Celtics Insider Predicts How Boston Will Address Center Dilemma

The Boston Celtics have had no shortage of roster movement this offseason, but there is still a glaring question as to what will become of the center position.

Although there appears to be a 'starting center by committee' approach with a few talented options on the roster, many supporting the team would love to see a clear-cut option as the regular season looms.

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Given the Celtics' desire this offseason to get under the second apron of the luxury tax, something that they have already done, there is no guarantee that other large contracts won't be moved before the season starts.

Brian Robb of Mass Live reported that getting a new center from one of these larger contracts, specifically Anfernee Simons, would have to be a priority for Boston moving forward.

"This has to be one of the biggest priorities for the Celtics front office this season and is probably part of the reason right now why Simons is still on the Celtics. Boston simply does not have much movable salary on their roster right now beyond their core pieces outside of Simons. Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser are on great value deals and everyone else is making under $3 million beyond Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Derrick White."

Although Simons is really the only piece on the Celtics that could be flipped without touching the core team, Robb also detailed why such a move may take some time to be seen, given the fit that the exisiting centers may already have with head coach Joe Mazzulla.

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"Neemias Queta will obviously get a crack at it but Chris Boucher and Luka Garza are offense-first players that may work well in Joe Mazzulla’s system. It’s unlikely any emerge as a full-time center beyond this year but the Simons deal may ultimately help address that hole at some point during this year."

Who Will Play Center for the Celtics This Year?

If the current centers on the roster start the season to see if a trade for an additional presence down low is neccesary, there are three main options.

Neemias Queta made 62 appearances last year, averaging five points and 3.8 rebounds per game on a 65 percent effective field goal percentage. Luka Garza is coming off 39 appearances on the Minnesota Timberwolves, averaging 3.5 points and 1.4 rebounds per game on 54.3 percent eFG percentage.

Chris Boucher averaged 10 points and 4.5 rebounds per game through 50 appearances with the Toronto Raptors last season. He shot 58.6 eFG% on 17.2 minutes per game.

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