The Celtics have some big questions to answer this offseason. After back-to-back disappointing exits in the playoffs, Brad Stevens and the front office are likely to make significant changes in order to bolster the roster and thrust them back into legitimate title contention.

And whether it’s a Giannis trade or a less explosive move, the Celtics need to improve their front court. 

Coming into the 2025-2026 season, the Celtics center rotation was viewed as being one of the worst in the league. While Neemias Queta showed the world that was a horrendous assessment that he is a capable and even high-level starting center, it was a disaster showing from not just Queta, but all of the Celtics’ big men in the first-round matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers.

To be fair to Queta, it was his first playoffs, and a bad series doesn’t erase an incredible regular season, nor does it mean he can’t continue to develop and stamp himself as one of the league’s more stable and impactful centers. That being said, for the Celtics to compete at the highest level, upgrading the big man room is a priority. 

I think the context of the current league landscape as it pertains to big men is important. When you examine the elite teams over the last few seasons, most of them employ high-level big men. Victor Wembanyama and Nikola Jokic sit alone at the mountain top and are the engines of their teams’ dominance. Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein provide an elite defensive floor and ceiling for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Karl Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson are a two-way overwhelming physical force, and Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis were dominant in their own right for the Celtics on the way to a championship in 2024. While the Cleveland Cavaliers exited the 2026 Eastern Conference Finals with a whimper, they still employed two versatile big men in Evan Mobley and Jarret Allen. The only recent Eastern Conference finalist that hasn’t employed an elite big man was the 2025 Indiana Pacers with Myles Turner, but he provided the rare skill set of being a six-foot-eleven center that can shoot the three at a good clip and protect the rim at an acceptable level.

So, how do the Celtics acquire an elite big man? Do they need an elite big man? From my perspective, there are two approaches Brad Stevens could take to revamp his big man rotation: The Big Splash approach and the Platoon Approach. 

If you have watched the Western Conference Finals and wondered how anyone can stop the alien that resides in San Antonio, the answer might be a Freak from Greece. The Giannis trade that makes the most sense to me sends Jaylen Brown to Portland, Giannis to Boston, and the Bucks get their own draft picks back with Jerami Grant, Toumani Camara, and Kris Murray as the salary that goes back to Milwaukee. Everyone is happy. 

I think the injury concerns regarding Antetokounmpo are overstated. In the 2025 season, just one season ago, Giannis played 67 games and placed third in MVP voting. He then put up 33 points, 15 rebounds, and 7 assists in a first round series loss to the Indiana Pacers, doing so with Damian Lillard sidelined with an Achilles tear. He dragged that team as far as one human being possibly could.

The obvious counterargument is that Giannis isn’t a traditional big man, so does he actually solve your front court issues? The data says yes. Giannis hasn’t historically played at center for the majority of his minutes, but he has thrived at the five. From 2020, the year the Bucks won the title, to 2025, in minutes with Brook Lopez off the court and Giannis and Bobby Portis on the court, the Bucks had a 7.5 net rating, a number that would have ranked fifth in the NBA this past season.

Now, imagine instead of sharing the court with Bobby Portis, Giannis is sharing the court with Jayson Tatum. Giannis is a surefire top-five talent, and in my opinion, is a seamless and versatile fit with Tatum. These types of players do not become available very often. If the goal for the Celtics is to win an NBA title, passing on the upside of a Giannis trade would be a mistake. 

Evan Mobley is a fantastic basketball player, the winner of the 2025 Defensive Player of the Year, and a versatile two-way seven-footer who in theory would be a perfect fit next to Jayson Tatum. On the other hand, Mobley is prone to disappearing acts, like when he turned in a 9-point, and 1-rebound game against the Detroit Pistons in the second round. Evan Mobley paired with Jayson Tatum would be a lethal combination. Mobley gives you the defensive versatility that you lost when Al Horford left, and he gives you an offensive pop with his passing, ability to finish around the basket, and the skill to knock down the occasional three pointer.

Where this idea falls apart is the only way for the Celtics to realistically acquire Evan Mobley is by trading Jaylen Brown. The risk is too significant. Mobley has not consistently shown that he is worth the $270 million contract he signed. While Jaylen didn’t have his best playoffs, we know he is a consistent and dominant player in both the regular season and playoffs. And that’s before we factor in Jaylen’s emotional connection to the city of Boston. If the Celtics are going to trade Jaylen Brown, it needs to be for a package that is overwhelming in some combination of established talent and draft compensation. Evan Mobley does not fit that description. 

I will say off the top that this scenario is very unlikely. The Thunder are likely to simply pick up Hartenstein’s team option this offseason and move off another player(s) salary to ensure they stay out of the second apron. However, if OKC decide they don’t want to pay Hartenstein $28.5 million next season, then the Celtics could absorb him into the $27.7 million trade exception the team generated in the Anfernee Simons trade, via a sign and trade. Again, this is very unlikely, but maybe the Thunder think it’s time to move on from Hartenstein.

This move is obviously appealing to the Celtics as they can acquire a talented big man without having to give up any significant assets. Another reason why this trade is unlikely, is that it would push the Celtics back into the luxury tax, meaning they would not be resetting the repeater tax , which they are on track to do if they stay under for one more season. However, the Celtics could get back under the luxury tax by moving Sam Hauser or Derrick White in trades that shed salary. Stevens can worry about those boring details if this unlikely scenario eventuates. 

I’m confident Neemias Queta can be a contributor on a team that wins a championship. I’m less confident that he can anchor a rotation that doesn’t have at least one if not multiple players that are close to his talent level behind him. The most simple and clean path to the Celtics improving the big man room is through the $15 millin mid-level-exception they will have access to in the offseason. If the Celtics can sign another impact big man with their MLE while also trading for another solid but cheap big man or getting a value big man on a veteran’s minimum contract, the rotation and overall foundation of the team will be in much better shape. 

