Category: .Rumors

Shams: Boston Celtics ‘definitely trying’ to get better ahead of ’24 NBA trade deadline

The holdup? “They don’t have the salaries to go match out there (in trades) to go get a difference-making player,” saus Charania.

What are the Boston Celtics hoping to accomplish ahead of the NBA’s 2024 trade deadline? On one hand, with the league’s best record and the inside track to the 2024 NBA Finals opening up for them so long as health remains solid, there may be little reason to make aggressive or even minor moves.

On the other, if there is a season it makes sense to push in all their chips, it is probably this one. But how to thread the needle of a player good enough to warrant pulling the trigger on a deal, but also making a low enough amount of money to not break up Boston’s successful core of players?

The Celtics’ cap situation has many starting to guess the Celtics could simply stand pat at the deadline.

ESPN cap guru Bobby Marks trade guide for the Boston Celtics

What traded player exceptions do they have, and how likely are they to use them?

Fans of the Boston Celtics who have been hoping for some fireworks at the NBA’s 2024 trade deadline (set to arrive on Feb. 8) may find themselves a bit underwhelmed by what the Celtics may choose to do at the deadline. And that is assuming the ball club makes any moves at all, given they currently have the best record in the league with an empty roster spot they could fill with a buyout player instead.

But what could the Celtics do if they feel the need to improve the roster via trade? How much money can they send in a deal to sweeten the package? What traded player exceptions do they have, and how likely are they to use them?

These and a number of related questions were answered at length by ESPN cap guru Bobby Marks for his 2024 Boston trade deadline primer.

Check it out above!

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Could former Boston big man Robert Williams III be moved before the 2024 NBA trade deadline?

Robert Williams III could be moved ahead of the trade deadline, according to recent reporting.

Former Boston Celtics big man Robert Williams III could be moved ahead of the 2024 NBA trade deadline, according to recent reporting from Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes. On a recent episode of his “This League Uncut” podcast, Haynes related via MassLive’s Brian Robb that there “are some teams that are pondering making a move for Robert Williams.”

“Now, I know Robert Williams is out for the season,” related the B/R reporter. Even so, Haynes relates that the LSU alum is a player “teams feel … would be somebody that could get on the cheap right now and allow him to continue recovering”.

Those clubs may do so “in hopes that he can blossom back into the Robert Williams that we’ve seen when he was playing at a high level” with Boston as a sort of “pre-agency.”

The idea that Timelord’s current status as damaged goods might be a way to get the Louisiana native more cheaply is not without risk, though, should Williams’ extensive injury history continue to prove chronic.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Haynes: Celtics looking to improve, but small deals, buyout market likely focus

A cautious approach to both trades and buyouts seems a prudent approach for a team that needs very little.

According to Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes, if the Boston Celtics do make a move ahead of the NBA’s 2024 trade deadline, expect it to be a smaller one, with the team’s focus also trained on the league’s buyout market. Speaking in a recent B/R video, Haynes shared via Heavy’s Matt John that while the Celtics are “always looking, trying to find ways to improve,” that “Boston has a roster that they feel very comfortable with.”

Even still, per the B/R reporter, “they’re going to be a team for sure that’s going to look at the buyout market and see who unloads there and see if there’s any good fits.”

“A team like Boston, if they do make a trade by the deadline, it’ll be probably a trade that would help them around the edges,” shared Haynes. “I don’t see any robust moves being made by the Celtics.”

While that might be a bit of a letdown to the team’s fans who are forever addicted to the possibility of trade deadline fireworks, when you have a club with the best record in the league, even marginal moves can do as much harm as help if not the right fit.

So with that in mind, a cautious approach to both trades and buyouts seems a prudent approach for a team that needs very little more save perhaps some forward and frontcourt depth that might be able to be addressed in one player.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Fischer: Boston reportedly ‘in the market for backup bigs’

“There’s a ton of teams in the market for backup bigs this year,” said Fischer.

By most accounts — even the team president, Brad Stevens‘ — the Boston Celtics are looking for wing depth at the trade deadline. Specifically, as Stevens put it, a big wing. But rumbles are percolating up from the depth of the NBA media sphere that suggest there might be more on the “help wanted” list for the Celtics.

In a recent episode of the Yahoo Sports “Ball Don’t Lie” podcast, reporter Jake Fischer let it slip that Boston is a team among several looking to fortify their frontcourt rotation. “There’s a ton of teams in the market for backup bigs this year,” said Fischer. The Yahoo Sports reporter has heard that, along with the Celtics, that the New York Knicks and Houston Rockets are also looking for a big man upgrade ahead of the Feb. 8 deadline.

That will make competition for the players who can reasonably be pried loose from their current situation a bit tougher. But the Celtics have salaries and draft assets to bring to bear if there is a target they find especially key to their plans to hang a banner.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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The experts agree: the Boston Celtics need wing depth at the trade deadline

Big man depth may still be a concern, but if there’s an area Boston is thin, it’s wing depth playable in the postseason.

What do the Boston Celtics need at the NBA’s 2024 trade deadline? For much of the early part of the league’s 2023-24 season, the conventional wisdom was that it would be a trade for a big man to help shore up the Celtics’ frontcourt rotation.

