The Boston Celtics could be looking at trading for players with raw potential than a proven star the team has been lacking in recent years.
The Celtics are probably just one star-signing away to become strong title contenders once again, which leads many to speculate that the 17-time NBA champs could be pursuing top talented stars in free agency.
Celtics general manager Danny Ainge may certainly include free agency and the 2016 NBA draft as the franchise's mean of improving their roster.
But according to Christopher Gasper of The Boston Globe, an alternative route for Boston to find NBA success is to "duplicate" the Houston Rockets' move of acquiring a third option guy in James Harden by trading for players who have raw talents like Minnesota Timberwolves guard Zach Lavine or Utah Jazz wing Rodney Hood.
"An alternative approach for the Celtics would be to try to duplicate what Houston did in acquiring James Harden, who went from third option in OKC to one of the top 10 players in the league," Gasper wrote.
Lavine has proven flashy slam dunks are not the only skills he should be known for. The 21-year-old guard and back-to-back Slam Dunk contest champ, has significantly developed his production in the past season, scoring 14.0 points per game on 45.2 percent shooting from the field. His three point-shooting has also improved from 34.1 percent in his rookie season to 38.9 percent in the 2015-2016 regular season.
Lavine seems to lack the attributes of a true point guard as he only averaged 3.1 assists per contest this season, but his youthfulness and athleticism would surely fit well in Boston's young core of talents.
Meanwhile, Hood has transformed himself as one of the Jazz's major contributor on the offensive end. The 23-year-old Duke product had a remarkable season, averaging 14.5 points and 3.4 rebounds, whiles shooting 42 percent from the field.
Hood started all of the 79 games he played with the Jazz this season, which suggests he could be ready to secure a starting gig in Utah and could probably have the same role in Bean Town if the Celtics make a trade for him.
There is no confirmation whether the Celtics are really interested to add Lavine or Hood, but if they do, it would certainly be difficult to convince Minnesota and Utah to part ways with their young assets, although Boston has the pieces, thanks to their plethora of draft picks this year.
The range of talent and potential of Lavine and Hood is in no way similar to what Harden displayed during his stint with the Oklahoma City Thunder. But placing such talented young players like the aforementioned trade targets would be a boost to the Celtics' big back to NBA greatness.