Getty
Mike Muscala #31 of the Los Angeles Lakers.
For the time being the Boston Celtics plan to roll into the season with Luke Kornet as their primary backup center behind Al Horford and Robert Williams III. However, should Kornet not pan out well as a satisfactory center, the Celtics have options with the trade exceptions they have at their disposal. The team currently has the $6.9 million Juancho Hernangomez trade exception and the $5.9 million Dennis Schroder trade exception.
The Celtics can potentially acquire another backup center through one of those options. An assistant coach spoke with Heavy’s Sean Deveney about one of the options the Celtics could look at with one of those exceptions: Mike Muscala.
Muscala, who briefly played for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2019, is commonly described as a stretch-big. He could be what the Celtics are looking for if they want an offensive jolt in their frontcourt, according to the assistant.
“He can shoot. He knocks down 3s on the wings. If you’re having a sluggish game offensively, he can change things with a couple of makes. Definitely a guy (the Celtics) could get if they’re looking to build on that shooting dimension.”
Muscala is a career 37.7 percent shooter from three, and he’s coming off a campaign in which he shot 42.9 percent from distance. If the Celtics want their third big to be a floor spacer, Muscala would answer the call. However, the Celtics may not be interested in Muscala if they want a third center that’s consistently available.