This seems logical to me. We have roster spots to fill and one of those are depth at the 5. There aren’t a lot of 7-footers in this world who can compete at this level and right now Kornet and Gallo are the insurance for TL/Horford. Who are the other 7-footers that are……
- capable of stepping on an NBA floor
- would be willing to sit on the end of the bench,
- who would accept this role
- that would be a better fit?
I like the Hauser signing as well since the option is to lose him as he showed well in his brief time on the floor and surely he would be gone will a lesser deal. Someone has to fill these roster spots who isn’t going to demand playing time and be a pain in the ass like most people who go to a place where they demand playing time. Kornet and Hauser aren’t going to be headaches in this regard.
I don’t see the PatBev fit at all unless you move Pritchard and find a way to get him minutes. As said in prior paragraph, you aren’t going to lure guys here to not play or the result generally isn’t pretty. Have we forgotten Ainge’s awful roster construction his final few years? Surely, Brad hasn’t bc he’s the one who had to deal with the BS 24/7.
With Bryant off the board look for
1.
Defense-first Center, rim protector that will play 3rd string behind TL/Al (or a beef center). At this point, just need a better 5 than Luke Kornet until buy-out season forms in February. The
jury is out (literally) on Trez but trust Brad knows the situation there. Hassan Whiteside is the best available vet for this role, but expect him to go back to Utah.
2.
Defense-first Wing, C's actually have plenty of scoring/shooting from the bench now (Brogdon/Gallo/Grant/Pritch/Hauser). A deep bench Wing that gets up under/physical with an opposing wing could add some value. Brad could kick the tires on Kessler Edwards, if he wants a developmental player here.
Nobody pays for D (except for Minnesota
) so getting those guys on vet min deals is doable. Maybe Durant/Kyrie/Ayton collateral damage frees up a useful player. Boston could be patient here and wait until opening night to fill these slots.
Pat Bev makes no sense roster and $$$ wise, unless there is some monster deal that moves one of Smart or White.
Obviously, good locker room guys that know their role need only apply