Boston Celtics: 3 deals for the 2018 NBA Trade Deadline
1. Tyreke Evans
Why the Celtics say yes:
This is my favorite trade of them all because Tyreke Evans has really come into his own this season with the Memphis Grizzlies. He would be a very valuable piece to the Celtics’ run to to the Finals. In fact, they have been looking at him as well.
I have heard the Celtics would like Tyreke Evans and are willing to talk moving their own first round pick, but want to send a player(s) to Memphis, to conserve the DPE for use on another player. They don't want to just let go of the $5M in salary difference between Evans & DPE.
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) February 1, 2018
Getting Evans would be a huge upgrade from what they have now. Evans is having a career year since his rookie season back in 2009-10. He’s currently averaging 19.5 points, 5.0 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game on .458/.392/.799 shooting splits.
Evans’ offense and ability to affect the games in other ways will be of value to this team moving forward. The Celtics were already able to sign recently the bought out Greg Monroe, which represents an upgrade to the bench already, but adding Evans on top of that would be the dream scenario for Boston.
Why the Grizzlies say yes:
The Grizzlies plan to trade Evans before the deadline, as the price is only a first round pick and Evans is not playing anymore until the team deals him away. The Grizzlies would say yes to this trade because they’re getting their top-eight protected pick for 2019 back.
Star point guard Mike Conley will be out the rest of the season and it seems like Marc Gasol‘s days in Memphis are numbered. It only makes sense for Evans to be dealt. He is in a contract year, so his trade value is a lot lower than what it should be. If Memphis is going to start its rebuild, this trade puts them in a good direction to do so. Receiving any first-rounder is a great haul back for the star forward.
Next: 2017-18 Week 16 NBA Power Rankings
The trade deadline is rapidly coming up, and the Boston Celtics need to be buyers. If they can get depth and bench scoring, then they do have a great shot at winning the Finals.