It’s no secret that the Celtics need to address some roster issues heading into the 2020-2021 season. After what looked to be a promising year last year, it eventually ended in what was a conference finals defeat to the Miami Heat.

A little more than halfway through the year, their season was put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Once the season was resumed, it was brought to Orlando, Florida, in what was known as the “NBA Bubble”. It ended up being a brilliant and extremely successful move by NBA commissioner Adam Silver, due to there being no positive COVID tests throughout the entire resumption of the league, and how competitive and entertaining it got to be.

For Boston, they showed many flashes of their potential and what they were capable of. There were games where they looked nearly unstoppable, with most of that coming from the heroics of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Those two clearly are the future of this team and led Boston the way into what eventually was a heartbreaking conference finals loss to Miami. After the teams loss, it raised many questions as to what Boston needs to do to really improve their chances of being a top NBA championship contender.

Below, there is one player I believe can really put Boston over the top.

Myles Turner

Turner has been linked to many NBA trade rumors now that the off-season is in full effect. A good portion of those rumors have him being on the Celtics radar, largely due to their need for size in the middle.

The Celtics had Daniel Theis manning the middle last year and he did an exemplary job. One of the league’s best defenders at only 6’8”, and was a key part to their success last year. However, Theis is not the long term answer to Boston’s need for an inside presence.

In comes Myles Turner, who would immediately give Boston true size. At 6’11”, he is an excellent defender in both the post and defending the 3. On the offensive end, he can score in the post and also shoot from outside at a respectable rate (he has shot 35% from 3 for his career). At only 24 years old, he could be another young piece to add to Boston’s young core of Jaylen Brown & Jayson Tatum. Turner is probably the best available option for Boston this off-season.

In order to acquire Turner, Boston would need to trade either Gordon Hayward or Marcus Smart to match his salary of $17.5 Million. Indiana has been in need of a reliable playmaker to pair alongside with Victor Oladipo and Malcolm Brogdon. Hayward would certainly be in their starting 5 and have Domantas Sabonis (the Pacers starting power forward) play his more natural position at Center. Not to mention, Hayward has recently bought a house in Indiana, where he is originally from. A sign and trade would be the best option for acquiring Turner, with Hayward having the option to test free agency.

In letting go of Hayward, it would allow Jayson Tatum & Jaylen Brown to create more offense for themselves. Boston’s team is full of playmakers, and in adding Turner, a “3 & D” big, it could certainly help them in containing the East’s other bigs (Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, Bam Adebayo). Also, in doing this, Boston could keep Theis at the 4 or have him used as depth off the bench.

As for Hayward, this would give him a fresh start for his career. His time with Boston has not been kind to him mainly due to injury, but being in Indiana could really give him an excellent opportunity in showing off his skills that would work great in Indiana’s system.

Prediction for The Deal: Gordon Hayward, No. 14 2020 1st round pick for Myles Turner.