At minimum, he’s another guy who can help, but he’s not much better than what you already have in the middle. A buyout deal for Aldridge would add to the big man glut unless somebody in the Theis-Thompson-Time Lord triumvirate is headed out the door.
On Thursday morning, it was reported that the Celtics traded two second-round picks to Orlando for guard Evan Fournier. According to Jared Weiss of The Athletic, Boston will also send point guard Jeff Teague to Orlando in the deal.
Teague was signed by the Celtics before the season as a reserve point guard. However, due to mounting injuries at the position, the 32-year-old was forced into a significant role at times. In 34 games in Boston, he averaged seven points and two assists while playing 18 minutes per night. Orlando is expected to waive him, per Weiss.
By including Teague in the deal, the Celtics open up a roster spot to potentially sign a player off the buyout market. Shortly after the deadline passed, Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports reported the Celtics are expected to explore signing a buyout player. He specifically mentioned LaMarcus Aldridge and Otto Porter.
However, Adrian Wojnarowski has since reported the Heat are a favorite to land Aldridge. Meanwhile, whether or not Porter is bought out by the Magic – who acquired him from the Bulls earlier on Thursday – remains up in the air with Yahoo’s Chris Haynes reporting Porter plans to remain with the team “for now.”
Another potential name to watch is Andre Drummond, who Woj linked to the Celtics on Wednesday. It’s since been reported that the Lakers and Knicks are favorites to land Drummond.
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Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at abarth@985TheSportsHub.com.