Celtics Trade Predictions Ahead of Thursday's NBA Deadline
The Boston Celtics don't need to do anything between now and Thursday's NBA trade deadline.
They might broker a trade or two anyway.
They "have been active" on the market already, per HoopsHype's Michael Scotto, who added that they are "looking to package some of their minimum contract players at the end of the rotation and draft pick compensation to bolster their bench heading into the playoffs."
Does it actually make sense for the league leader in winning percentage and net rating to add even more talent? Or does Boston already have everything it needs to take the title?
Let's dig into those questions and more while providing three deadline predictions for the Celtics.
They Will Add a Wing to Their Bench
1 of 3
In the modern NBA, there's probably no such thing as having too many wings.
If there was, though, Boston certainly wouldn't be in danger of exceeding that limit. Yes, they have one of the Association's top wing tandems in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Yes, Sam Hauser has established himself as a rotation-regular. But that's pretty much it, beyond players sliding up or down a spot to cover a wing position.
That's probably why a big wing sits atop the team's wish list, and the Celtics should enough trade chips to bring one onboard. It won't be a high-end option—probably someone who fits into the $6.2 million trade exception created in the Grant Williams sign-and-trade—but it should be someone with a non-zero chance of securing at least a semi-permanent role.
Saddiq Bey would be a dream get, but Boston might get decent mileage out of Reggie Bullock, Otto Porter Jr. or John Konchar.
They'll Hold off on Adding Center for Now
2 of 3
The Celtics have been linked—by logic, if nothing else—to backup bigs for a while now. When your top two centers are the oft-injured Kristaps Porziņģis and 37-year-old Al Horford, there's probably no such thing as having too much depth at the position.
Boston has apparently poked around the low-post market. Per Scotto, Kelly Olynyk and Andre Drummond are among the "wide range of trade targets" to pop up on the Celtics' radar.
Fitting Olynyk into their financial books could be tricky, though. While Drummond would give them more bulk in the paint and a presence on the glass, his limitations are severe enough that he wouldn't necessarily be guaranteed a rotation spot ahead of Luke Kornet or even Neemias Queta.
So, while this has long felt like an obvious need, there isn't an obvious way of addressing it at the deadline. The Celtics may simply be content with what they have, and even if they aren't, they might find an insurance policy on the buyout market.
They Won't Disrupt Their Playoff Rotation
3 of 3
The Celtics aren't hurting for trade chips. They could put two first-round picks in a trade, plus they have eight second-rounders at their disposal.
What Boston doesn't have, though, is expendable mid-sized salaries. The Celtics have six players making more than $5 million, per Spotrac. Five comprise their fully dominant starting group, which has thrashed opponents by 12.1 points per 100 possessions, per NBA.com. The sixth is Horford, a calming presence who offers substantial versatility at both ends.
The Celtics clearly aren't trying to move anyone from that group, and it's hard to see them sending out Hauser or Payton Pritchard, either. It's even trickier to imagine them finding someone on their limited budget capable of dispatching anyone in their top seven (or eight depending on how bullish they are about Pritchard getting playoff minutes).
So, while Boston could certainly make a trade this week, don't look for much—if anything—to change with the club's postseason rotation.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
