The Boston Celtics have been one of the biggest surprises of the season. Despite superstar Jayson Tatum going down with an Achilles injury in the team’s playoff run last year, the team has been one of the leaders in the Eastern Conference, sitting at the #2 seed. Now, as the trade deadline nears, one insider weighs in on the team’s status.
“You have to give Jaylen Brown a lot of credit,” ESPN’s Shams Charania said on the Pat McAfee Show . “You think about MVP candidates, he has to be up there… What he’s been able to do to propel this team to being a top three seed in the Eastern Conference without Jayson Tatum, and we’ll see if and when Jason Tatum, exactly when he comes back the second half of this NBA season.”
Jaylen Brown has been having the best year of his career, averaging MVP-level numbers, stepping into the void left behind by Tatum, and according to Charania, has left the Celtics’ front office to rethink their trade deadline approach. Coming into the year, the team was expected to offload Anfernee Simons’ contract to a contender, but now, the team might end up being buyers.
Their surge has come at the perfect time. The Eastern Conference is unusually open this year, especially with teams expected to contend falling off. Other than the Detroit Pistons, who have been dominant in the regular season, there’s no clear team quite on Boston’s level.
“The East is wide open,” Charania claimed. “You look at what Boston has. They’ve got the talent. They’ve done it before. So you have to put them up there.”
So far, the team has been extremely cautious with Tatum’s return. Despite his extremely impressive recovery program off the court, the Celtics are hesitant to let the star come back as soon as he wishes, especially considering that he’s coming back from one of the hardest injuries to bounce back from. Only time will tell if he ends up debuting this season
Why the Boston Celtics May Add Instead of Subtract This Trade Deadline
Coming into the year, the Celtics got rid of many key players from their 2024 championship squad. Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis were sent away via trade, Al Horford and Luke Kornet walked in free agency, and the players received in return were considered meager at best: minimal draft capital and Anfernee Simons.
According to Shams Charania, the Celtics are now actively pursuing an upgrade to level up the team’s starters ahead of a potential return for Jayson Tatum.
“I could see Boston going the other way and maybe adding a player, maybe adding another big man,” he told McAfee. “They’ve been in the marketplace trying to go get a big time starting center potentially. So they’re going to be, I think, aggressive in moving the needle.”
The big men are an area of concern for the Celtics, and though Neemias Queta and Luka Garza have been serviceable, neither are playoff tested. The team has been connected to Nets center DayRon Sharpe and Clippers big man Ivica Zubac. Come trade deadline, keep an eye out for any potential moves from the Celtics.