Tag: 2024 trade deadline

Report: Boston Celtics ‘expressed interest’ in Kelly Olynyk, Delon Wright, Andre Drummond as trade targets

Boston is reportedly looking to bolster its bench.

The NBA’s 2024 trade deadline is just days away, with rumbles about what the Boston Celtics starting to warm up as the proximity grows. The Celtics have reportedly “expressed interest in a wide range of trade targets, including Kelly Olynyk, Delon Wright, Andre Drummond, and others,” according to new reporting from HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto.

“The Celtics 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,” notes the H/H reporter. “Drummond would fit the parameters of Boston’s current compensation package above, while Olynyk and Wright would likely cost more.”

As Scotto alludes, a Boston trade for Olynyk is functionally impossible given it would take one of the Celtics’ core players to match his $12.2 million in salary.

Wright, earning $8.1 million this season, is an unrealistic option for Boston for similar reasons.

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Do the Boston Celtics need to find an upgrade over Payton Pritchard?

Should Boston try to land an upgrade, like Alex Caruso?

Do the Boston Celtics need to find an upgrade over reserve guard Payton Pritchard ahead of the NBA’s 2024 trade deadline? On the latest episode of the CLNS Media “Celtics Beat” podcast, cohost Evan Valenti was joined by Ethan Fuller of The Boston Globe. The duo discussed whether the Celtics need to find an upgrade for Payton Pritchard.

They pointed out that since the Celtic’s playoff rotation will be relatively short, it likely won’t matter since only six or seven guys will see significant minutes anyway. The pair also talked about Pritchard’s defensive ineptitude due to his physical limitations being only 6-foot-1, but did say that he thinks he is having one of his best seasons of his career.

Ultimately, they thought that any upgrade would be marginal, so it likely wouldn’t be something the Celtics need to address, though having a guy like Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso would be interesting.

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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On two Boston rivals targeting former Celtics guard Marcus Smart via trade

While he won’t be playing due to an injury, at least it doesn’t seem likely he will be dealt before then.

Could former Boston Celtics veteran floor general Marcus Smart be on the move soon yet again? According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, the Flower Mound native is a trade target ahead of the league’s 2024 trade deadline.

But what we are also hearing ahead of the Feb. 8 moratorium on swapping players comes into effect for the season is that the Grizzlies are not interested in dealing away Smart any time soon. The Oklahoma State alum is set to return to TD Garden for the first time as a member of the Griz’ roster this coming Sunday. While he won’t be playing due to an injury, at least it doesn’t seem likely he will be dealt before then.

The hosts of the CLNS Media “How Bout Them Celtics! podcast took a closer look at these pre-deadline rumbles.

Check out the clip above to hear what they had to say.

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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Former Celtics floor general Marcus Smart reportedly getting much trade interest

But the Griz aren’t interested in dealing away the Oklahoma State alum, reportedly.

Even with an injury-addled season on an injury-addled ball club, former Boston Celtics floor general Marcus Smart is getting significant trade interest from other teams in the league, according to recent reporting from Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer.

Per Fischer, the Flower Mound native is in demand as a trade target as “several clubs including the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers … have phoned Memphis about obtaining” Smart’s contract ahead of the league’s Feb. 8 moratorium on trading players. But the Griz aren’t interested in dealing away the Oklahoma State alum according to the Yahoo Sports reporter, who notes that the “Grizzlies have shut down any overtures for the veteran guard.”

Smart has missed considerable time for the Grizzlies to multiple if not serious injuries this season.

But in the 20 games he has played for Memphis, the Texan guard is logging a career-high 14.5 points per game along with 2.5 boards, 4.3 assists, and 2.1 steals per contest.

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Has Boston’s Payton Pritchard become so good that he’s untradeable?

Has the West Linn native become so good in his role that there’s simply just no viable upgrade via a trade?

It was not all that long ago that Boston Celtics backup combo guard Payton Pritchard was actively trying to get off the team’s roster, as he was buried in the ball club’s guard rotation last season. But the Celtics of course did not deal Fast PP to another team, other guards ahead of him in the rotation like Marcus Smart and Malcolm Brogdon instead getting shipped out over the summer in other trades.

Pritchard has really settled into his role with Boston for this campaign since signing an extension during the preseason. Has the West Linn native become so good in his role that there’s simply just no viable upgrade via a trade?

