NBA free agency rumors: Boston Celtics targeting Luol Deng
By John Buhler
The Boston Celtics will make a run at veteran small forward Luol Deng in 2016 NBA free agency. Deng played for the Miami Heat during the 2015-16 NBA season.
According to Darren Wolfson of KSTP TV in Minneapolis, veteran free agent small forward Luol Deng is set to meet with a handful of teams in 2016 NBA free agency. While the Minnesota Timberwolves, his most recent team in the Miami Heat, and even the Washington Wizards make sense, one team wanting to meet with Deng is the Boston Celtics.
Other teams in addition to #Twolves to call on Deng tonight: Boston, Miami, and Washington. Utah expected to eventually.
— Darren Wolfson (@DWolfsonKSTP) July 1, 2016
While Deng has great familiarity with new Timberwolves head coach Tom Thibodeau from their years together with the Chicago Bulls and both Miami and Washington need to sure up their starting small forward spot, it’s interesting to see the Celtics emerge as a contender to land Deng in free agency.
Boston is one of the few teams in the NBA that seems to have more great defensive stoppers out on the perimeter than the Celtics organization can shake a leg at. Avery Bradley is an All-NBA defensive player, Jae Crowder has immense value at the three, and Marcus Smart doesn’t skip a beat when Bradley is off the floor.
Perhaps Celtics general manager Danny Ainge is in the process of orchestrating a massive blockbuster deal with Crowder as the centerpiece? Crowder is largely the Celtics’ best trade asset behind All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas, who Ainge is beyond reluctant to trade.
By signing Deng, Ainge would be adding a veteran, defensive-minded presence out on the wing and might be able to secure another All-Star caliber player if he can set in motion a trade involving Crowder and a few other stockpiled assets.
For more NBA free agency news, please check out our NBA free agency category page.