Momentum Building Towards Carmelo Anthony Joining Celtics

Last season, Anthony produced 13.3 points on 10.5 shots while logging 26 minutes per game for the Lakers.

Last season, the Celtics' second unit ranked in the bottom five in points per game, averaging 30.2 per contest. In the playoffs, Boston's bench ranked 14th out of 16 teams, scoring only 22.5 points, according to NBA.com.

This summer, the Celtics addressed that deficiency, in part, by utilizing the taxpayer mid-level exception to sign Danilo Gallinari, a career 15.6 points per game scorer.

With Gallinari likely lost for the season, the idea of bringing Carmelo Anthony to Boston is "starting to gain traction," according to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe.

Even at 38, the 10-time All-Star and six-time All-NBA member is likely the best free-agent scoring forward available less than a month before training camp starts.

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Last season, Anthony produced 13.3 points on 10.5 shots while logging 26 minutes per game for the Lakers. He's also shot at least 37.5 percent from beyond the arc on a minimum of 3.9 long-range attempts per game in the last three seasons.

Signing Anthony to replace Gallinari's projected offensive production is a logical move. But the Celtics could settle on the belief adding Malcolm Brogdon, who generated 19.1 points per game last season, sufficiently addresses their need for more second-unit scoring. That would also create increased opportunities for Grant Williams, Payton Pritchard, and Sam Hauser, who's a part of Boston's extended rotation.

As a 10+-year veteran, signing Anthony for the veteran minimum would cost $2.9 million in player salary and even more in terms of a luxury tax hit.

The Celtics already project to have one of the NBA's most expensive payrolls this season, begging the question of how much more they're willing to spend on this team.

Without Gallinari to help Ime Udoka manage the team's rotation at center, upgrading who's coming off the bench to play the pivot is a more pressing need than adding another second-unit scorer.

Boston can short shift Al Horford and Robert Williams to keep at least one of them on the floor at all times, but the last thing the Celtics want to do is place too much strain on either of their starting big men.

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Luke Kornet could prove up to the task, but relying on him without bringing in competition beyond training camp invites Noah Vonleh and Bruno Caboclo, neither of whom are natural centers, doesn't seem like the best route to take.

If Boston's willing to sign Anthony and sufficiently address its need for a reliable center to bring off the bench, adding the former is a move worth making; one way to accomplish that is trading a rotation player such as Payton Pritchard.

However, the Celtics want to enter the season with their rotation intact and will likely do so. And with Boston needing to fill at least two of its three open roster spots, if investing more into one of those than the other, focusing on fortifying the center rotation makes more sense.

Here's a look at who the Celtics might add and what it could cost them.

Further Reading

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