The hosts of the CLNS Media “First to the Floor” podcast recently took a closer look at Pritchard’s role with the Celtics this season, and whether there are any players out there worth letting go of the Oregon alum for in a trade.

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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Shams Charania on the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics trade plans

We are officially in the final week of the NBA’s 2023-24 season in which a player can be traded.

We are officially in the final week of the NBA’s 2023-24 season in which a player can be traded. This will force a number of ball clubs around the league to ramp up their efforts to conclude whatever trades they hope to make before the Feb. 8 deadline arrives.

Among them are the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics, two ball clubs set to play each other in their decades-long rivalry Thursday night. But they are also active on the trade front according to The Athletic NBA reporter Shams Charania, who dropped some trade season intel on the latest episode of the FanDuel “Run It Back” podcast.

Take a look at the clip embedded below to hear what Shams has been told the Celtics and the Lakers are up to on the trade front as the deadline inches closer.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

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

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

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Stein: Celtics ‘continue to search for additional frontcourt depth’

More rumbles emerge that suggest the Boston Celtics are trying to make their big man rotation better.

More rumbles emerge that suggest the Boston Celtics are trying to make their big man rotation better ahead of the NBA’s 2024 trade deadline. Not long after The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that Boston is indeed active still on the trade front, Marc Stein of “The Stein Line” reports that the Celtics “continue to search for additional frontcourt depth but might have to rely on various trade exceptions to try to fill the void.”

“Boston is said to be willing only to part with players on the most nominal contracts in any potential upcoming moves,” largely echoing the framework of any potential moves for Boston laid out by Charania in a recent podcast appearance.

The Celtics’ $6.2 million traded player exception would likely be the primary vehicle for any such move on Boston’s end.

We could see perhaps one or two of Svi Mykhailiuk, Dalano Banton, Lamar Stevens, or Oshae Brissett being included to offset the cap hit and sweeten the offer.

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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Report: Boston Celtics interested in Houston Rockets forward Jae’Sean Tate

His defensive skills could be a boon to Boston’s bench.

Are the Boston Celtics looking to trade for Houston Rockets forward Jae’Sean Tate? Previously linked to the Rockets combo forward in trade rumors, a new report from The Athletic’s Kelly Iko, Shams Charania, and Sam Amick suggests that pursuit might be heating up.

It could also be the old rumors warmed up for some trade leverage, but according to The Athletic reports, Tate “is attracting interest from the likes of Boston” as well as the Phoenix Suns. While the Celtics are reportedly looking for a bigger forward, Tate is somewhat small for his position at just 6-foot-4, and struggles to shoot from deep.

But his defensive skills could be a boon to Boston’s bench if not for the fact that he earns $6.5 million this season, just too big to make it into the team’s $6.2 traded player exception.

It seems unlikely that the Celtics would gut their deep rotation for a player only marginally better than the likely candidates going out.

We would not be surprised if he ended up with the Suns, however, who desperately need more healthy bodies.

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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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.

Do the Boston Celtics still need to trade for a backup center?

For now, all we can do is wait to see which direction they go, including standing pat.

Do the Boston Celtics need to trade for some more depth at their center position before Feb. 8? As the NBA’s 2024 trade deadline gets close, the takes are proliferating like wildfire on what the Celtics and the rest of the league might elect to do to bolster their rosters ahead of the annual cutoff for trades in a season.

Among those asking if Boston might want another big man on the team via trade to prepare them for a deep postseason run is Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley. “You’d have to think it’s something they’re at least talking about,” writes the B/R analyst.

“After all, we’re among the many who’ve discussed the situation all season, as it’s impossible not to notice what could go wrong at the position given Kristaps Porzingis’ injury history and the fact Al Horford is closer to his 38th birthday than his 37th,” he adds.

“Then again, Luke Kornet and Neemias Queta have been more than capable when called upon,” suggests Buckley. “And if Porzingis and Horford can stay upright, a new backup big man almost certainly wouldn’t see the court outside of emergency situations come playoff time.”

“If the Celtics want another insurance policy for that, they can always wait and see what the buyout market has to offer.” That is an accurate summary of the position of strength Boston enters the remainder of trade season in.

And an enviable one at that; a larger forward able to play some center might scratch much of what itches the Celtics. For now, all we can do is wait to see which direction they go, including standing pat.

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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