Starting with an old friend, Robert Williams III. Yes, there are injury concerns. But once we move into this group of players, we start to find significant flaws with everybody. I’m not even sure Williams will be attainable for the MLE due to his phenomenal play in both the regular season, but especially in the playoffs. Despite all of the injuries, Rob still jumps off the screen with his outlandish blend of lob finishing, rim protection, offensive rebounding and high post passing. Rob is at the top of my wish list.

Next, we try to weaken an Eastern Conference rival. Welcome to Boston, Mitchell Robinson. The Knicks are going to be up against the second apron this offseason and Robinson may become a casualty of that reality. It’s hard for me to gauge the market on Robinson, but I could see him getting a contract from anywhere between $15 million and $25 million. Robinson is not without his own injury concerns, but he appears to have found the right amount of minutes for his body to allow him to decimate opponents at the rim on both ends every night. 

Our last mid-level-exception option: Sandro Mamukelashvili. I think Mamu would be a wonderful fit in Boston. He would give the Celtics more lineup versatility with the ability to play the five or the four. A small ball lineup of Mamu, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Hugo Gonzalez, and Baylor Scheierman is packed full of skill, defensive versatility, and plus rebounding. Mamukelashvili is a high-volume shooter with a great feel for the game. He would add some needed juice to the Celtics offense. 

Moving on to the bargain bin where we welcome home another old friend, Al Horford. This is a controversial name, I know. Horford has left the Celtics at some of their lowest moments. I’m willing to look past this if he is willing to return to Boston on a veteran’s minimum contract. As we saw in the Play-In Game between the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers, Big Al can still turn back the clock. I believe Horford still has good basketball left in the tank, and I’m not dissuaded by the loyalty stuff. Bring Al home. 

While we are taking an emotionally complicated trip down memory lane, it feels appropriate to remind everyone that Kristaps Porzingis is a free agent. I’m personally happy to be out of the Porzingis business and I understand this opinion might feel hypocritical considering I have argued for several guys with injury concerns throughout this article. However, Porzingis’ health concerns are too much for me. KP played 32 regular season games this past season. I’m out. 

Here is where I show my bias as an Australian. Jock Landale, get ready to learn what it’s like to be a beloved role player at TD Garden. Landale would add a different, but still impactful, element to the big man group. Landale lacks the typical size and athleticism to be a starting caliber center in the NBA, but he’s big enough, is a high IQ player, has an incredible motor, and is just an all-around good basketball player. And maybe most importantly, Celtics fans would get to utilize the Jock O’clock nickname. Landale would be a shrewd signing for the veteran’s minimum. 

Some trade candidate honorable mentions: 

• Isaiah Stewart – Would the Pistons be interested in Sam Hauser and Baylor Scheierman in return for the bruising big man? Stewart didn’t cover himself in glory in the second round against the Cleveland Cavaliers, but that was likely due to a lower body injury limiting his athleticism. Stewart has shown he can be an elite rim protector while flashing some three-point shooting ability. 
• Paul Reed – If the Pistons don’t want to part ways with Stewart, can we interest them in a Sam Hauser for Paul Reed, Marcus Sasser and a second round pick trade? Giving up Hauser for this return feels like the Celtics are losing the trade. However, Paul Reed would provide the Celtics another look in their big rotation. A switchable, athletic, silky passing big. As the Celtics roster stands right now, the only way for the Celtics to utilize a switch-everything defensive scheme is by playing no centers. Reed would allow the team to switch-everything, but with a big man on the court. 
• Day’Ron Sharpe – Would the Nets send Sharpe to the Celtics for a second round pick? Sharpe would then slot into the $8.2 million trade exception that was acquired in the Georges Niang trade. Sharpe fits a similar archetype to Reed. Sharpe is athletic, young, versatile, and boasts some three-point shooting upside. Both Reed and Sharpe would be great additions to the big man group. 

Some calls are worth making even when the answer is probably no. You have to at least call about Naz Reid. The Daniel Gafford and Wendell Carter Jr. conversations probably don’t get too far either. These players would likely have to be brought in through the $27.7 million trade exception. 

Free agent honorable mentions. 

• Moritz Wagner – A Celtics legend returns home. Wagner hasn’t been the same player since he tore his ACL, but that’s why the Celtics might be able to acquire him for cheap and hope that he has a resurgent season.
• Brook Lopez – Lopez’s lack of foot speed is hitting catastrophic levels. However, he is still seven-feet tall and able to consistently stretch the floor. 
• Charles Bassey – I don’t know why Bassey can’t seem to hang on to a roster spot in the NBA. Every time I see him play, he looks like an NBA player to me. 

I’m sure I have missed the player that Brad Stevens will bring in to reinforce the center rotation, but one way or another, the Celtics big man rotation will be better next season. By adding any of the names mentioned the Celtics will have improved and that’s without baking in any potential improvement from Amari Williams, or the chance that Brad Stevens drafts the next Nikola Jokic with the 27th overall pick.

The question is whether Brad and the front office have the stomach for the big swing. The platoon approach is the safer, more financially responsible path, and it may well be enough to get the Celtics back to the Finals. But safe doesn’t win titles. The Celtics won the 2024 NBA title by aggressively pursuing Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis three summers ago. If the opportunity to land Giannis presents itself, Stevens needs to take it. If it doesn’t, the platoon approach is a viable fallback. Either way, the Celtics big man rotation will look meaningfully different next season. It has to.