The Boston Celtics are firmly in the race to win the Eastern Conference, and so president of basketball ops Brad Stevens may be compelled to bolster their roster ahead of the NBA trade deadline.
A new insider report suggests that Stevens will do exactly that—just don’t necessarily hold your breath for something big. According to a league-wide trade deadline report by ESPN’s Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst, they expect Stevens to find some way to improve the C’s roster. They heavily implied that such a move would be for depth and/or to fill a specific need, as opposed to taking a big swing. In other words, you can’t exactly expect Giannis Antetokounmpo to trade his Bucks green for Celtics green any time soon.
“Throughout his tenure as president of basketball operations, Brad Stevens has repeatedly found ways to improve at the trade deadline—even if just in the margins. Sources expect that to continue,” the report reads.
The Celtics could still use another big, like a real, actual big. But the ESPN guys don’t expect any “huge swings” in that department. Someone along the same lines of who they already have on the depth chart, like Neemias Queta, Luka Garza, Xavier Tillman, or rookie Amari Williams, in terms of the caliber of player. Despite a relatively no-name roster in the frontcourt, however, the Celts have actually defended against shots around the rim better than any team in the NBA so far this season, based on opposing field goal percentage.
If anything, the Celtics could actually use a big that can stretch the floor and shoot from long range, an area where their current bigs have been virtual non-factors. That’s the one area that they’ve been unable to replace Kristaps Porzingis’ production. So, don’t be surprised if Stevens brings in a 7-footer who can shoot 3-pointers, and works him into the rotation.
The NBA trade deadline officially passes at 3 p.m. EST on Thursday, so Stevens and the Celtics still have a few days to make a move. It’s also a possibility they still try to unload Anfernee Simons’ contract as a fresh cost-cutting move, so they will be a team worth monitoring in the coming days.
Matt, a North Andover, Massachusetts native, has been with The Sports Hub since 2010. Growing up the son of Boston University All-American and Melrose High School hall-of-fame hockey player Steve Dolloff, sports was always a part of his life. After attending Northeastern University, Matt focused his love of sports on writing, extensively writing about all four major Boston teams. He also is a co-host of the Sports Hub Underground podcast and is a regular on-air contributor on the Sports Hub. Matt writes about all New England sports from Patriots football to Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins.