Why the Celtics should add another rotation player ahead of the 2024 NBA trade deadline
The 2024 NBA trade deadline is a little more than a week away. With it, the Boston Celtics and the rest of the league are in the thick of whatever they have planned for business to get done ahead of the Feb. 8 deadline to exchange players and assets for the 2023-24 season.
For the Celtics, that could very well be a whole lot of nothing, given Boston currently sits atop not just the Eastern Conference standings but also owns the best record in the NBA at a bit past the midpoint of the season. If it ain’t broke, goes the old saying, why fix it?
The counterargument there is that a team with designs on hanging a banner needs every bit of luck they can make for themselves, and with an open roster spot and a handful of players rarely playing, a smaller trade might actually make sense for Boston.
Celtics Lab 238: A deep dive into the deep rotation's Stay Ready Crew with Noa Dalzell https://t.co/XbEpQAMZAe pic.twitter.com/x7ruuRTjzL
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) January 30, 2024
Such is the perspective of Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz, who writes that while Boston “won’t make any major moves at the deadline due to a lack of needs and resources,” they “should be on the hunt for some additional depth.”
“Kristaps Porzingis has already missed 13 games this season, making an already thin bench even slimmer when Al Horford has to slide into the starting lineup. Armed with a $6.2 million trade exception and a collection of draft picks, the Celtics should be looking for another veteran with playoff experience who can play reliable postseason minutes.”
“Players such as Cedi Osman, John Konchar and Otto Porter Jr. would all fit into the trade exception or have salaries low enough that Boston could trade for them without sending out any of its existing key pieces,” notes the B/R analyst.
Maine Celtics guard Tony Snell is on a mission to get back to the NBA https://t.co/luvzocWFve pic.twitter.com/GGeMmuq5bP
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) January 31, 2024
While we think the idea of Osman in green and white attractive, he in fact makes just too much at $6.7 million to fit into the Celtics’ $6.2 million traded player exception Boston has.
Even with the $250,000 wiggle room beyond it the league allows for such trades. At $6.3 million, Porter could — but is having the second-worst season of his career on a bad team.
Perhaps a change of scenery might improve that. But of the three proposed by Swartz, we are most interested in a deal for Konchar, who is on a bargain $2.5 million deal that becomes a three-year contract for $6.1 million a season commitment.
If not Konchar, expect players of this ilk who have something to offer that Boston does not already have in excess. Bigger wings who can shoot, pass, and put it on the floor, in particular.
ESPN cap guru Bobby Marks trade guide for the Boston Celtics https://t.co/mb7vTqxEvl pic.twitter.com/p9njaBDo0i
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) January 31, 2024
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