NBA Rumors: Mason Plumlee, Gary Harris Can Provide Boston Celtics Needed Depth

Talks kept swirling around the Boston Celtics’ lack of depth in the frontcourt and with less than two months before the trade deadline, they can start looking for a potential big man to protect the shaded lane for coach Brad Stevens.

Daniel Theis is really doing a great job holding his ground, there is no doubt about that. But the competition gets tougher as the race to the playoffs starts to materialize and the team will need to solidify their frontcourt if they want to tighten their grip on to the third spot where they are sitting at right now – or even make a run to get to the top!

Celtics General Manager Danny Ainge should start looking at the possibility of acquiring Mason Plumlee from the Denver Nuggets per Bleacher Report. His intriguing defense can benefit the Celtics, especially alongside Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

The 6-foot-11 center from Duke’s ability to cover switches on defense shows Plumlee’s versatility on defense and it’s been evident from the very beginning. He once preserved his team’s victory by running down the floor and during his rookie season, “Plums” fearlessly went up against LeBron James, meeting him up in the air and swatting the former Miami Heat’s winning dunk attempt.

The article also made a valid argument in comparison to the three other centers the Celtics have right now – Robert Williams’ explosiveness, Enes Kanter’s reliable offense on the post, and Theis’ developing outside shot that extends beyond the three-point line.

They can also throw in Gary Harris, which is almost in a 3-and-D player mold like Marcus Smart. The NBA is also taking notice of Harris’ defensive capabilities, posting defensive +/- of +1.2 and a defensive rating of 104, both career-highs. With him on the court, their opponents have an increased turnover rate (3.1%) and a decrease of 6.2% in offensive rebound rate.

Losing two of their regular rotation players is the Denver Nuggets, but getting Gordon Hayward in return will benefit them as it will create a much deeper bench should Michael Malone decides to have him lead the second unit or an injection of offense as the starting forward.