Rudy Gay (Photo : NBAE via Getty Images)
The Boston Celtics could consider trading for Rudy Gay or Danilo Gallinari to address the team's need to add shooters.
It is no secret the Celtics are still looking to add another star to their already promising lineup for the 2016-2017 season. The summer acquisition of Al Horford should boost the Celtics in to strong contenders, but the team's lack of shooters could spoil any of the high expectations in Boston this year.
In an interview with ESPN, Celtics point guard Isaiah Thomas explained what the Celtics need to do to neutralize their weakness. Thomas insisted that while the Celtics have a talented group heading into this season, trading for shooters would make the most sense for Boston.
"Someone who can put the ball in the basket. A knockdown shooter would be what we need," Thomas said when asked about the trade that would make most sense for the Celtics.
"I'm not saying anything against the guys that are on this team right now, because we have a talented group, but I think that is the most important thing we need. We need spacing, because we got a lot of guys that can create and attack the basket, but we definitely need spacing."
The Celtics are expected to utilize Horford's immense talent inside the paint, but without outside threats, it would be difficult for the All-Star center to operate down low. According to Brett Pollakoff of Fox Sports, two players that could be trade targets for the Celtics are Rudy Gay of the Sacramento Kings and Danilo Gallinari of the Denver Nuggets.
Gay, who averaged 17.2 points for the Kings last season, only shot 34.4 percent from beyond the arc, but the veteran small forward is a capable scorer who can do some damage inside and outside the paint. Gay's ability to attract the defense would provide Horford space to effectively score at the post.
However, Gay may have already been removed from the trade block, with Sacramento keen on keeping hold of the 31-year-old small forward. But the Celtics' plethora of future assets could convince the Kings to part ways with Gay, who is set to opt out of his contract with Sacramento after this season.
Meanwhile, Gallinari should also address the Celtics' need of an outside threat. Gallinari has also been linked to trade rumors in the past few weeks, and speculations have suggested the Celtics as one of the potential destinations for the young veteran.
Gallinari, who averaged 19.5 points per game for the Nuggets last season, is a career 36.4 percent shooter from the three-point area and should free up space inside the paint. The 28-year-old Italian may not be much of an asset on the defensive end, but his offensive repertoire would still be a tremendous boost for the Celtics.
It remains to be seen whether the Celtics would be interested in trading for Gallinari, but it is worth noting that Boston was involved in trade talks with the Nuggets last year for Gallinari. And with the Celtics looking to further improve their lineup and add shooters, Boston could revisit trade discussions for Gallinari.
Video courtesy: YouTube/NBA Reel
