Boston Celtics: 4 possible trade ideas
It’s about the time where teams are starting to decide whether to buy or sell, and the Boston Celtics have plenty of assets. Here are four trades that would allow them to be able to win a championship this year, and for years to come.
It’s December and the Boston Celtics are sitting at a pretty 19-4 record, which is good for the best record in the NBA. The Celtics are in a prime position to make it to the NBA Finals this season, but even if they somehow knock off the reigning Cleveland Cavaliers in the East, more than likely they will be facing a dreaded opponent: the Golden State Warriors.
You could argue that the Celtics need to keep doing what they’re doing and not mix up anything, but we know very well that the Warriors are still the best team in the NBA. They have a star-studded lineup of Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson. Teams are going into each season questioning what they can do to beat the Warriors. They aren’t necessarily thinking about other teams, because everyone knows that the Warriors are too good and arguably the best team ever assembled.
The Celtics’ salary cap situation is a little interesting. Their whole team is practically assembled of rookie and team-friendly contracts. Then you have the three big contracts for Al Horford, Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward.
As it stands today, the most expendable player on a large contract is Horford for many reasons, but the big one is his age. The Celtics are not going to give away Irving or Hayward after giving up a lot to sign and trade for both players. Plus, Hayward is injured, which causes his trade value to drop because no one knows how he will come back from that.
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The Celtics also have a lot draft picks of course, which is a great trade asset. More than likely, those draft picks will be later in the first round as well. This makes it easier to send them away for players that will be valuable, or, you can send them away to teams that want to rebuild.
Boston’s biggest issue so far has been its bench scoring, and quality depth in the frontcourt. This is an area where the Celtics should consider improving upon. Come playoff time, depth will be a major thing to have. Adding more depth to rely upon in the playoffs will be the most important thing if they want to go far.
Teams like the Houston Rockets, and the Warriors have plenty of depth, which will allow their starters to be ready to go whenever they are needed to.
With that in mind, the Celtics can make a few trades that can push them to the level of the Warriors, or even better. Here are four trades that the Celtics should consider if they want to compete for a championship this year, and for years to come.