As December 15 draws near, Boston Celtics president basketball of operations Danny Ainge is as busy as ever. December 15 is the day players who signed a deal in the offseason become eligible to be traded. The Celtics is looking forward to that day especially if Dallas Mavericks' big man Andrew Bogut becomes available.
The Celtics are in dire need of defensive rebounds. That has been their problem for several seasons now. Their defense is considered elite but their inability to get defensive rebound is causing them to lose games. They are amongst the worst the league in allowing second chance points.
The current leading rebounder for the Celtics is shooting guard Avery Bradley who is listed at 6-foot-2 with 7.8 rebounds per game. The second best rebounder in the team is starting center Al Horford who grabs 6.4 rebounds per game. There are several players, who are at least 5 inches taller than Bradley, who are grabbing fewer rebounds than him. The Celtics have several big men who are supposed to be, if you consider their height, doing the rebounding chores but that hasn't worked out so far.
Bogut went from playing for a Warriors team that had the best record in the regular season and in NBA history to playing for the worst team in the league this season. The Mavericks are at the bottom of the standings and things just became worst after Bogut suffered a bone bruise and will miss a week or two.
The Celtics pursuing Bogut makes a lot of sense because he is a defensive-minded, rebounding big man. Before his injury, he has been averaging 10.4 rebounds per game. If Ainge can get Bogut, Celtics coach Brad Stevens can slide Horford to the power forward spot where he can do more damage offensively. Bogut also gives them a legit rim protector to compliment their perimeter pressure.
Bogut is a highly skilled player but it won't need much to get him. The Mavericks are god awful and no matter how Mark Cuban and Dirk Nowitzki denies it, they are heading into the lottery and should start tanking considering next year's draft class is loaded with talent. The Celtics has a lot of draft picks to offer Dallas and they can also include Terry Rozier, Amir Johnson or Kelly Olynyk in the package.
There are other big men that could be available come December 15. The Sixers Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel, Milwaukee's Greg Monroe, Kings' DeMarcus Cousins, and the Knicks' Joakim Noah could also become available.