NBA Rumors: 3 Players the Boston Celtics are currently targeting

The Boston Celtics appeared destined to become the new dominant force in the Eastern Conference after LeBron James left for the West last summer. However, the Celtics' young core of Terry Rozier, Jayson Tatum, and Jaylen Brown failed to match their performances from the 2018 playoffs, while Gordon Hayward has struggled for form since returning from a serious injury.

With Kyrie Irving also set to leave in free agency, the Celtics will be active in the offseason as they look to build a roster that can compete next season. The team has been linked to a host of players, and here are three individuals that could head to Boston this summer.

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#3 Anthony Davis

The Boston Celtics are among the frontrunners to land Anthony Davis

With Kevin Durant likely to miss the entire 19-20 season, and Kawhi Leonard set to remain in Toronto, Anthony Davis will be the most in-demand player this summer. At 26, Davis is a ready-made superstar entering his peak years and Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report believes that the Celtics are among the frontrunners to sign the Pelicans man:

Much depends on Kyrie Irving's free-agency decision. If he bolts, the Celtics may be less incentivized to deal for Davis, as the cost might be too great for a potential rental. In a vacuum, AD would clearly be worth Jayson Tatum and/or Jaylen Brown and future picks. But if Davis would only be a one-year stopgap because he might not stick with a Kyrie-less version of the team, the deal makes less sense.

The Celtics have been linked to AD for quite some time now. A lot has been spoken about the team's collective dysfunction. You shoudn't rule out a prospective attempt from the Cs to sign Davis to shut a few wagging tongues. The Celtics are expected to face stiff competition from the Los Angeles Lakers as they look to sign the six-time All-Star.

#2 Mike Conley

Mike Conley is expected to leave the Memphis Grizzlies

Mike Conley has spent his entire career to date with the Memphis Grizzlies, although he is expected to be traded this summer as the Grizzlies look to move forward with Murray State's Ja Morant.

Conley has been linked with a number of teams including the Utah Jazz, although during an appearance on ESPN's NBA Mock Draft Special, Adrian Wojnarowski revealed that the Celtics would be interested in acquiring the veteran if Kyrie Irving leaves in free agency.

Conley will turn 32 later this year. The 2018-19 season though was one of the best of his career as he averaged 21.1 points, 6.4 assists, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game. However, the Celtics may be somewhat hesitant to take on his contract without first offloading Gordon Hayward as Conley is set to make $32.5 million and $34.5 million over the upcoming two seasons.

#1 Clint Capela

The Houston Rockets are apparently open to trading Clint Capela this summer

Following another playoff defeat to the Golden State Warriors, the Houston Rockets are looking to make major changes this summer. Despite signing a new long-term deal last summer, Clint Capela is among the players that the Rockets are willing to offload, and Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders is reporting that the Celtics are in discussions to sign the center:

The Celtics from what I have heard engaged pretty seriously on Clint Capela... have had some level of talks with Terry Rozier on a new deal. Everything is very fluid at this stage in the draft/trade process. It's finding out what you can do.

During the 2018-19 regular season, Capela averaged career highs in points (16.6), rebounds (12.7) and blocks (1.5). However, the 25-year-old continued to struggle in matchups against the NBA's best centers, and he had little impact as the Rockets were eliminated by the Warriors.