Boston Celtics NBA Trade Rumors: Celtics Not Ruling Out Jared Sullinger Reunion
The Boston Celtics may be one of the top teams in the Easter Conference, but they do have a glaring weakness — they are terrible on the boards. The team is among the worse in the league and they will have to address this issue if they want to go deep in the playoffs.
A lot of observers were puzzled when the team decided to stand pat at the trade deadline, but they could still shop for a solid rebounder on the free agent market, so there was no need to worry. The Celtics went after Andrew Bogut when the Philadelphia 76ers waived him and he would have been a nice addition to their roster. Unfortunately, the center ended up signing with their conference rivals, the Cleveland Cavaliers.
With Bogut no longer available, the Celtics had to go back to the drawing board and come up with a backup plan. Citing a source, the Boston Herald has reported that the team doesn't really have a "Plan B," but they are not ruling out a reunion with Jared Sullinger "somewhere down the line if it is needed." The source added that "there's nothing imminent" and the team "may be forced to improve their rebounding with their existing personnel."
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Well, that's going to be difficult. When your leading rebounders are averaging 6.7 rebounds (Al Horford) and 6.6 rebounds (Avery Bradley) per game, something is clearly wrong. Sullinger hasn't played much this season due to a foot injury, but he has always been a terrific rebounder. During the 2015–2016 season, he averaged 8.3 rebounds per game and he did it while playing 23.6 minutes a game.
Meanwhile, Comcast SportsNet New England's A. Sherrod Blakely also said the Celtics are open to a Sullinger reunion, but he added that it's "highly unlikely."
The Celtics will have to address their rebounding woes soon because their window of opportunity is closing. If they don't think Sullinger is the answer, then they need to find someone else who can help them in that department.
