Celtics rumored to be interested in trading for Kelly OIynyk? Not so fast, says math

But the Celtics are indeed likely to be monitoring the situation.

Could the Boston Celtics be closely monitoring the potential for the Utah Jazz to trade former Celtics center Kelly Olynyk, as recent reports seem to intimate? Perhaps! But most likely not for the reason many seem to be thinking they are.

A recent column from Substack’s Marc Stein certainly paints such a picture on first blush. Per Stein, “Boston is among the teams that is monitoring Utah’s Kelly Olynyk in advance of a potential trade pursuit.” Stein, among the most trusted names in behind-the-scenes intel in the league, is reporting what he is hearing — but changes in the NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) suggest that Stein may be choosing his words carefully here.

The short version of why that may be the case is because Boston likely cannot put together a package to land the Kamloops native via trade that would make sense.