LATEST NEWS:Celtics interested in Rockets’ Jae’Sean Tate

The Celtics have had little opportunity to close a deal before the deadline of February 8th, thus the rumor mill has been quiet. But in their coverage of the Rockets’ rebuild, Kelly Iko, Shams Charania, and Sam Amick of The Athletic provided this small nugget of information:

Not only does Udoka want to find another big man to replace \engün in the bench, but he also wants to find a man who can play with him in certain lineups, like Williams and Al Horford did in Udoka’s one and only season in Boston. To help close a trade, Houston can provide draft capital in the form of second-round picks along with expiring contracts from players like Victor Oladipo and Boban Marjanović, or even longer-term salaries like center Landale. Jae’Sean Tate, on the other hand, is mobile and is reportedly drawing interest from teams like Boston and Phoenix, according to league sources.

While many current and former Celtics are mentioned in that passage, Tate and Boston’s interest in him is undoubtedly the one that stands out. After failing to be selected in the 2020 NFL Draft, the 6’4 former Ohio State Buckeye settled in Houston and in 2022 agreed to a three-year, $20.6 million contract. He is averaging 4.6 points and 3.3 rebounds in slightly more than eighteen minutes a game this season.

Regretfully, Tate’s season-long salary of $6.5 million is just higher than the $6.2 million traded player exception for Grant Williams. He also has a $7 million team option for the following season. In order to lure him to Boston, President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens might be able to piece together a few minimum contracts, but it would only exacerbate the Celtics’ bench depth problem. It is still more likely that the team will either scout the buyout market or promote someone from within, with Neemias Queta a possible possibility, to fill their 15th open roster place.