But the team’s frontcourt players have done much to suggest that while that might remain a priority, it is a lesser one. At least in comparison to playoff-ready wing depth, of which Boston may not have any after their All-NBA wings in Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. Sam Hauser might fit that bill, but has not been especially effective in the past when given run in the postseason.

For that reason, Celtics team president Brad Steven’s recent suggestion that the team will be looking to add a big wing to the team’s rotation did not come as a massive surprise. Nor does the fact that many NBA analysts agree.

Celtics seen as likely buyers ahead of the NBA’s 2024 trade deadline

“The Celtics have a great top six in the rotation but need another guy for their postseason run,” writes The Athletic.

The Boston Celtics are seen as a team likely to look to the trade market to improve the team according to recent analysis by The Athletic’s Zach Harper. Per The Athletic analyst, the “Celtics don’t have much in terms of young assets or even moveable role players to improve their depth or add another significant piece.”

“However, Brad Stevens does have almost full control of the Celtics’ first-round picks over the next eight years, so Boston can definitely try to add a role player with a first or two,” adds Harper. “The Celtics have a great top six in the rotation but need another guy for their postseason run.”

This is likely informed speculation given Stevens recently alluded to as much in an impromptu session with the media about the Celtics’ potential plans at the league’s 2024 trade deadline. It makes all the sense in the world given what we’ve seen from the bench.

While much better than in past seasons, there is still little in the way of proven playoff experience currently coming off it apart from Al Horford. The veteran big man may not always even be coming off the bench by the time the postseason rolls around.

Add in a thin frontcourt and thinner wing rotation, and it’s a solid bet there will be at least one new face on Boston’s roster before the end of the regular season, if not at the deadline.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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What are Toronto Raptors analysts saying about rumored Boston Celtics trade interest in Chris Boucher?

Do Raptors analysts think there’s any potential for a trade focused on Boucher to go down ahead of the NBA’s 2024 trade deadline? 

What are Toronto Raptors analysts saying about rumored Boston Celtics trade interest in Chris Boucher? Recent reporting from Yahoo Sports reporter Jake Fischer connected the Celtics to the champion forward, and recent comments from Boston President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens did suggest the team will be looking to add a larger forward to their rotation.

But the issue of how much Boucher is making this season and what the Celtics have available to trade could complicate things for both sides. Do Raptors analysts think there’s any potential for a trade focused on Boucher to go down ahead of the NBA’s 2024 trade deadline?

The host of the “Raptors Digest” podcast took a closer look from a Raptors-oriented point of view.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear what Toronto fans might be thinking about such a trade with the Celtics.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Should the Boston Celtics try to trade for Jonathan Kuminga?

The 6-foot-8 combo forward fits the bill of a “large forward” that Celtics team president Brad Stevens hinted Boston might be after.

Should the Boston Celtics try to trade for Golden State Warriors big man Jonathan Kuminga? The 6-foot-8 combo forward fits the bill of a “large forward” that Celtics team president Brad Stevens hinted Boston might be after, and if they do believe that their internal options aren’t quite up to the task, then such a pursuit could make sense for the Celtics.

While he has been struggling with the Dubs this season both from beyond the arc and in terms of having a role with the team he is comfortable with, the Congolese swingman shot 35.3% from deep in his first two seasons in the NBA, and could perhaps see that efficiency rise in new surroundings.

A solid rebounder who can move the ball a bit and even fill in at the 5 in smaller lineups, Kuminga is earning just over $6 million this season and $7.6 next, allowing him to slide into the $6.2 million Grant Williams traded player exception with ease.

However, that Kuminga will be extension eligible after this season hints he might not be happy with a varying role as he has had with Golden State, perhaps requiring moving on from some of Boston’s bigger wing players to be sure Kuminga has the minutes he needs to succeed.

But with Boston likely to take a cautious approach with any additions to maintain team chemistry as Stevens noted would be the case, we think a player making waves on his current ball club less likely to be a high priority for the Celtics.

Add in that the former No. 7 pick is not likely to be let go for cheap, and the ask may also be enough to scare the Celtics away. We’d bite if the cost wasn’t high, but it’s unlikely the Celtics would be the highest bidder for Kuminga’s services based on what we know about the situation as a whole.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Celtics reportedly have interest in Toronto Raptors forward

Rumors abound on what the Boston Celtics and the rest of the league might have in mind in terms of exchanging players.

With the NBA thick in the midst of trade season, rumors abound on what the Boston Celtics and the rest of the league might have in mind in terms of exchanging players ahead of the Feb. 8 trade deadline. And to such an end, Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer recently related that the Celtics have been casting an envious eye northwards when it comes to a particular forward.

Per Fischer via Heavy’s Matt John, “Chris Boucher… is someone I know the Celtics have liked for a while. He’s at $11.7 million.” And while the Yahoo Sports analyst notes that you are “going to have to give up someone good to get someone good,” even he acknowledges such a move would be unlikely.

This is because the Celtics’ current cap sheet is filled with larger contracts attached to key players that would not be dealt in a trade for a player like Boucher alone.

And with little reason to expand any of the Celtics’ top six players into a larger deal when the team is already on top of the league standings, a buyout seems a more likely route to any chance of Boucher in Boston this season, as John notes.

And given the Canadian big man is unlikely to be bought out as a positive trade asset, this is not a rumor to watch all that closely in our opinion.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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