Celtics' Trade Deadline Plans Clear With Luka Garza, Xavier Tillman, and Chris Boucher MIA

The Boston Celtics are likely looking for frontcourt upgrades based on Joe Mazzulla's ignoring his current reserve bigs | Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla cannot have made a more definitive statement to President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens: the big man rotation behind Neemias Queta is not up-to-snuff right now.

Mazzulla has been deploying a steady diet of Jordan Walsh and Josh Minott at the 4, moving away from Chris Boucher, amid a shooting slump that cannot be played, Xavier Tillman, and Luka Garza. The latter, Garza, is the only one under contract for next season, and he had a nice bounce-back game on the second night of a back-to-back with 12 points and 10 boards in 26 minutes during a 112-96 win over the Toronto Raptors on Saturday. The other two may be on their way out of Boston this coming summer.

MassLive's Brian Robb confirmed that the team's likely plan is to upgrade the big man rotation behind Queta in his latest Celtics Mailbag.

"Boston has a minus-1 net rating with Queta off the court but that number bumps up to +4.6 when Boston opts for small ball while Queta is resting. How sustainable that success is remains to be seen, which is why Boston will continue to be on the hunt for big man additions in the weeks to come. For now though, getting more minutes for the younger wings (with Josh Minott at center) is a better plan for the present and helps for the future more than Luka Garza or Xavier Tillman. Chris Boucher hasn’t really gotten a real chance at center this year but he’s in a tough spot given his age and the fact that Boston has moved away from double bigs entirely," Robb wrote.

Celtics Strike Gold With Neemias Queta

There are many different dynamics keeping Boston in contention for a top Eastern Conference playoff spot. Jaylen Brown has become a top-10 player, Derrick White's star potential has been fully realized, and Hugo Gonzalez and Walsh are providing extraordinary contributions relative to their rookie-scale deals.

Queta being good enough for the front office to only have to worry about finding a capable backup is part of the reason why this team wasn't torn down to the studs.

He was a smart addition in 2023, and he was a smarter re-signing.