The Boston Celtics head into the 2026 offseason with clear frontcourt questions, and Jalen Duren’s situation has intensified the spotlight.
The 22-year-old Pistons center just posted a breakout season (19.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 65% shooting), earned his first All-Star selection and third-team All-NBA honors.
But extension talks with Detroit have stalled, with Duren reportedly underwhelmed by the initial offer and now exploring sign-and-trade options, per The Athletic’s Sam Amick.
League sources have linked the Pistons to a potential sign-and-trade for Jaylen Brown, though Boston’s high asking price in draft capital makes it a long shot, according to reports from Jake Fischer, after they failed to move him in the Giannis Antetokounmpo race.
Regardless of whether Duren lands in Boston, the chatter highlights Boston’s need at center. Relying on Neemias Queta, Luka Garza, and Nikola Vucevic proved limiting in the playoffs, where the group struggled against physical, versatile frontcourts.
With the core of Jayson Tatum and others still in place, Stevens’ front office is hunting for a starter-level 5 who can anchor the defense, rebound, and fit their spacing system.
Here are seven realistic center targets the Celtics could pursue amid the Duren rumors.
7. Robert Williams III
Robert Williams III is probably not the first center the Celtics would call about. He also shouldn’t be ignored.
There is history here, and that history still matters. Williams was one of the defensive pieces that helped shape the Celtics’ best version around Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. He knew his job. Protect the weak side, play above the rim, keep the ball moving from the short roll, and never ask for touches the offense didn’t have for him.
The concern is obvious. Williams has not been a reliable regular-season player for a long time, and any team signing him now has to treat the medical side as the real negotiation. He averaged 6.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and 1.5 blocks in 17.1 minutes for the Blazers this season, while shooting 70.8% from the field. The minutes were limited, but the defensive flashes were still there.
That is why the Celtics’ number should be closer to a short prove-it deal than a full starter contract. Something around two years and $22.0 million, or $11.0 million annually, is a fair zone. If Williams wants more years, the Celtics would need partial guarantees or games-played protections.
The fit is not hard to explain. The Celtics need more vertical defense. They need a center who can scare drives at the rim. They also need someone who won’t take the ball away from Tatum. Williams checks those boxes.
He is not the safe answer. He is the upside answer at the lower end of the market. For a Celtics team that needs to fix the middle without spending every asset, that kind of bet still has a place.
6. Mitchell Robinson
Mitchell Robinson is the free-agent version of a very old playoff idea: get bigger, get stronger, and make the paint harder to attack.
Robinson averaged 5.7 points, 8.8 rebounds, 0.9 assists, and 1.2 blocks for the Knicks this season, while shooting 72.3% from the field. Those numbers don’t fully explain his value, but they explain his role. He is there to screen, rebound, contest, and put pressure on the glass.
The Knicks may not keep him because of tax pressure. Marc Stein and Jake Fischer also reported the Nets have legitimate interest in Robinson, so the Celtics wouldn’t be shopping alone. That is the part that makes the price important.
A Celtics offer in the range of three years and $45.0 million, or $15.0 million annually, is probably the clean version. It is not cheap for a center who doesn’t shoot, but Robinson is not a minimum-level center. He can start. He can play playoff minutes. He can punish teams that are soft on the boards.
The Celtics would have to accept the offensive limits. Robinson won’t stretch the floor. He won’t be used as a passer like Al Horford was. He won’t make life easier with skill. His value is more basic than that.
For this roster, basic might be enough. The Celtics tried to survive with different center looks, including Nikola Vucevic and Neemias Queta. Neither gave them the same defensive force. Robinson would not be the biggest move of the summer, but he would change the physical tone of their frontcourt.
That has value after the way the Celtics’ season ended.
5. Jakob Poeltl
Boston Celtics Receive: Jakob Poeltl
Toronto Raptors Receive: Nikola Vucevic (sign-and-trade, 2 years, $30.0 million), Baylor Scheierman, 2028 first-round pick
Jakob Poeltl is the type of target that usually sounds boring until a team actually needs him.
The Celtics need a center who can play normal starting minutes, defend with size, screen, pass enough from the middle of the floor, and not panic in half-court possessions. Poeltl does that. He averaged 10.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 0.7 blocks for the Raptors this season, while shooting 70.0% from the field.
This would be complicated because Vucevic is a free agent. The Celtics couldn’t just move his salary like a normal contract. It would have to be a sign-and-trade, and Vucevic would need to agree to the contract and the destination. A two-year, $30.0 million structure gives the Raptors a veteran center and gives the Celtics a way to create the salary path.
Poeltl’s deal is not light either. He has a $19.5 million player option for 2026-27 and a three-year, $84.5 million extension after that. That is real money for a center who is not a star.
The basketball case is still clear. Poeltl would make the Celtics more organized. He can screen for Tatum, play out of the short roll, finish around the rim, and keep the defense connected.
The ceiling question is fair. Poeltl is 30. He doesn’t bring the athletic force of Jalen Duren or the rim-protection ceiling of Walker Kessler. This would be a floor move.
But the Celtics also need a floor at center. That has been part of the problem.
4. Daniel Gafford
Boston Celtics Receive: Daniel Gafford
Dallas Mavericks Receive: Sam Hauser, Neemias Queta, 2029 first-round pick
Daniel Gafford feels like the middle of the board for the Celtics. Not too expensive. Not too limited. Not a star, but not a patch either.
