Ranking Celtics' Top Trade Priorities Entering 2024

The Boston Celtics have used the first two months of the 2023-24 NBA season to cement themselves as top-tier contenders.

They'll head into 2024 hoping to do what their last few iterations couldn't: Convert this potential into an actual title run.

It's possible the Shamrocks already have enough to do that, but they should still turn over every stone this trade season for the chance to upgrade this roster. As they start weighing possible improvements, the following three areas should be prioritized.

1. Add Interior Insurance

Maddie Malhotra/Getty Images

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - NOVEMBER 13: Al Horford #42 of the Boston Celtics and Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics help Kristaps Porzingis #8 of the Boston Celtics off the ground against the New York Knicks at TD Garden on November 13, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Getty Images)

The Celtics aren't lacking size, talent or two-way ability on their frontcourt.

They do come up a touch short, though, when it comes to a simple head count. Most modern teams might be fine with a three-player rotation at center, but this could be one of the exceptions.

Kristaps Porziņģis is awesome when he plays, but he's made regular appearances on the injury report throughout his career. Al Horford has fought the aging curve about as well as anyone not named LeBron James, but Boston's big man is still on the wrong side of his 37th birthday. Luke Kornet isn't the worst player to keep behind emergency glass, but would Boston be comfortable breaking it come playoff time?

The Celtics should look to add a big this trade season, and they could take a sizable swing at this. Former Celtic Kelly Olynyk has reportedly held their attention, per NBA insider Marc Stein.

2. Find a Backup Wing

Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 23: Jrue Holiday #4 of the Boston Celtics Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics & Sam Hauser #30 of the Boston Celtics high five during the game on December 23, 2023 at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2023 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Celtics might have the league's top wing tandem in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

What they don't have, though, is much in the way of playable wings behind them.

Sam Hauser has had a solid season, though he's primarily a shooting specialist, and that player type sometimes gets schemed off the floor in the playoffs. Oshae Brissett and Lamar Stevens are energetic defenders with big holes in their offensive games. Svi Mykhailiuk may not make it to the deadline with his $2.3 million salary becoming fully guaranteed on Jan. 10, per Spotrac.

Boston's options are limited, and maybe that will also be the case on the trade market. Still, the Celtics should poke around and see what they can find. If they could somehow afford a two-way wing, that player would have a chance to log real minutes during the playoff run.

3. Search for Cheap Shooting

Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Boston, MA - February 12: Boston Celtics interim head coach Joe Mazzulla talks to PG Payton Pritchard in the third quarter. The Celtics beat the Memphis Grizzlies, 119-109. (Photo by Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

The Celtics certainly aren't the only modern team staking a ton of their offensive success on the strength of their three-point shooting.

They might take this strategy farther than anyone else, though.

Their 43.2 nightly three-point attempts aren't merely the most in the league, they are third-most in NBA history, per StatHead Basketball. Only a couple of James Harden's Houston Rockets teams embraced the three-ball the way Celtics skipper Joe Mazzulla has.

But while Boston's three-point volume is staggering, its accuracy isn't quite the same. The Celtics are only 11th in three-point percentage (37.6). Improving that percentage would make this offense even harder to handle, and Boston could give its bench more bite by adding another net-shredder to the mix.