The Boston Celtics are reportedly looking for scoring help and a report suggested that they could pursue Brook Lopez before the trade deadline in the hope of improving their playoff chances this season.
Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge, whose team is currently in seventh place in the Eastern Conference standings, recently told Mass Live that their priority is to find a go-to-guy.
"I think the one thing that we could really use is a go-to scorer," Ainge told Mass Live. "We have some guys that have carried us. But we have got to-it would be nice to find another player that's a reliable scorer at the end of games, night in and night out."
According to Bleacher Report, Lopez could become an option for the Celtics as the trade deadline nears. Previous reports indicated that teams are hesitant to give up assets for Lopez because of his injury history. But the report pointed out that the 27-year-old center will be a huge boost to the Celtics.
Lopez, who is playing in the first year of his fresh three-year deal worth $63.5 million, is having a healthy season, not showing any signs of the foot issues that slowed him down over the past several seasons. The former Stanford standout has played in all 34 games this season, and is averaging 19.8 points on top of 8.6 rebounds and 2.0 blocks.
No deal is imminent, though, and Bleacher Report pointed out that it is still unknown at this point whether or not the Nets will agree to move Lopez for a first-round pick and additional assets to match salaries.
The Celtics are reportedly looking for ways to bolster their roster and are willing to give up some of their big men to get a proven scorer. Tyler Zeller, who is not getting major minutes this season, or Amir Johnson, one of their best defenders this season, could be included in a possible deal for Lopez or a go-to-guy from another team.
Aside from Zeller and Johnson, NBA analyst David Aldridge revealed that veteran forward David Lee, who moved to Boston from the Golden State Warriors last summer, is also on trading block.
"The Celtics have been very solid, but Coach Brad Stevens has minutes problem, as evidenced by the lack of time for David Lee-whose expiring contract is available, per league sources," Aldridge wrote. "Danny Ainge has any number of movable pieces that could be packaged."
Lee averaged 7.2 points on top of 4.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 15.7 minutes in his first 29 games as a Celtic.
