Tag: trades

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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What do recent trades mean for the Boston Celtics outlook in the NBA’s Eastern Conference?

Could other teams like the Philadelphia 76ers end up joining them in this trade market arms race?

What do recent trades mean for the Boston Celtics outlook in the NBA’s Eastern Conference? With the Indiana Pacers having dealt for Pascal Siakam, the New York Knicks for OG Anunoby and the Miami Heat for Terry Rozier, it is clear that the rest of the East sees the Celtics as a team they need to get better to have a shot against.

Are they right about their assessment of the East? Are those three clubs done making moves? Could others like the Philadelphia 76ers end up joining them in this trade market arms race? And what about the Celtics — should they stand pat, or does the roster still need some tweaking to have Boston well-positioned for the postseason?

The hosts of the WEEI “Slammed: A Boston Celtics podcast” show recently convened to talk it over; check out the clip below to hear their thoughts.

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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NBA analyst floats Jae’Sean Tate as trade target for the Boston Celtics

We like the target, but the speculative ask would be too high for Boston’s blood in our estimation. Can a deal be made?

Could the Boston Celtics find the bigger forward that Celtics team president Brad Stevens is looking for in Houston Rockets forward Jae’Sean Tate? One NBA analyst recently floated a trade idea to get the Rockets swingman to Boston that may be a bit too steep for the Celtics to pull the trigger.

The swap, put together by Pounding the Rock’s Bill Huan, would send forwards Oshae Brissett, Svi Mykhailiuk, and Sam Hauser plus a pair of second round picks to Houston for Tate. The inclusion of Hauser, one of the league’s better 3-and-D forwards (and on a great contract, to boot) likely makes this offer dead on arrival given Boston is trying to add to their depth while keeping their spacing pristine.

A move to swap Hauser in a deal for Tate would do the opposite of both.

But if additional draft compensation or perhaps adding Lamar Stevens’ contract could prove attractive to the Rockets depending on if they wanted draft assets to sweeten future trades or a defensive stalwart to add to their surprisingly good defensive rotation.

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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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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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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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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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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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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