Right about now is the time contending teams look at their rosters and try to find out what’s missing. It seems there are a few thinking that Brandon Bass of the Boston Celtics might do a world of good for them, with at least three NBA franchises making approaches in order to get him via trade.
Bass was almost part of a deal that sent him to the Houston Rockets earlier in the season for Omer Asik but the route fell apart. It doesn’t mean there isn’t a chance it won’t happen again, and Sean Deveney of the Sporting News is reporting that Bass is the most talked about player the Boston Celtics have among teams looking to add a piece that might help do more in the playoffs.
Bass is averaging 10.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game this season, making $6.45 million this year and $6.9 million next season. He has no problem coming off the bench or producing in the lineup, and can play at both the power forward position or be used as a center when a team likes to play small ball. He scores well on the inside but has a good enough mid-range jumper to be considered a threat by some teams and not be left alone.
The chances of it actually happening? The Celtics want draft picks or at least young prospects. With the salary cap situation leaning more and more in favor of the teams, giving up draft picks and young players, which means giving up on cheaper deals, is becoming rarer and rarer. It won’t be surprising to see very few deals happening in the next couple of weeks. Boston have a rebuild to think about, which will be going into next season as well, so getting Bass’ money off the salary cap is something they’d be very happy with.