Celtics Notes: Bradley, L. Williams, Trade Targets

This week’s blockbuster Blake Griffin trade didn’t include the Celtics, but it may have a ripple effect that’s felt in Boston, writes A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston.

As Blakely points out, the Clippers currently owe the Celtics their 2019 first-round pick, which is lottery-protected in 2019 and again in 2020. The Griffin deal and any upcoming moves that the Clippers make to reshape their roster figure to have an impact on whether the Celtics will actually be able to get their hands on that first-rounder in ’19 or ’20 — L.A. would need to be a playoff team for the pick to change hands. If the Clips land in the lottery both years, Boston would instead receive a 2022 second-round pick.

Meanwhile, it remains to be seen whether the arrival of Avery Bradley in Los Angeles will make the Clippers any more willing to trade Lou Williams. But if the Clips are ready to make a move, the Celtics would be a logical trade partner, writes Blakely. Boston has a disabled player exception that would fit Williams’ salary, some extra draft picks, and a need for a reliable second scorer to complement Kyrie Irving.

Here’s more on the Celtics:

• While Lou Williams is a possible trade target for the Celtics, the team can’t go after Avery Bradley. As ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets, the only way Boston could reacquire the former Celtic this season would be if he’s bought out by the Clippers, which almost certainly won’t happen. The NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement prevents a team from trading a player during an offseason, then reacquiring him before the end of the subsequent season.
• Speaking of Marks, he takes an in-depth look at the Celtics’ trade deadline options in an Insider-only piece at ESPN.com. Marks suggests that if Boston wants to add a big man, Robin Lopez is a potential trade target, and Greg Monroe is worth monitoring as a possible buyout candidate.
• The devastating ankle injury suffered on opening night by Gordon Hayward could easily have derailed the Celtics’ season, but the team has responded admirably to that setback, writes Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated. “I do think it’s a testament to the mental makeup of our group,” said head coach Brad Stevens. “They really believe in each other. They are willing to pick up for one another. I’ve talked about the hardest roles in this league is when you don’t know if you’re going to play or not and your number is called. A lot of guys on our team’s number was called a lot earlier than they thought. They really helped put us in the position that we are in.”