Jared Sullinger's future with the Boston Celtics continues to be a subject for discussions as the power forward struggles to health and consistent on the court. Sullinger continued to get linked into trade deals at the start of free agency and during the NBA Draft, but has stayed put for the time being. With rumors creeping out once again, could praise from Brad Stevens save his future.
While NBA insiders continue to doubt Sullinger's future in Boston, Stevens is saying that he believes the power forward will show a lot of improvement this year. Coming off of injury, Stevens told Sirius XM's NBA Radio that Sullinger has made big improvements and is working out hard this offseason to come back as a solid player for this team.
"He's been working out in a couple different locations," Stevens said, via ESPNBoston.com. "But everything that I have heard, every time I've spoken with him, every time I have spoken to people around him, it sounds like he's doing great. Hey, he wants to be in the best shape of his life, he wants to be in great condition, and he's working towards that, and I think he's excited for a new season to show that's been his focus and to show off the work that he's put in to get there."
With Markieff Morris potentially available in a trade, the Celtics could easily eye the current Phoenix Suns' power forward as an upgrade of Sullinger. According to ESPN's Kevin Pelton, the Celtics are a prime landing spot for Morris who is publically demanding a move from the franchise. In order to make the trade work, Boston would have to give up Sullinger in the deal along with players like Perry Jones and Evan Turner.
Morris comes with a team-friendly contract that could be appealing to the Celtics. The power forward also has a relationship with Isaiah Thomas who has been an active recruiter for the Celtics. Morris put up 15.3 points and 6.2 rebounds last season which were both career highs for him. He is talented, young and healthy which makes him an instant upgrade over Sullinger, but Boston might not be ready to give up on the forward just yet.
According to NESN.com, the Celtics are aiming to re-sign Tyler Zeller this offseason which puts Sullinger's future into question even more. Both players are available for new deals this offseason. The Celtics will not re-sign both players before the year and have clearly prioritized Zeller. If Sullinger is not traded at some point this year, the chances he returns to Boston in 2016 seem slim.