Between now and Thursday, when the NBA trade deadline occurs, the Boston Celtics are in no need of action.
In any case, they might facilitate a few deals.
According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, they “have been active” on the market already and 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 adding even more talent make sense for the team leading the league in net rating and winning percentage? Or does Boston already possess everything required to win the championship?
Let’s examine these and other issues and offer three deadline forecasts for the Celtics.
It’s unlikely that having too many wings exists in the modern NBA.
But Boston very assuredly wouldn’t be in danger of going over that limit if there was. Yes, they have Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, one of the best wing tandems in the Association. Yes, Sam Hauser has made a name for himself as a regular in the rotation. Apart from players moving up or down a spot to cover a wing position, that’s about it.
It’s likely for this reason that a large wing is the most desired player on the squad, and the Celtics have enough trade assets to get one. Though likely someone who qualifies for the $6.2 million trade exception made possible by the Grant Williams sign-and-trade, it won’t be a high-end option, but it should be someone with a reasonable chance of signing. 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.
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.
