Insider Expects Celtics To Be ‘Active’ at NBA Trade Deadline
It’s possible that the Celtics could try to expand their roster shortly.
Boston, who is currently alone atop the Eastern Conference standings at 15-5, lost to the Pacers 122-112 on Monday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, preventing them from traveling to Las Vegas for the in-season tournament semifinals.
The Celtics’ rotation had some gaps after the loss, and according to an NBA insider, the team will be trying to add more depth in the upcoming months.
“As February approaches, I anticipate the Celtics to be active in the trade market to try to see if they can strengthen their bench rotation,” Shams Charania stated on FanDuel’s Run It Back program on Tuesday.
This season, the Celtics rank second in defensive rating (108.2) and tenth in offensive rating (116.7), but their all-star starting lineup generates the majority of the team’s output.
Boston’s bench is only slightly ahead of the 76ers in terms of bench points per game (25.7) after 20 games. The Celtics’ leading backup scorer, Sam Hauser, averages 10.0 points per game, with Al Horford and Payton Pritchard coming in second and third, respectively.
The Celtics’ bench was outscored 33-21 during Monday’s defeat by Indiana.
The guards Alex Caruso and Jevon Carter of the Bulls and Delon Wright of the Wizards, who are all contributing to clubs that are anticipated to sell later this season, are among the possible trade targets.
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‘Mad’ Jayson Tatum Drops NSFW Line After Celtics’ Loss To Pacers
The $500,000 grand prize of the inaugural NBA in-season tournament probably doesn’t move the needle much for Jayson Tatum, who’s in line for a $338 million extension this summer.
But make no mistake, the Celtics’ franchise cornerstone was miffed when Boston was eliminated Monday night.
After clawing their way into the knockout stage of the tournament, the C’s were bounced courtesy of a 122-112 loss to the Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Tatum poured in a game-high 32 points to go along with 12 rebounds, but that wasn’t enough to oust an Indiana team paced by Tyrese Haliburton’s 26 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists.
Tatum was asked about his feelings on the loss, and the four-time All-Star used some colorful language to express himself.
“Yeah, I wanted to (expletive) go to Vegas,” Tatum told reporters, per a video shared by NBC Sports Boston. “I didn’t want to go home. I wanted to go to Vegas, so yeah, I’m mad. Next year, I guess.”
The loss surely stung even more for Tatum since it was heavily influenced by self-inflicted wounds. The Celtics turned the ball over 18 times Monday night, triple the number logged by the Pacers.
Instead of traveling to the Entertainment Capital of the World, Boston will return to TD Garden on Friday night for a regular-season game. The C’s will play the loser of Tuesday night’s in-season tournament matchup between the New York Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks.
Shams report: Celtics expected to be active, looking for bench depth
The Celtics have what most consider to be the best “top 6” in the league. Hauser and Pritchard have been solid rotation guys. Beyond that there’s a lot of question marks on the Celtics bench.
So according to Shams, you can expect the Celtics to be ready to make moves to beef up the bench.
As Keith Smith points out, the Celtics have a $6.2M TPE that they can use to take back salary without sending anyone out. The trick is finding someone in that salary range that would be a difference maker. And adding salary at this point would count 3 to 4 times the salary when calculating the tax bill. If there’s a clear upgrade to be found, there’s a world where the owners would sign off on the added bill. I don’t know which players fit that description.
If you aren’t using the TPE, then you have to consider which players you’d be willing to trade away (and 3-for-1 deals are hard to complete in season while teams still have roster constraints).
If any front office would be creative enough to get something done it would be the Celtics. It is probably too early to have any real solid feel for who Boston would target. But it is always fun to speculate.
Celtics Get Major Update on Kristaps Porzingis Injury
Boston did not advance in the NBA’s In-Season Tournament on Monday night, losing to the Pacers in the quarterfinals to find themselves eliminated before the whole show moves to Las Vegas for the semis. But that was not the big Boston Celtics news of the day. That distinction belonged to the Kristaps Porzingis injury, a calf problem that has kept the big man out four games since it happened on November 24 against Orlando.
Porzingis, according to ESPN reporter Adrian Wojnarowski, is nearing a return from the injury, and could be back in the lineup on Friday when the Celtics play the loser of the Bucks vs. Knicks game on Tuesday.
In a pair of posts on Twitter/X, Wojnarowski wrote, citing sources:
“There’s optimism Boston Celtics C Kristaps Porzingis (calf strain) will return to lineup this week. Porzingis is out for In Season Tourney quarters vs. Indiana Monday, but there’s increasing confidence he’ll be back in Vegas for IST Final 4 should Celtics advance. … So far, no setbacks in his recovery and hope is that continues and allows for return this week. He’s averaging 18.9 points and 6.7 rebounds this season.”
Joe Mazzulla Updates Kristaps Porzingis Injury
When he was asked about the status of the Kristaps Porzingis injury, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla was duly cautious, and said he was still uncertain when his big man might return.
“He’s been on the court shooting,” Mazzulla said. “I don’t think he’s done anything up and down yet. I think that’s coming in the next couple of days.”
The Celtics had won three in a row despite not having Porzingis, beating the Hawks, Bulls and Sixers at home before losing in Indiana. He has played well this season and his impending return is especially good Celtics news for a team that is looking to stack up some wins before its West Coast trip later in the month.
The Celtics have back-to-back games at home against the Cavaliers next week, followed by back-to-back games against Boston’s newly minted rivals, the Magic, which have beaten the Celtics four straight times.
Any KP Injury is Worrisome Celtics News
Any time Kristaps Porzingis suffers an injury, of course, it is especially worrying Celtics news because of his less-than-stellar history with bumps and bruises. His inability to stay on the court has been the story of Porzingis’ nine-year career. He suffered an ACL tear in his third season—when he had a breakout year and earned an All-Star spot—and has not been an every-night player since.
Heading into his Celtics career, Porzingis had played in 216 out of 311 games since tearing his ACL, missing just a bit more than 30% of all outings, not including missing all of 2018-19.
Still, Porzingis is arguably the most important X-factor for the Celtics. He is, essentially, a No. 3 or 4 option after Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown and alongside Jrue Holiday. He is also, with Luke Kornet, the only 7-footer on the Celtics roster, and thus, an important part of the team’s ability to guard the paint and protect the rim.
Porzingis is averaging 1.7 blocks this season. The Celtics have a blocked-shot percentage of 11.3% when Porzingis is on the floor and 9.6% when he is off it. Defensively, according to Basketball-Reference.com, the Celtics allow 109.7 points per 100 possessions when Porzingis is off the floor and 107.9 points per 100 possessions when he is on the floor.
His return would most certain be welcome Celtics news.
Sean Deveney is a veteran sports reporter covering the NBA and NFL for Heavy.com. He has written for Heavy since 2019 and has more than two decades of experience covering the NBA, including 17 years as the lead NBA reporter for the Sporting News. Deveney is the author of 7 nonfiction books, including “Fun City,” “Before Wrigley became Wrigley,” and “Facing Michael Jordan.” More about Sean Deveney
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