We’re 10 days from the NBA trade deadline, and things are still a little quiet on the forward-facing side of things. There are players certainly being rumored, but the Celtics are only tangentially involved.
Of course, that doesn’t mean much when it comes to Brad Stevens and the Celtics' front office. They can keep things very quiet if they want and surprise us with moves, so a lack of rumors doesn’t mean a lack of moves ahead.
“I think we always have to be looking at how we can improve,” Stevens said in a recent radio appearance. “I think we’re good. I think we’re in the mix, and I think we’re hard to beat. But there are other teams like that too. So anything you can do to improve your opportunities, you need to really vet and look at.”
That's his job. He’s not playing Candy Crush all day in his office, so he’s scanning the league to see what’s going on, gauging how other front offices are feeling about their teams. One never knows when another GM is going to consider moving someone, so it never hurts to ask.
However, gauging Stevens’ feelings about the team feels pretty easy.
“You reshuffle the deck and you add totally different guys that are significant minutes players,” he said. “That's probably a lot less likely here because we have a really good core that's played together in big moments, that understands what those moments are like, that knows how to get to, ultimately, where we want to go. What is probably more likely is evaluating how to fortify your depth, how to make sure you’re as foul-proof as possible. But hey, other teams are out there too, and there's good players around the league, so you’re probably looking at those as the opportunities you’re really stewing over.”
Can’t get any clearer than that. There was never an expectation for a big move for Boston and that they’d be looking at a move to add a player or two at the end of their bench. They still have a few ways of making that happen.
Their traded player exception from the Juancho Hernangomez trade has expired, but they still have one worth $5.89 million from the Dennis Schröder trade. They have other small ones they can use in minimum deals if they want, plus a $3.2 million disabled player exception for Danilo Gallinari.
Obviously, they can also use player salary as well. And as I’ve said before, they can get close to matching $11 million with Gallinari and Payton Pritchard. Here's a roundup of the latest rumors of interest to Celtics fans.
JAKOB POELTL
The biggest rumor Boston has been involved in so far is Poeltl. The San Antonio big man isn’t necessarily being shopped, but the Spurs are listening. A recent rumor suggested Boston would be willing to change their 2028 pick owed to San Antonio from a pick swap to an unprotected pick in the deal. However, NBA insider Marc Stein said “every time I’ve asked Boston people about (their interest in Poeltl), they have poured water on that.”
As I’ve detailed before, Poeltl doesn’t make sense as a target for Boston. He’s too good to just use in the Luke Kornet role, and he’s an unrestricted free agent after this season. I doubt they give up draft assets for a rental, even if we can talk ourselves into them moving Gallo and Pritchard for him. I don’t see them committing a monster deal to Poeltl with Robert Williams and Al Horford already locked up long-term.
The only caveat to that would be a souring on Robert Williams as a viable long-term option at center. I don’t think they're anywhere close to that point with him, so I don’t think Poeltl is a realistic option.
PJ WASHINGTON
This is a popular name bandied about in hypothetical trades, but according to Stein, “word is that the Hornets’ interest in re-signing P.J. Washington has risen sharply compared to last summer, when the Hornets were expected to prioritize Miles Bridges.” He’s not alone in that stance. There are a few reports floating out there that Charlotte likes Washington, so it feels like it would take a big offer to pry him away.
The Hornets might be sellers, and guys like Terry Rozier or Mason Plumlee are getting varying amounts of interest, but Washington seems to be in their long-term plans.
Plumlee, by the way, is in the final year of his deal and makes $8.5 million, so it would require the Gallo/Pritchard pairing to make that happen. That's not where I, personally, would use that package.
ALEC BURKS
We’ll see how strongly the Detroit Pistons stick to this, but a recent HoopsHype report suggested “it’s going to take overwhelming offers to move” Burks or Bojan Bogdanovic, two popular targets on that team.
Bogdanovic makes $19.3 million, so he’s out of the question. Burks is attainable with the Gallinari/Pritchard deal, which would have to include draft picks to pry him free.
The biggest issue with a Burks trade isn’t that Boston doesn’t have a viable offer for a player like him. They do, but this is a seller’s market, and so the bidding for Burks could get heated. Stevens isn’t going to lose his cool over Burks, so if there are two or three teams in on the bidding, the Celtics could get squeezed out by an overzealous GM.
JAE CROWDER
His salary can be matched with Boston’s player package, and a reunion with the Celtics could be an interesting one. However, according to the Athletic, Milwaukee has been given permission to talk to Crowder. He’s an unrestricted free agent after this season, so he’s probably looking for a longer-term deal with his new team.
Boston has not been linked to Crowder, probably because he’s going to want a bigger role than the Celtics can offer. If he wanted a limited bench role, he’d have stayed with the Suns.
BONES HYLAND
This is a new name starting to float into the rumor realm. He’s an adventure, but as a second-year player who can get hot in a hurry, he’s an intriguing option for Boston to explore.
However, the reason the Nuggets are gauging trade interest is that they're trying to find help for their own stretch run and they're willing to sacrifice someone of value to get someone who fits better in return.
According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo sports, “In exchange for Hyland, the Nuggets have expressed an interest in defensive-minded frontcourt players, sources said, and will search for a player plus a first-round pick. Moving Hyland, while preparing for the risk of losing Brown in free agency, will also have Denver considering returns that could net another reserve point guard, sources said. As far as potential suitors, former Denver president Tim Connelly, now piloting the Timberwolves’ front office, is still considered a big supporter of Hyland.”
Unless the Nuggets love Pritchard, I don’t know that Boston has an offer to entice the Nuggets … if Stevens has any interest at all.
I’m honestly not sure what to make of this trade deadline. The surprises and parity around the league have taken some of the popular preseason trade targets off the table. The play-in tournament is leaving some front offices reticent about their plans. Toronto, for example, has a few players generating interest around the league, but they haven't formally decided on a path forward because even at 23-28, they are just a game out of the play-in.
The Celtics are most likely going to feed on the scraps of bigger trades, trying to pick off a useful player or two either after a rival’s negotiating strategy blows up in its face, or as unbalanced trades lead to cuts or buyouts.
Stevens can be patient because he knows Boston’s core is good enough to get to the Finals. For now, things seem to be quiet around the Celtics, but Stevens is nothing if not resourceful in this role. I can’t rule out a surprise between now and February 9.