Gafford averaged 9.5 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.3 blocks for the Mavericks this season, while shooting 65.5% from the field. His role is narrow, but it is a role the Celtics need. He runs, screens, dives, catches lobs, blocks shots, and gives the offense a vertical target.
The contract helps. Gafford’s three-year, $54.4 million extension is around $18.1 million annually. For a starting-level center in this market, that is not a bad number. It is also much easier to trade for than Jarrett Allen or a max-level Duren deal.
The Mavericks’ situation is the reason to call. Dereck Lively II and Cooper Flagg give them frontcourt options. That doesn’t mean Gafford has to go. It does mean the Celtics can test whether shooting, a cheaper center, and a first-round pick is enough to start a conversation.
For the Celtics, Gafford would change the feel of the offense. Tatum would have a real lob threat. Guards would have a release valve when the first action breaks. Defenses would have to tag the roller instead of staying glued to shooters.
He is not a creator. He won’t solve spacing. He won’t be the center of the offense.
That is fine. The Celtics don’t need that from this position. They need pressure at the rim and more defensive resistance. Gafford gives them both.
3. Jarrett Allen
Boston Celtics Receive: Jarrett Allen
Cleveland Cavaliers Receive: Nikola Vucevic (sign-and-trade, 2 years, $32.0 million), Sam Hauser, 2028 first-round pick, 2030 first-round pick
Jarrett Allen would be the cleanest veteran answer, even if getting him would be hard. Allen averaged 15.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists for the Cavaliers this season. He has been a starting center on winning teams for years. That part matters.
The Celtics wouldn’t be projecting him into a playoff role. They would be trading for someone who already knows that job.
The contract is the first issue. Allen signed a three-year, $90.7 million extension, which comes in at $28.0 million for next season. That is a large number, but it is not reckless if the player is a real starting center and still in his prime.
This framework would require Vucevic as a sign-and-trade because he is a free agent. A two-year, $32.0 million deal would give the Cavaliers a veteran center replacement. Hauser gives them shooting, and two first-round picks are the actual premium part of the offer.
The Cavaliers don’t have to do this. That is the problem. Allen still has value for them, and centers who rebound, defend, and finish efficiently are not easy to replace. The only reason this becomes realistic is if the Cavaliers decide Evan Mobley should own more center minutes and the roster needs a different shape.
For the Celtics, Allen would bring real stability. He screens. He rolls. He rebounds. He protects the rim. He finishes without needing extra touches.
This is not the most explosive move. It may be the most dependable one. After a playoff collapse, dependable has more value than it usually gets.
2. Walker Kessler
Boston Celtics Receive: Walker Kessler (sign-and-trade, 4 years, $132.0 million)
Utah Jazz Receive: Nikola Vucevic (sign-and-trade, 2 years, $30.0 million), Baylor Scheierman, 2028 first-round pick, 2030 first-round pick
Walker Kessler is the best pure defensive target on this list. He put up 14.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 3.0 assists for the Jazz in only 5 games, while shooting 70.3% from the field. The offensive numbers are good, but they are not the reason the Celtics would chase him. The reason is the rim protection.
The Celtics need someone behind their perimeter defenders who changes shots by just being there. Kessler can do that. He gives them size, verticality, and a real deterrent in the lane. That would let Tatum and the guards defend with more pressure, because the back line would finally have a serious shot blocker.
His restricted free agency is where this gets messy. ESPN reported the Jazz and Kessler were not close after Utah offered roughly five years and $140.0 million. That means the Celtics would have to come with a strong number and a trade structure the Jazz are willing to accept.
A four-year, $132.0 million sign-and-trade puts Kessler at $33.0 million annually. That is a big bet. It also reflects the market for a 24-year-old center who can anchor a defense.
Vucevic would again have to be part of the deal as a sign-and-trade, not normal outgoing salary. The Jazz would probably care much more about the two first-round picks than the veteran money.
Kessler is not the same offensive force as someone like Duren. He won’t bend defenses the same way as a power roller.
But if the Celtics want to fix the defense first, he is probably the best name available.
1. Jalen Duren
Boston Celtics Receive: Jalen Duren (sign-and-trade, 4 years, $177.4 million), 2029 first-round pick
Detroit Pistons Receive: Jaylen Brown
Jalen Duren is No. 1 because he is the only center on this list tied directly to the Jaylen Brown noise. Marc Stein and Jake Fischer reported that the Pistons could explore a sign-and-trade framework that sends Duren to the Celtics in a deal for Brown.
This comes at a strange time for the Celtics. Brown has already been part of Giannis Antetokounmpo trade talks, and Shams Charania reported the Celtics remain active in Brown discussions while asking for a major pick return in some cases. So this is not only one fake trade idea floating around. It fits the larger league view that the Celtics are at least checking the market.
Duren averaged 19.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists for the Pistons this season, while shooting 65.0% from the field. He is only 22. That is why the idea is so big. He is not just a defensive center. He is a pressure point. He rolls hard, finishes through bodies, rebounds, and forces help near the rim.
The money would be massive. Duren can reach a much larger five-year number with the Pistons, but an outside-team sign-and-trade structure can be built around four years and $177.4 million. That is still star-center money.
The Celtics would be changing the roster in a serious way. Trading Brown for a center is never a small basketball decision.
But after blowing a 3-1 lead against the 76ers, the Celtics need a new answer. If they decide the wing-heavy build has hit its limit, Duren is the strongest center answer on the board.
