the advanced analytics love him, and that seems to be something the Celtics seek out in their bigs — we’ve all heard about the shooting data Boston used to get a jump on bringing in Luka Garza…
Sharpe fits the mold of what the Celtics are missing perfectly. He’s young, switchable, a solid rebounder and can defend in space or when isolated. His lack of size and athleticism is somewhat of a concern, but you have size in both Neemy and Garza, and Neemy brings the bounce. That’s the point of a big-man-by-committee approach: you get something different from each guy.
Sharpe is entering the final year of his current deal — assuming the Brooklyn Nets pick up his team options, which they should. At $6.25 million for the year, Boston could easily match his salary in a trade, although they will have to accept paying him more to stick around longer-term.
In terms of fit, attainability, and long-term upside, Sharpe is arguably the most viable candidate to fill the spot Nikola Vucevic will be leaving behind — regardless of whether Amari Williams gets additional opportunities or not. He should certainly be viewed as a trade candidate this summer. Whether things will shake out that way is a totally different thing.
Moussa Diabate
Oh, this would be dope!
Moussa Diabate had somewhat of a breakout season with the Charlotte Hornets this season, earning 47 stats and 26 minutes per game under Charles Lee. He’s another prototypical mobile big man who can give you bits of a lot of things on both ends of the floor.
At $2.4 million for next season — which will be the last of his current contract — he’s a legitimate value swing. Do the Hornets sit down to talk trade when the return is unlikely to be productive and/or impactful? I’d be shocked if they didn’t slam the phone down.
Still, his name belongs on this list because he’s proven he can make an impact in the league and under Lee, would be used to some aspects of the system the Celtics run.
Again, a move for Diabate isn’t something I would consider likely.
Morez Johnson Jr.
So far, we’ve looked at players Boston could trade for - albeit unlikely scenarios. But what if the Celtics looked toward the draft to plug the gap? Morez Johnson Jr. could be that guy.
The issue is, I’ve seen him mocked anywhere from the late lottery to the bottom of the first round. There doesn’t appear to be a consensus regarding where he could go in the draft. If he falls into the 20s, could Brad Stevens move up a couple of spots to draft someone who could genuinely plug a hole in the roster while offering long-term upside on a cost-controlled deal?
“Johnson is one of the best defenders in the country with his ability to battle in the post, switch on the perimeter, and gobble up rebounds,” Tyler Metcalf of No Ceilings wrote in a recent mock draft. “He has the strength to deal with bigs and the agility to handle guards. On top of that, Johnson has one of the highest motors you could ask for.”
It’s worth noting that Morez Johnson Jr. went 8th in that mock.
Obviously, if Johnson Jr. is going to go that high, the Celtics will be out of the running. But if he does fall — which bigs tend to do, especially when their offense is questionable — the Celtics would be wise to explore avenues to bring him to Boston and develop him within the team’s culture and system.
I’d be a huge advocate for that, should it happen.
Right now, these guys would be my choices to fill a mobile big man role. Some are more attainable than others, but they all solve a similar problem. Who would you target to round out the big-man rotation?