The Celtics are not an OK 3pt shooting team, on a whole, they are a bad 3pt shooting team (ranked 22nd). Yet they attempt the 6th most 3pt shots/game, so its a point of emphasis for their offense.
Agreed, Barton may be a nice addition (although historically he has been a bad outside shooter).
With a +4.4 pt differential so far and an easier part of the schedule in front of us the C's are in fabulous shape. BUT 3pt Shooting is an area that Danny could improve on without sacrificing the Nets picks we own. Spending those picks on guys like Carmelo, Cousins, Howard doesn't seem like a good use of assets.
I tend to agree that adding a quality 3-point shooting wing to the roster could be a place that the Celtics could improve at a relatively low cost. I'd disagree with the opinion that others have expressed that the ideal option is a big guard. I think a forward is a better fit because, with Smart healthy, most of the available guard minutes are already spoken for between Thomas, Bradley, and Smart. On the other hand, a quality forward with range gives them a true backup for Crowder and opens up the possibility of playing small with a lineup of some combination of the 3 aforementioned guards, Crowder, new forward, and one of our bigs. That could be a real asset both at the end of games, when the team needs a scoring burst, or against teams that can go small. Basically, a James Posey type (or a rich man's Jonas Jerebko).
I also tend to agree that people here are underestimating this team still. The Celtics are well-positioned for a top 4 seed and reasonably likely for a 2 or 3 seed. In either case, while it's not a guarantee, we should be in good shape to win a playoff series. Playing the likes of the Magic, Heat, or Pistons in the first round, with home court, is very winnable. With a 2 or 3 seed, they will be in for a tough second round series against the Falcons, Raptors, or Pacers, but could certainly win that too. I don't see them having the players to really challenge the Cavs yet, but the Cavs are the only team in the East I do not think this team can beat in the playoffs.
As for the Nets picks and trade targets, I don't think Cousins belongs with the other 2 players you list. Cousins is a young elite player at the biggest position of need for the Celtics who plays hard. He would easily be worth this year's Nets pick plus additional assets. Howard and Carmelo, on the other hand, are declining, older players with effort issues. I'm not sure I'd want either at anything approaching the price it would take to get them. In Howard's case, I'd rather make a big push to woo Whiteside this offseason barring a Cousins trade. For example, without playing in elite FA fantasyland (aka, a Durant signing) a Whiteside/Batum or Whiteside/Barnes offseason while keeping the rest of the roster largely intact would leave us with a really strong team for the foreseeable future.
