Tag: 2024 trade deadline

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

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Do the Boston Celtics need to look for some interior insurance at the NBA’s 2024 trade deadline?

How secure is Boston’s frontcourt rotation, really?

Once the Boston Celtics‘ President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens let it be known that the ball club was on the hunt for a big wing, the consensus that the Celtics need some help in their frontcourt rotation took a hit.

And so far this season, for the most part, the backup options after star big man Kristaps Porzingis and veteran forward Al Horford has held up. Luke Kornet has played much better than he was playing early in the season, and reserve forward Oshae Brissett and two way big man Neemias Queta have added real help in their more limited run.

But not everyone agrees that the Celtics are set with their bigs, leading Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley to weigh in.

Do the Boston Celtics need a two-way playmaker at the NBA’s 2024 trade deadline?

An argument can be made a playmaker with size is lacking.

The Boston Celtics have been steamrolling most of the other ball clubs in the NBA so far this season, with a few key exceptions giving the team trouble. Those teams tend to be long athletic, and disruptive — or know how to get under the Celtics skin in ways that make them their own worst enemy.

And when Boston gets tight on the offensive end, they tend to lean onto ISO-heavy styles of play that have done them no favors in the past. An argument can be made that in those moments, a little more playmaking might be the answer.

This is the tack taken by Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley, who suggests getting a two-way playmaker ahead of the league’s 2024 trade deadline.

Danilo Gallinari, Mike Muscala now legal to trade, sign with Celtics; Should Boston inquire?

Would bringing back Gallo or Muscala make sense for Boston?

Now that the Washington Wizards have dealt away both of the players they got from the Boston Celtics this past offseason in the deal that brought star center Kristaps Porzingis to the Celtics. Both Danilo Gallinari and Mike Muscala could be brought back to play for Boston via trade or after a buyout.

Before that, the rules of the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement would not have permitted such a reunion for the Celtics. But now that it is back on the table, would bringing back Gallo or Muscala make sense for Boston? With the team looking mainly for a bigger wing and to a lesser extent some help in the team’s frontcourt rotations, there is a case for both given the budget the Celtics have to work with (read: not much). But could Boston do better than a pair of players that did not work out in the past?

The hosts of the CLNS Media “How Bout Them Celtics!” podcast took a deep dive into what such scenarios might look like.

Take a look at the clip above to hear where they came down on each.

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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Robb: Celtics ‘strongly expected to make some kind of move’ ahead of NBA’s 2024 trade deadline

Could Boston use their $6.2 million traded player exception, or go another route to improve their bench?

While a consensus is growing that the Boston Celtics will not be making any major moves at the NBA’s 2024 trade deadline, rumbles persist that the ball club is still looking to make some improvements around the margins. Per MassLive’s Brian Robb, the Celtics “are strongly expected to make some kind of move ahead of the trade deadline.”

“Keeping the team’s roster fully intact now past the guarantee deadline keeps more potential opportunities open for getting a deal done to bolster the back end of the roster,” adds the MassLive reporter, alluding to the decision of Boston’s front office to guarantee the contracts of Luke Kornet, Svi Mykhailiuk, Dalano Banton, and Lamar Stevens by not cutting them in time for the league-wide guarantee date.

The Celtics may well elect to deal one or more of those players ahead of the Feb. 8 deadline in order offset the cost of using their $6.2 million traded player exception generated when Boston signed-and-traded Grant Williams to the Dallas Mavericks this past offseason.

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 Boston Celtics latest (lack of) moves might signal a trade is coming

The decision not to waive Kornet, Mykhailiuk, or Banton means they won’t be cut to make room for a signing, but it might also be a prelude to them being moved in a trade.

The Boston Celtics are likely zeroing in on what the team’s front office is going to do at the NBA’s 2023-24 trade deadline, and recent decisions made by the ball club could signal satisfaction with the depth already on the roster. It could also hint that the Celtics plan to make a move to further bolster the team ahead of the Feb. 8 limit.

The franchise’s decision not to waive Luke Kornet, Svi Mykhailiuk, or Dalano Banton means they won’t be cut to make room for a signing, but it might also be a prelude to them being moved in a trade. With Boston having the green light to take on salary and a $6.2 million traded player exception to absorb salary, the Celtics are very likely to make a deal, and the lack of cuts hint one may well be on the way.

The hosts of the CLNS Media “How Bout Them Celtics! / Talkin’ Cs” podcasts weighed in on the lack of cuts before the league-wide guarantee date on Jan. 10 and what it means for Boston’s trade deadline.

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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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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