Tag: trade targets

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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Stein: San Antonio has ‘made available’ Doug McDermott, Cedi Osman for trade

“A trade before this season’s deadline, sources say, is much more likely,” writes Stein.

It seems that the San Antonio Spurs are looking to move on from a pair of veteran wings currently on the team’s roster. In a recent report that echoes what we have been hearing from Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes, his fellow podcast host and Substack legend Marc Stein is echoing those reports.

“Doug McDermott and Cedi Osman are two veterans that the Spurs have made available before the Feb. 8 deadline — with both players (McDermott at $13.8 million at Osman at $6.7 million) on expiring contracts,” writes Stein of the wings in question. While McDermott is the elder of the two at 32, he is shooting a sizzling 46.8 from deep this season, and will likely garner attention from fringe contenders looking for a short-term offensive boost to their roster.

Osman, at 28, may not be quite the long-distance marksman, but he is shooting a healthy 36.7 from 3, and can pass the ball a bit.

“The Spurs could have traded McDermott last season but decided, in the end, against parting ways,” adds Stein. “A trade before this season’s deadline, sources say, is much more likely.”

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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.

Do the Spurs need to trade for a point guard at the NBA trade deadline?

Or is skill development of the players on the roster now a bigger priority?

For some fans of the San Antonio Spurs looking at a ball club clearly more focused on developing Victor Wembanyama and his young teammates, the question of what the Spurs need at the NBA’s 2024 trade deadline may not seem to be an important one.

But speculation abounds nonetheless, and for The Athletic’s Kelly Iko, San Antonio ought to add a new face to its backcourt. “If it took an injury to Malaki Branham to finally get Tre Jones named as a starter, I’m not sure how else to say the Spurs need a point guard,” writes the Athletic reporter.

Extolling the potential of Wemby, Keldon Johnson, and Devin Vassell, Iko notes that “Jeremy Sochan isn’t a lead ballhandler, but he’s lengthy, a solid defender and versatile.”

“They’re missing an organizer,” he suggests. There’s a non-zero chance that is no accident given the team’s plans to hone skills a winning focus would make fraught.

But Iko is correct to note that it “shouldn’t take 35 games into the season to realize (an organizer is lacking) … there’s no way San Antonio should be this bad.”

Unless it’s the future one is more focused on, though we would like to see what Wembanyama and Co. look like with a serious NBA point guard. Is it too soon, or will we see Dejounte Murray back in a Spurs uniform, or someone similar? Only time can tell.

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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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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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Should the Boston Celtics trade for Kelly Olynyk?

Olynyk’s expiring contract and seemingly expressed interest in returning to Boston have stirred discussions about a possible reunion

The Boston Celtics are facing decisions as the trade deadline approaches, with speculation surrounding potential moves to strengthen their roster having recently been clarified by Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens. 

One name that has surfaced in trade talks is Utah Jazz big man Kelly Olynyk, a former Celtic enjoying a career-efficient season in Salt Lake City. Despite the Celtics’ current confidence in their center rotation, Olynyk’s expiring contract and seemingly expressed interest in returning to Boston have stirred discussions about a possible reunion with the Celtics. What would it take for Boston to get such a deal done, and would it make sense for all parties to pull the trigger on a trade to bring the Olynyk Klynyk back home?

In their latest “Garden Report” podcast, CLNS Media’s Bobby Manning and Josue Pavon delve into the possibility of the Celtics trading for the Gonzaga alum.

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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San Antonio Spurs trade guide for the NBA’s 2024 deadline

What do they need to do to surround Victor Wembanyama with the right players for where the French wunderkind is in this stage of his career?

Trade season for the NBA’s 2023-24 season has arrived in earnest, and with it, comprehensive analysis for every team in the league, including the rebuilding San Antonio Spurs. What do they need to do to surround Victor Wembanyama with the right players for where the French wunderkind is in this stage of his career?

The folks over at the “Utility Sports” podcast put together a very good trade deadline primer for the Spurs, highlighting what the team has to work with in terms of draft assets and contracts, an assessment of the players on the roster now, and a look into what the team could best use to speed up Wemby’s growth as an NBA prospect.

The wrinkles added to the Spurs’ trade prospects created by the adoption of a new collective bargaining agreement are not so critical with San Antonio as they are with other ball clubs further along in their cycle of (hopeful) contention,

But it does change the landscape for the Spurs ahead of the Feb. 8 deadline. To hear all you need to know about San Antonio’s trade season, check out the clip embedded above.

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