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Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics and Keon Ellis #23 of the Sacramento Kings pursue a loose ball during the first half at TD Garden on January 10, 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts.
The Boston Celtics have reportedly engaged the Sacramento Kings about a potential trade for Keon Ellis, one of the most highly coveted players ahead of the Feb. 5 trade deadline.
According to Kings beat writer James Ham, the Celtics are among at least four teams that have recently made offers for Ellis, who leads the NBA with a 78% trade probability to be moved by the deadline, per Polymarket.
“I know for a fact that there are tons of teams that have called the Kings about Keon Ellis,” Ham said on his podcast, via MassLive.
“According to my sources, here’s some names you have to keep in mind. The Minnesota Timberwolves, the Indiana Pacers, the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks have all called on Keon Ellis.”
Celtics Trade Target: Keon Ellis
Ellis, a career 41% three-point shooter, is on an expiring $2.3M salary, making him an attractive piece for championship contenders not looking to take on massive contracts.
Per multiple insiders, the Kings are seeking a late first-round pick for Ellis, a price point that the Celtics can match. The C’s have control over most of their future first-round draft assets, save for 2029 (traded to Portland) and 2032 (frozen). To match salaries, they can potentially offer second-year guard Baylor Scheierman or the expiring deal of Xavier Tillman Sr. There’s also the possibility of the Celtics exploring a bigger deal with the Kings by using Anfernee Simons’ expiring $27M salary to absorb one of the other bigger Kings contracts, though that seems highly unlikely.
Ellis has struggled to find a consistent role in Kings head coach Doug Christie’s rotation, a year after he played a vital role for incumbent Mike Brown. Ellis has seen his minutes drop from 24.4 to 17.5, and with it, his points, effiiency and overall production.
Celtics Trade Deadline Plans
Yet, scouts are very high on Ellis’ upside, specifically because of his low-risk contract and ability to be a plug-and-play piece. Furthermore, Ellis has flashed enough potential in his four years in Sacramento to emerge as an elite perimeter defender.
“He has not even played that great this season, but he has a couple things going for him that are pushing his market,” an NBA GM told Heavy Sports’ Sean Deveney of Ellis last month. “One, he is plug-and-play. Everybody needs another guy who can knock down shots and defend on the perimeter.
“Two, he is cheap. He makes ($2.3) million. You can take a guy off the end of your bench, put a couple of second-round picks in the deal and come away with a guy who would be in anyone’s rotation right now.”
While Ellis has emerged as a target, the Celtics’ No. 1 priority ahead of the Feb. 5 trade deadline remains their search for a new starting center, per multiple insiders. The C’s have reportedly been “aggressive” in their pursuit of a frontcourt upgrade by the NBA trade deadline, with Ivica Zubac, Jaren Jackson Jr., Daniel Gafford, Nic Claxton, Onyeka Okongwu and Yves Missi earmarked as potential targets.
Sai Mohan covers the NBA for Heavy.com. Based in Portugal, Sai is a seasoned sports writer with nearly two decades of publishing experience, including bylines at Yardbarker, FanSided’s Hoops Habit, International Business Times, Hindustan Times and more. More about Sai Mohan
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