NBA trade deadline: Can the Celtics hit the market for frontcourt help?

The Celtics have good reason to be confident as the trade deadline approaches. doing. They own the league’s best net rating of plus 5.9. According to Clean the Glass, they performed at an even higher level against opponents with top 10 net ratings, achieving his league-best 10-3 record against such opponents. , he threw out 9.0 points per 100 possessions. Boston’s roster, which has plenty of useful players on both ends of the court, doesn’t necessarily need a lot of work.

Still, like any team, the Celtics have a lot to consider before the Feb. 9 deadline. Here are his three big issues shaping Brad Stevens’ behavior.

1. Do you have a suitable blockbuster deal?

The Celtics don’t need to make big trades. They have a talented group that meshes well on and off the court. Earlier this season, Malcolm Brogdon told a few teammates they should appreciate how tight the locker room is. Boston spent years searching for a mixture that worked.

Still, if the right player becomes available at the right price, the Celtics could build a trade package that includes multiple first-round picks, but the team is unlikely to find a first-round pick in 2023 (there’s not one more). ) or the year 2024. First-round pick (per the Stepien rule, teams must manage at least one of his first-round picks every other year).

For such a large trade, the Celtics are ideally talented enough to slip into the final lineup and young enough to complement Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown for years to come. Wants a person. Difficulty there? To fit that description, you would need a player. Most likely, the final Celtics lineup will include Tatum, Brown, Marcus Smart, and his two in Al Horford, Robert Williams, Derrick White, and Brogdon. Can the Celtics find someone to not only crack that lineup but move forward?

Will an athletic forward take Horford’s place behind Williams? Or a guard that acts as an upgrade to Smart, White, and Brogdon? A possibility, but that type of player is rarely available.

Think OG Anunoby type in this market. That particular target feels highly unlikely for several reasons. The Raptors appreciate him. If they move him, they will reportedly demand huge rewards. We need to evaluate how useful Anunoby is, plus the additional cost of acquiring him.

Still, whenever Anunoby or someone else with his abilities is available, the Celtics will have to weigh the merits of the pursuit. doesn’t control every first-round pick, but Boston has enough future draft capital to participate in those types of conversations for certain influential players. I have.

This kind of deal doesn’t have to happen over the next few weeks. Probably not. The Celtics are happy with the roster they have. They are one of the favorites to win a championship, the franchise’s 18th, and will break a tie with the Lakers in NBA history. Being immune to his rules will give you more flexibility in moving your first-round picks around.

OG Anunoby of the Toronto Raptors. (Dan Hamilton/USA Today)

2. Could the Celtics get more frontcourt help?

The Celtics have been scanning the market for frontcourt options since early in the season, according to league sources who were given anonymity to speak freely, so another backup big man is on the way. are likely to obtain

Meanwhile, interim coach Joe Mazzurra was trying to think of a center rotation for the team without Robert Williams. traded at the salary dump) as the first big man off the bench. It took another week or so for Luke Cornette to emerge as a regular option for the Celtics behind Williams and Horford.

Kornet is solid. The Celtics held opponents to just 105.8 points per 100 possessions while he was on the court. This is impressive defensive efficiency. It doesn’t necessarily have to target someone else at the location. If they’re perfectly healthy throughout the playoffs, next to Horford and Williams, minutes will be sparse and possibly even non-existent. Those people start together. Mazzulla can stagger play times in each game. Last season, Daniel Theis, his third center on the team, earned his eight DNP-CDs in the Boston playoffs despite Williams’ injury problems at the time. It also added six playoff games under 10 minutes. Cornette played like he could handle that kind of load.

Still, the Celtics know Williams’ injury history and Horford’s age at 36. Boston’s backup his center would be the star of his run in the team’s playoffs if either had to miss at the wrong time. Theis started five playoff his games last season. The Celtics are more willing to play in smaller lineups now, but still know the importance of his third big man to them.That is why Jacob Poeltl athleticShams Charania, recently reported as a Boston target, is likely to remain linked to the Celtics as the trade deadline approaches.

League sources outside of Boston’s organization have downplayed the possibility of Poeltl, saying that if the Spurs do acquire him, an imminent free agency would make more sense elsewhere where he would be a better long-term fit. With Horford and Williams each signed by at least the 2024-25 season, Boston doesn’t appear to have room to commit Poeltl as a starter to a massive long-term contract.

Even without adding a player like Poeltl, the Celtics front office may want to give Mazura another type of backup big man to use in playoff time. Cornette isn’t the most versatile defender despite all his strengths around the rim. Across the league, players like Mason Plumlee, PJ Washington, and Jashaun Tate may be available. Some of these players aren’t necessarily born centers, but they would help the Celtics play a different style than Cornette. The combined deals of Danilo Gallinari and Justin Jackson allow the Celtics to return more than $9 million in salaries without affecting anyone in the current rotation. They also have Peyton Pritchard, who has attracted interest as a potential trade chip should the right target show up.

Still, realistically, the Celtics aren’t going to give a backup big man much playing time in the playoffs anyway. It means either Williams or Horford didn’t get along.

3. Can the Celtics pursue wing depth?

If the Celtics have another need in the back end of their roster, it could be wing-deep after Sam Hauser’s difficult stretch over the past few months. The 6-foot-8 winger recently scored his two DNP-CDs for the first time in the season, and in December he scored 3 points and 28.3% from his range, so far in January. He recorded 29.0%. He shot from deep in his 47.9% in his 22 appearances by December.

Still, if they’re healthy during the postseason, the Celtics won’t necessarily need someone in Hauser’s place. Even if the starter misses time, the Celtics will simply cut their rotation short, rather than adding someone else to the mix. You can give more time to 3 people. Jalen McDaniels might make sense if Boston wants help on the wing, but the Celtics won’t have much, if any, playoff time for him. It puts you in an enviable position knowing you don’t need much.

(Jacob Poeltl top photo: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)