Celtics Reportedly Missed Out on 'Top Choice' Big Man Leading to Deal for Mike Muscala

Boston was heavily involved in the trade market ahead of the deadline

Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

The Boston Celtics certainly were busy ahead of the 2022 NBA Trade Deadline. 

Boston eventually acquired former Oklahoma City Thunder sharpshooter Mike Muscala, but it did attempt to make other moves beforehand. The Celtics were heavily tied to former San Antonio Spurs big man Jakob Poeltl and Utah Jazz stretch big Kelly Olynyk and that reportedly wasn't just smoke and mirrors, according to Heavy.com's Sean Deveney. 

"According to Heavy Sports' sources, the club focused its trade efforts on then-San Antonio big man Jakob Poeltl, who eventually was dealt to the Raptors," Deveney said. There were others Boston looked into, such as Utah’s Kelly Olynyk, a former Celtic, but with Poeltl off the table, it chose a less expensive stretch-4 option in Mike Muscala.

“Poeltl was their top choice,” said one team official whose club was also involved in the process. “They were in the ballpark, but Boston’s first (round pick) is nowhere near as valuable as Toronto’s first, so you can understand why the Spurs went in that direction. But it shows how far Boston was willing to go because he’d probably be rental for them, being he’s a free agent (unrestricted) this summer.”

Muscala does fit into what Boston was looking for -- center depth who can shoot from long-range -- but certainly, isn't at the same level as a player like Poeltl. The former Spurs big man is averaging 12.1 points and 9.0 rebounds per game and would slide in perfectly to Boston's lineup in case Robert Williams suffered another injury. 

Muscala on the other hand is averaging 6.2 points and 3.1 rebounds per game in a small role. If Williams were to get hurt, Muscala can help take some pressure off of Al Horford, Luke Kornet, and Blake Griffin but wouldn't be as much of a one-for-one fill-in as someone like Poeltl. 

At the end of the day, the Celtics helped fill a need without giving up any meaningful pieces. Now the team's attention will turn to the buyout market which likely will be extremely robust. 

Further Reading

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