5 players the Boston Celtics may try to trade away in the 2019 offseason
By Nick Crain
With the Boston Celtics looking to improve in the 2019 offseason, they may look at trading one of these five players to make a title run next season.
The Boston Celtics once again fell short of making it to the NBA Finals this season. After losing in Game 7 of the 2018 Eastern Conference Finals, they hoped to get over the hump in the 2019 NBA Playoffs.
Struggling with consistency all year, the Celtics finished the regular season with a record of 49-33, good for fourth in the Eastern Conference. They were a team that had the pieces to turn it on in the playoffs and be extremely dangerous.
In the first round, Boston looked incredible and swept the Indiana Pacers. In the next round, they could not get over the hump, falling to the Milwaukee Bucks in just five games in the second round of the playoffs. It seemed they had the right amount of talent, but the pieces just did not fit.
With the uncertainty of Kyrie Irving returning to the team next season, Boston might need to be proactive in making trades to bolster its roster. Al Horford has a player option and also has the option of walking away from Boston this summer. This would leave the Celtics without two starters and in a difficult spot (although it’s hard to see Horford turning down $30.1 million).
The Boston Celtics have still shown interest in Anthony Davis and will need to consider moving some of their assets to be in contention to make a trade of that caliber. Under the direction of general manager Danny Ainge, there are many different moves they can look to make to drastically improve.
Although there are no guarantees that Boston will look to trade away any of its current players under contract, let’s take a look at the five players they are most likely to deal away.